Tropical Fruit

Products: Carambola, Durian, Custard apple, Guava, Jackfruit, Jackfruit, Lime, Longan, Lychee, Mangosteen, Papaya (pawpaw), Pitaya (dragon fruit), Pomelo, Rambutan, Soursop

Synopsis – Australian Industry

Australia’s northern regions are suited to growing a wide range of exotic tropical and subtropical fruits, many of which originated in Asia.  More details of the nature of these exotic fruits are available online at www.australiantropicalfoods.com.

 

Year	Gross value of Prod’n $ ‘000	Exports $ ‘000	Imports $ ‘000	Estimated number of producers
2006;  2006-2007	56,212	812	4,747

Background

Thailand is a large producer of these tropical fruits and the main world exporter of many of them.  Australia signed a free trade agreement with Thailand in 2004 in which mangosteen, durian, lychee and longan are explicitly specified as market access priority products.  Australia’s strict quarantine barriers aimed at preventing the introduction of exotic diseases and pests have worked against imports of some tropical fruits, particularly fresh fruits. 

A factor that affected the production of exotic tropical fruits was Cyclone Larry that crossed the Queensland coast on 20 March 2006.  It severely reduced 2006-07 production of exotic tropical fruit and caused extensive damage to fruit trees with the result that it will be a number of years before many tropical exotic fruit industries recover.

An industry peak body, Tropical Exotic Fruit Australia Incorporated (TEFA), was established in 2007 through a merger of the Rambutan and Tropical Exotic Growers Association (RTEGA) and the Tropical Exotic Fruit sub-groups of the Northern Territory Horticultural Association.

Durian

Durian (Durio zibethinus L.) is a tree-borne tropical fruit with a complex flavour that some find offensive.  Durian is believed to have originated in Borneo and is now extensively cultivated in south east Asia, particularly Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.  Durian fruit is mostly eaten fresh but can be frozen, dried or canned.  Harvesting before ripe can mean a shelf life of 2–3 weeks with refrigeration but can be as little as 2–3 days if the fruit is damaged.

Commercial growing of durian fruit has only recently commenced in the Northern Territory and north Queensland.  Around 70 per cent of durian production occurs in north Queensland, with the Northern Territory accounting for the remainder.

Prior to Cyclone Larry in early 2006, there were 36 durian growers in Australia with around 13 000 trees; the cyclone destroyed around 8 per cent of all trees.  Australia production of durian fruit in 2006 was an estimated 20 tonnes with a gross value of $250,000.  The value of lost durian production in 2006 from the cyclone was estimated to be $300,000.

There have been small quantities of Australian exports of durian in the past but almost none in recent years.  There are larger quantities of imports, all provided by Thailand and Malaysia.  Market access for fresh durian was granted to Thailand and Malaysia in 1999 and 2004, respectively, after import risk assessments.

Background

World import trade of fresh durian fruit averaged a little more than 200 000 tonnes a year in the three years to 2005, with prices in the range US$525–550 a tonne.  Thailand provided nearly 90 per cent of world durian exports, with Malaysia providing the bulk of the remainder.  The major importers were Hong Kong (47 per cent), China (37 per cent) and Singapore (13 per cent).

Jackfruit

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is a tropical fruit tree that is believed to have originated in the rain forests of the Western Ghats in India but has now been adapted to frost-free and humid tropical and subtropical climates.  The fruit are very large, ranging in size from 5 to 30 kilograms.
In Australia, jackfruit are produced in the Northern Territory and Queensland.  Annual production is 3–400 tonnes, mostly from the Northern Territory, with an average planting area of 0.5 hectares to 2 hectares.  There is strong domestic demand for Australian produced jackfruit and all production is consumed domestically. There are no countries that have approval to export jackfruit to Australia.
Jackfruit are a major fruit in Malaysia and Thailand.  No world production or trade data are available.

Longan

Longan (Dimocarpus longan or Euphoria longan) is a fruit closely related to the lychee.  It is suited to production in monsoonal regions and is mainly grown in China, Thailand, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.  Longans are mainly consumed fresh but are also dried and canned.
In Australia, longans are grown in the subtropical regions of the eastern coast of Australia as far south as northern New South Wales.  Estimated Australian production of longans in 2006-07 was 320 tonnes, with an estimated gross value of $1.1 million.

In the past, small quantities of longans have been exported from Australia but the markedly reduced harvest in 2006-07 has meant virtually no Australian exports of longans in 2006-07.

Background

Thailand is the main exporter of longans.  Thai production of longans has increased strongly in recent years while its export prices have varied around US$485 a tonne in constant (2008) dollars.

Lychees

Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), or lychee nut or litchi, is a tree-borne fruit with sweet, fragrant and juicy fruit and a translucent flesh.  The lychee tree is native to southern China, northern Vietnam and Myanmar.  It is difficult to grow, requiring frost-free conditions.  The fruits are very susceptible to browning and rotting so they have a relatively short shelf life as fresh fruit.  Lychees are also canned whole or made into a range of jellies, jams, preserves and lychee tea.

Lychees have been grown commercially in Australia since the 1970s.  Many different varieties of lychees are grown in Australia, with differing agronomic and quality characteristics.  There are around 250 lychee growers in Australia and more than 90 per cent of Australian lychee production occurs in Queensland. The 2006-07 lychee crop was harvested before Cyclone Larry but an estimated 8 per cent of all lychee trees in Queensland were destroyed.

