Tasmanian fruit and vegetable producers are being urged to make the most of the preferential treatment for exporting to Asian markets. Unlike many of their Australian mainland counterparts, Tasmanian growers have virtually unrestricted access when it comes to shipping their produce to the Far East, largely because of the island state’s fruit fly-free status.
Phil Pyke, business development manager of Fruit Growers Tasmania (FGT), told agricultural newspaperStock & Landthere is a particularly promising opening for Tasmanian berries in protocol markets such as Thailand and Japan.
“We receive many inquiries from Asian based buyers for cherries and apples,” Pyke said. 'Increasingly there are inquiries around berries and even vegetables so these opportunities need to be maximised. We are hoping this year an independent strawberry grower will register for Thailand and blueberry growers will consider the preferential market access into Japan.”
While Tasmanian berry suppliers are already exploring opportunities in non-protocol markets across Asia, Pyke said the industry needs to invest in market development across the region. To aid this push, FGT will hold a training seminar next week for berry growers interested in sending fruit to the Far East.
“There are steps which need to be undertaken to get growers export aware and ready and this training night is the first phase in looking at the requirements of export into Thailand and Japan,” Pyke told Stock & Land.
