Australia's peak melon industry body has recognised a number of opportunities for export, particularly in the Japanese market, which it is hoping to open up through the development of a new five-year export strategy.
Melons Australia recently took a delegation featuring a number of growers overseas as part of a federal government export project supporting small-medium exporters to strategically enter the Japanese market. Executive Director Johnathon Davey explains that there is a number of upcoming opportunities that Melons Australia will be driving to promote collaboration and cooperation to allow growers to travel and meet with potential importers and buyers to really understand what they want and future partnerships.
"The work we are leading at present is focussed on establishing a real partnership between growers, us (the peak body), other supply chain partners and government - and it really is a success story of our recent trip," he said. "We have growers who have come back and have accessed further grant support to drive that market opportunity and unpack the potential. The key takeaway message is that different growing conditions in Japan are focussed on the celebratory, premium presentation of their melons and we aren’t in direct competition. They tend to grow one melon per vine, wrap ribbons around it - it's a really special looking product as a gift and a significant part of their culture."
Around four years ago, Australia only exported 450 tonnes to Japan and last year that grew to 4,500 tonnes through working on these export-driven collaborative projects. And the current project wouldn’t be possible without the funding support of the Australian Government, and our project partners Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
"We have really been able to unpack the specific opportunities for Australia melons in the Japanese market and therefore see the growth potential – but this needs to be done strategically and progressively as an industry," Mr Davey said. "There are still discussions about further growth and more opportunities, and we need this to be taken on a broader scale with really a strategic focus on quality first."
Melons Australia recently attended Asia Fruit Logistica in partnership with AUSVEG as part of the multi-sector growth and export program, where Mr Davey reported that there was a very strong interest in Australian produce from a number of countries. It was not just limited to one variety of melon. He added that it is important from an industry point of view, to refine the focus and strategy to ensure that domestic consumers still get quality produce that fits their needs and growers have opportunities to supply international markets.
"There was a lot of interest in Australian melons; we had discussions with exporters, importers and buyers from several countries including South Korea, India, Thailand, and a few more where we don't currently have market access," Mr Davey said. "But they are very keen on getting access to our fruit. They have seen the opportunity, and they really want to see our quality and offering in their country as well. The ability to produce quality melons, and many varieties, for all sectors of their population is something that they don't harness at the moment but want to. I don't know that there is one blanket desire that fits across them all, which really creates a great opportunity for us. We have new lines coming on board, new products coming on board and they are interested in sampling and trialling them. Export isn't for everyone, but having said that there are a lot of opportunities with the right strategic approach and partnerships."
Production-wise, Mr Davey is confident of a good run for Australia melons into Christmas, provided the weather stays away. Currently, there are a few growers who have had operations disrupted by the weather, but overall, the impacts are hopefully minimal (really yet to be seen) to industry and eating quality is very high at present.
Domestically, Melons Australia has been holding national roadshows across the country, with four growing regions out of eleven visited as the season heads towards summer; Ayr, Tully, Katherine and Kununurra - reaching around 12 per cent of the growers.
"Feedback from some of the growers has been exceptional," Mr Davey said. "We've had exceptional attendance, and one even labelled it the best ag event that he has been to. We are trying to work on getting the best out of the industry's dollars, through this Hort Innovation levy-funded project. We are really focused on making our events short, sharp and engaging so that people can answer questions. Ultimately, we are here to deliver priorities for everyone in the industry and what I am hearing is that we are hitting those priorities. We are also trying to unlock what future opportunities might be and where we need to put in extra focus."
As part of the collaboration with AUSVEG, Melons Australia is putting together educational and training tools for development aimed at growers who are interested in exporting as new opportunities arise. Anyone interested in exporting or becoming involved in next year's 'reverse trade missions' involving overseas buyers coming to Australia to visit farms, should get in touch with Melons Australia.
For more information
Johnathan Davey
Melons Australia
execofficer@melonsaustralia.org.au
www.melonsaustralia.org.au