Tokyo's authorities announced they have modified their internal regulation so that these varieties can now enter the country.
"We will only be able to start with next year's campaign, but it is good news, despite the logistic problems caused by the fact that there are no direct routes," explains Salvo Laudani, marketing manager of Oranfrizer.
"A transit time of around 40 days makes it impossible to export Tarocco oranges. Of course, now that more varieties have been approved there are bigger chances to fix things. If we managed to start exporting kiwis too volumes would become more interesting for shipowners as well," concludes Laudani, who is also the chairman of Fruitimprese Sicilia.