Japan opens market wider to Taiwan-grown dragon fruit

Taipei, June 5 (CNA) The Japanese government has decided to allow imports of all types of Taiwan-grown dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.), including those with red, purple and red/purple flesh, Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture said Wednesday.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Wednesday issued an official notice on its decision to allow the entry of all types of Taiwan-grown dragon fruit, according to the ministry in a statement.

Taiwan introduced dragon fruit to the Japanese market for the first time in 2010 but only those with white-flesh were granted Japanese market access.

However, considering that the domestic cultivation area of red and red/purple flesh dragon fruit has surpassed that of the white flesh variety and they are even more popular, the ministry filed an application with Japan in 2016 to export all types of Taiwan-grown dragon fruit, the ministry said in the statement.

Following eight years of negotiations and after the fruit passed Japanese quarantine examinations in August last year, all types of Taiwanese dragon fruit now have access to the Japanese market, according to the ministry.

However, as dragon fruit is a host for melon fly and oriental fruit fly which are widespread in Taiwan, the crops must undergo quarantine treatment before they can be sold to Japan, the ministry said.

Before exporting, the crops must undergo vapor heat treatment for 30 minutes at 46.5 degrees Celsius to kill any potential pests, according to the ministry.

It added that two Japanese inspectors invited to Taiwan in May to observe quarantine procedures for the fruit have completed their inspection.

Currently, 11 types of fresh fruit from Taiwan are allowed to be exported to Japan: mango, grape, papaya, dragon fruit, ponkan (Chinese honey orange, Mandarin), two pomelo species, lychee, jujube, banana and pineapple.

Taiwan exported nearly 18,000 metric tons of fruit to Japan in 2023, up more than 400 percent from 2016, with the export value reaching US$30 million (around NT$900 million) last year. This makes Japan the largest importer of Taiwan-grown fruit.

Other than Japan, Taiwan-grown dragon fruit is also exported to Canada, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Brunei, Palau, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Netherlands, according to the statement.