Costa chief Sean Hallahan is now calling on the federal government for assistance in gaining greater access to the Japanese market as a “matter of urgency for the greater good of the avocado industry”.
The Japanese government accepts only Hass avocados from areas officially recognised as free of Queensland fruit fly. This means only avocados from Western Australia,Tasmania and parts of South Australia can be sold to Japan,but not avocados from Queensland or NSW.
“It is vitally important for the new Albanese government to prioritise export market access for horticultural products into key markets,most prominently Japan. A whole of government approach is needed to gain access to Japan for eastern seaboard grown avocados,” said Hallahan,adding this was a federal not a state responsibility.
“If this can occur ... it will provide Australian avocado growers an opportunity to supply the Japanese market on an almost year-round basis,something that no other country can do.”
Greater access to the Japanese market,where Australian avocados are already “really well received” would have a material impact on the domestic avocado industry,Hallahan said.
“[Japan] kind of dwarfs its neighbours in terms of avocado consumption ... We think 20 per cent of that market is very realistic to be captured. And pulling that amount of volume out of the Australian domestic market would certainly rebalance things,” he said in a conference call on Friday.