The Japanese market has opened up to Australian watermelons, but exporting there will require a shift in growing practices. Both countries this week announced they've agreed on rules for market access, which will allow Australian watermelons, along with pumpkins, to be sold in Japan, reports abc.net.au.
While trade can technically begin immediately, supplying the new market is not as simple as exporting fruit grown for the Australian domestic sector.
Southern Queensland watermelon grower Terry O'Leary said it would take an exceptional product to crack the new market, where watermelons sell for a premium price.
Mr Leary, who grows melons near Chinchilla, said Japan was a premium market for export produce so Australian growers would need to think carefully about the variety they chose to supply.
"We have the issue here in Australia with the varieties that we're growing, with the thicker rinds," he said.
"The reason we do grow those varieties is to do with transport issues with the road infrastructure.
"The smaller Asian melons have a much thinner rind and are more susceptible to bruising, so you think about how rough some of our highways are and bouncing away, logistically it might be a little bit difficult for some people to get that produce shipped from one end of the country into an export port, so that'd be one of the biggest issues with it," he said.
But the new export market could offer a niche opportunity for smaller growers, who struggle to compete in the Australian domestic market.
"Somebody who might be an exceptional smaller grower may have a much better chance of focusing on the one variety or a couple of different varieties especially for export, doing that exceptionally well and reaping the returns from it," Mr Leary said.
Having tried his hand at growing cube-shaped melons, Mr O'Leary said he would consider growing these for the Japanese market.
"Growing in those little boxes, I've done it and it isn't the easiest exercise to undertake with the varieties we have," he said.
"I have done it with the Asian varieties but, to be honest, I prefer the taste of our domestic melons over [the Asian] style."
On that note, he said growers might be able to convert Japanese tastes to Australian melons.
"Even backpackers that we've had come through from Japan or South Korea certainly enjoy the taste of our melons much more than they [enjoy] the Asian melons," he said.
