Japanese importers get a taste for Victorian table grapes
ATGA chief executive Jeff Scott said representatives from five of Japan’s key fruit buyers were impressed by the “quality and sweetness” of Australian grapes.
Mr Scott said growers were “exceptionally pleased” with the outcome of the tour, which saw 10 delegates spend two days in Sunraysia — where 94 per cent of Australia’s table grape exports are produced.
Japanese importers met with about 60 local growers during at networking event at Trentham Estate winery. Some delegates stayed on after the official tour for individual meetings in Mildura and Melbourne.
The mission’s aim is to stimulate demand for Victorian table grapes — which suffered poor domestic prices this season — and connect Victorian suppliers with Japanese buyers.
The first Australian table grapes — mainly from Sunraysia — were exported to Japan last year following the completion of market access negotiations between the two countries.
Sixteen containers of Australian table grapes — worth about $1 million — were exported.
Mr Scott said it had been forecast that this year there would be 100 containers, valued at more than $6 million, exported to Japan, but following the tour, importers indicated they wanted as many as 200 containers.
Source: weeklytimesnow.com.au