Australian grapes showcased in North Asia

Promotional visits to South Korea and Japan create new avenues for trade

A recent outbound trade missions to two key North Asian markets has paid dividends for Australia’s table grape industry.

Lead by the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), in collaboration with Hort Innovation, Austrade Japan and Trade Victoria, the delegation delivered a successful and comprehensive promotional programme in Japan and South Korea.

The trade mission began with seminars in Osaka and Tokyo to provide Japanese importers, retailers and food service representatives with important pre-season information.

A similar programme was then held in Seoul. Following the trade seminar, two major South Korean table grape importers travelled to Australia. The importers visited key table grape growing regions in the state of Victoria, as they looked to source new-season fruit.

“We know the fruit quality is very high this year and that new varieties are in demand,” said ATGA chief executive Jeff Scott. “They must have liked what they saw because the number of containers exported to South Korea has now surpassed last year’s total number.”

The delegation included a number of Australian exporters, who welcomed the chance to meet and network with several leading fruit traders.

“Importers and retailers were eager to hear how the Australian season was shaping up They wanted to know what they could expect to see in market and as well in in-store promotional activities,” Scott explained.

“With exports valued over A$29m (US$22m) in 2017, Japan is becoming an important export destination for Australian table grapes. South Korea is an emerging market with momentum building to increase trade.”

Source: http://www.fruitnet.com/asiafruit Author: Matthew Jones