A focus on exporting higher value varieties to niche markets likely also contributed. April to June were the major export months coinciding with the harvest season.

After initial trials last year, there have been 168 tonnes of apples exported from Tasmania to China, which have been mostly marketed through online distributors direct to consumers. China is the world’s largest producer of apples so securing a slice of the import market is a significant challenge and sellers need to be unique to gain the attention of buyers. Online distribution is a rapidly expanding sector in China particularly for imported fruit and savvy Australian growers are seizing the opportunity to develop trade for the Tiger Fuji variety and creating interest through this online supply channel.

Australian apple exports by month

Although smaller in volume, Thailand and Singapore have also imported more apples from Australia this year with exporters focused on delivering high value varieties such as Pink Lady™, which set Australian apples apart from other suppliers. By June, 81 tonnes had been shipped to Singapore up from 23 tonnes last year and 41 tonnes to Thailand after nothing last year. These markets imported 50,000 and 129,000 tonnes respectively, of apples from all sources in 2014, which shows the potential to generate some market share. Even if demand was just a small percentage it could see a few thousand tonnes exported there.

Indonesia is another market that has seen a positive change lifting from nothing last year to 230 tonnes. Indonesia imported 139,000 tonnes from all sources in 2014 mostly from China. In 2012, Indonesia implemented some trade restrictions to curb the growth to improve domestic self-sufficiency, which for apples seems inappropriate given the tropical climate. Nonetheless, most of Australia’s apples to Indonesia are supplied to settlements in West Papua from Queensland-based exporters serving these areas as well as Papua New Guinea, which remains the largest export destination for Australian apples.

The annual exports trade for apples now stands at 2,152 tonnes worth $5.9 million.

To give further perspective, there were around 1 million tonnes of apples imported collectively by all Asian markets in 2014 including intra-Asian trade, particularly from China. Australia’s share was around 0.1 per cent and there is no misconception of the difficulty in generating demand for our apples at viable price points acceptable to our industry. Premium quality and safety; unmatched service; and constancy and reliability, are all marketing buzz words that need to be taken seriously to secure an increased share of these markets and compete effectively with New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, the United States and, of course, China.

Imports

The volume of apples imported to Australia has remained below 800 tonnes per year since access was given to China and New Zealand in 2011. This is equivalent to 0.3 per cent of Australia’s apple production. From September 2014 to June 2015, Australia imported 483 tonnes of apples, all of which were from China. These all arrived between October 2014 and March 2015. By contrast, New Zealand supplied 317 tonnes of apples to Australia in 2014, all between June and August, which was 0.1 per cent of their 320,000 tonnes shipped globally.

Source: apal.org.au