South Korean pear exporters will resume shipments to Australia after the ban on pear exports was lifted on Sunday, according to Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
An outbreak of fire blight was reported in the growing regions of Anseong and Cheong in May, resulting in a nation-wide ban on pear exports to Australia from 10 June.
Australian and South Korean officials agreed that the contagious disease was being kept under control, with the system for reporting outbreaks deemed to be transparent, according to Yonhap News. Exports are now able to resume from unaffected growing regions in Korea’s south, such as Naju and Hadong, with the first shipment expected to leave Korean mid-October.
Australia has imported small volumes of nashi pears from Korea since 1999, with 82 tonnes of pears imported in 2014, up 49 per cent from 2013.
