Pineapples have replaced grapefruit as Japan’s second largest fresh fruit import by volume, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication's Statistics Bureau.
Japan imported a record 174,000 tonnes of pineapples during 2012, a 13 per cent increase on 2011 volumes.
The growth continued a trend of rising pineapple consumption in Japan, according to Junichi Moriya, president of major Japanese import company Tokyo Seika Trading.
“With the development of a new and sweeter variety, and the advent of fresh-cut and prepared pineapples, imports have been on the rise,” he said.
By contrast, grapefruit imports declined for the fifth consecutive year, with the total import volume of 151,000 tonnes the lowest in 35 years.
“Fresh grapefruit imports have been on a downward track since 2007,” said Moriya. “The eating habits of theyounger generation are a factor as well ascertain reports over the years that grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interact with some medications,sometimes dangerously.”
Meanwhile, the import outlook for bananas, kiwifruit and oranges can be categorised as “no worse than fair,” he added.
At 1.086m tonnes, bananas continue to be Japan’s biggest fruit import, accounting for 59 per cent of the total volumes in 2012.
Kiwifruit imports topped 60,000 tonnes for the third consecutive year, while oranges continued to enjoy a resurgence amongst Japanese consumers, with import volumes rising 13 per cent in the 12 months to 31 December to reach 130,000 tonnes.
Avocado and table grape imports reached record levels in 2012, at 58,555 tonnes and 21,406 tonnes respectively. While together they only account for just over 4 per cent of the entire import volume, the fruit prospects for both products remains bright in the Japanese market, according to Moriya.
“Their total imports are still low compared to other fresh fruits but they’re growing, possibly due to a betterunderstanding of their health benefits compared with other fresh fruits,” he said.
Overall, Japan imported 1,83m tonnes of fresh fruit in 2012, 2.9 per cent higher than the average for the last ten years.
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