Japanese market presents fresh opportunities for Queensland farmers

Queensland farmers could soon see more export opportunities open up as part of a push by the Palaszczuk Government to raise the profile of Queensland fruit and vegetables in Japan.

On her trade mission to Japan, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Trade and Investment Queensland would lead a delegation of Japanese food importers to Queensland next month.

“Since 2015, more than 240 containers of Queensland fruit and vegetables have made their way onto dinner plates across Japan,” the Premier said.

"We’ve had success with Queensland carrots, zucchini, watermelon, beetroot and in particular, nuts.

“Now we want to bring the buyers directly to growers of crops including red cabbage, broccoli, corn, lettuce and ginger.”

The Premier made the announcement while visiting at Tokyo retailer selling the Peanut Company of Australia’s ‘Picky Picky Peanuts’.

“It’s just over a year since Trade and Investment Queensland helped the Peanut Company of Australia start exporting its peanuts from Kingaroy and Gayndah in the South Burnett and Tolga on the Atherton Tablelands, to be sold through Plaza retail stores in Japan,” the Premier said.

“In that time, the demand for Picky Picky Peanuts has grown so much they’re now being sold in over 5,000 stores throughout Japan, through a variety of wholesalers.

“To capitalise on that success, Picky Picky Peanuts started selling online in Japan in April this year, and since then they have ranked as the number one selling peanut on Japanese online shopping site Rakuten.”

“That’s the sort of success we now want to see replicated for Queensland fruit and vegetable crops.

Between 2016 and 2017 Queensland fruit and vegetables exports to Japan rose 20 per cent, to $17.7 million.

The biggest category of fruit and vegetable export to Japan is nuts, with nut exports alone worth $9.1 million in 2017.

Queensland grows over 90 percent of Australia’s annual peanut crop.

The Peanut Company of Australia’s crop is ideally suited to the exacting requirements of export markets.

PCA is Australia’s only producer of entirely Hi Oleic peanuts, which are naturally higher in Omega 9 and have 25 per cent less fat than regular Oleic peanuts.

Hi Oleic peanuts also have increased shelf life, making them ideal for the international export.

Earlier this month Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner announced six diverse Queensland food companies had been awarded first round funding as part of the $1.3 million-dollar Growing Queensland’s Food Exports program.

The grants assist Queensland companies to build business capacity and grow opportunities for export in the high-end Asian market, including Japan and Singapore.

Bundaberg’s Macadamias Australia and Burdekin’s VFPlus Pty Ltd were among the producers to receive round one funding.

Media Contact: Geoff Breusch 0417 272 875