VN dragon fruit wows Aussie consumers

Vietnamese dragon fruits are sold at a supermarket in Australia. — File Photo

SYDNEY — Nearly 100 kilos of dragon fruit were sold during the Vietnamese Dragon Fruit Day held in Sydney by the Vietnamese Trade Office and the Embassy of Vietnam on Saturday.

The fruits’ high quality and eye-catching experience helped it sell at AUD30 (US$23.89) per kilo.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia, Ngô Hướng Nam, expressed his hope that entry into the Australian market entry will help the dragon fruit enter a group of fruits earning export values of $1 billion and above.

The entry can also be a good launch pad for the fruit to go to other fastidious markets worldwide, Nam said.

He said that Australia was a prospective market for the Vietnamese fruit because of the contrast in harvest time.

Việt Nam will promote negotiations to ship other fruits to Australia, including longan, passion fruit and rambutan, he said.

Hoàng Huy Khánh, director of the Đà Lạt Export-Import Company in Australia, said farmers and domestic businesses should abide by strict food safety and quarantine requirements set by Australia.

Fruits for export should be harvested from orchards complying with Global GAP standards and undergo proper pasteurising process, he said.

Among the three Vietnamese fruit (lychees, mangoes and dragon fruit) that have been shipped to Australia thus far, the dragon fruit has better potential because it can produce fruits all year round, and if the importing cost is less, consumption will go up soon, he added.

The first batch of Vietnamese dragon fruit was exported to Australia by the Hoàng Phát Ltd Co in the southern province of Long An on September 20.

Dragon fruit is one of Việt Nam’s key fruit exports, enjoying revenues of $895.7 million in 2016, accounting for 50.3 per cent of the country’s total fresh fruit exports and 36.1 per cent of its total fruit and vegetable exports.

Vietnamese dragon fruit has thus far been exported to 40 countries and territories including China, Thailand and Indonesia