The Indian government has announced market improvements to allow in-transit cold treatment of Australian top fruit, summer fruit and table grapes. In-transit cold treatment means fresher fruit for India and greater returns for Australian growers. Australian barley farmers also poised to become major players in the Indian brewing industry under this arrangement.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says India’s approval of in-transit cold treatment of a variety of fruits is a major breakthrough for Australia’s growers. This approval to use in-transit cold treatment is expected to boost export volumes of Australian fruits such as table grapes, apple, pears and summer fruits.
“This is a massive market of young, health conscious and vegetarian consumers seeking high quality fresh and safe fruit and vegetables. The main benefit of cold treating products in-transit compared to onshore in Australia is that better quality fruit arrives in the destination country,” Littleproud said.
“As the product is treated as it is transported, it gets to the market quicker and the exporter can charge a premium based on increased freshness. These are two significant market access achievements for our farmers who are the bedrock of our economy and will lead Australia’s post-COVID recovery. They an example of the strong relationship we share with India and the result of fantastic work by my department with one of our key trading partners.”
Australian two-way agricultural trade with India was valued at over $1 billion in 2018, with Australia exporting $664 million of agriculture, fisheries and forestry products. In 2019 Australia exported to India $830k worth of table grapes, $352k apples and pears and $180k summer fruit.
Source: miragenews.com