Based on levies data, Australian production of lychees in 2006-07 was 2,414 tonnes in 2006-07, up 900 tonnes on the previous harvest and with a gross value of $11.2 million.  The levies data also suggests that 586 tonnes of lychees were processed domestically. 

Until recently approximately 20–35 per cent of the Australian crop has been exported, mainly to China (via Hong Kong), Singapore and Europe.  However, exports have probably been substantially lower than this in recent years due to market access problems with China (via Hong Kong).

Australian exports of fresh lychees in 2006-07 were an estimated 141 tonnes; there may also have some exports in processed form.  Australia has imported up to 124 tonnes annually from Thailand since it gained import approval in April 2004.

Background

Lychees are now grown in many subtropical regions of the world. World lychee production is led by China with a total output of 1.2 million tonnes in an ‘on’ year and 0.8 million tonnes in an ‘off’ year, less than 2 per cent of which typically enters the world fresh food trade.  Other key producers are India (0.5 million tonnes), Vietnam (0.1 million tonnes), Thailand (0.1 million tonnes), Chinese Taipei, Philippines, Madagascar, Australia and South Africa.  Total world trade is probably less than 40 000 tonnes. Key exporters are China, Thailand, Madagascar and South Africa.

Mangosteen

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) is a tree-borne tropical fruit with a thick reddish-purple rind with a flesh that is segmented like that of an orange.  The fruit is usually eaten fresh, but can also be canned, frozen or made into juice, preserves and syrup.  The tree is believed to have originated from the Malaysia archipelago.

In Australia, a planting takes around nine years to fruit and up to twelve years to provide commercial fruit, but once they are established, they are low maintenance trees.  Australia had plantings of around 14,000 trees on about 50 hectares in far north Queensland and the Northern Territory.  However, around 6 per cent of the plantings in Queensland were destroyed by Cyclone Larry in March 2006.  Estimated Australian production of mangosteens in 2006-07 was 120 tonnes, with a gross value of around $950 000.

Small quantities of mangosteen fruit were exported from Australia in the early 2000s but the crop now appears to be entirely sold on the domestic market.  Imports of mangosteens into Australia have been allowed from Thailand since April 2004. In 2006-07, imports accounted for around two thirds on domestic consumption.

Background

Thailand accounts for more than 90 per cent of world mangosteen production and almost all of world exports.  Annual Thai production is around 200,000 tonnes a year but 2006 was poor production year.  Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia are also producers of relatively small quantities of mangosteens.  Thai export prices for mangosteens have declined as its exports have increased.

Papaya and pawpaw

Papaya and paw paw (both Carica papaya L.) are slightly pear-shaped fruit with yellow or golden skin and yellow flesh (paw paw) or orange to red flesh (papaya).  The papaya is believed to have originated in Central America but is now extensively cultivated throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.  The papaya plant lives for around five years but is replanted more often than this in commercial plantations.  Papaya is consumed mainly as a fresh fruit but is also canned (usually as pulp), made into jams, or dried and crystallised.  Compared to other exotic tropical fruit, the recovery time with the papaya industry is short, with replantings bearing fruit after only 10–12 months.

Australia’s papayas are grown mainly in the tropical regions of Innisfail and Mareeba in northern Queensland.  Small amounts are also grown in the Northern Territory, southern Queensland, the Kimberly and Carnarvon regions of Western Australia, and northern New South Wales. 

Estimated Australian production of papaya in 2006 was 8,147 tonnes, down from nearly 13,000 tonnes in the previous year due to damage caused by Cyclone Larry in Queensland in March 2006.  Very small quantities of Australia’s papayas are exported but imports jumped to 460 tonnes in 2006 due to domestic shortages.  Almost all of the imports were from Fiji, following its recent successful application for access to the Australian market, with a small amount also from Thailand.

Background

World production and exports of papayas have grown strongly over the last decade, despite a generally downward trend in prices in constant dollar terms.  World production of papayas averaged 6.6 million tonnes in the three years to 2006, produced mainly by Brazil (24 per cent of total production), Mexico (12 per cent), India (12 per cent), Nigeria (12 per cent) and Indonesia (9 per cent).  World papaya production peaked in 2002 at 6.9 million tonnes, twice the level of production in 1985. Around 4 per cent of world papaya production typically enters world trade as fresh or dried papayas; a large but unknown quantity is further processed for export.  The main exporters of fresh or dried papayas are Mexico (34 per cent of world exports in the three years to 2006), Malaysia (22 per cent), Brazil (17 per cent) and Belize (11 per cent). The United States accounts for nearly half of world imports of fresh or dried papayas, with China (11 per cent) and Singapore (10 per cent) the other major importers.

Pitaya (dragonfruit)

Pitaya (various Hylocereus spp), also called dragon fruit, is a tropical cactus from the rainforests of Central and northern South America. It is suited to a dry, tropical climate.
The pitaya was introduced to Queensland in the 1970s and its commercial production has spread to the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales.  In Australia, there is a white fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) and red fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus).  The red fleshed pitaya earns higher prices.

There are 25 growers in the Northern Territory, with average plantings of 0.5 hectares to 2.5 hectares.  Production in 2006-07 was 60 tonnes with a gross value of $416,000.  Australian production is disposed of on the domestic market and no country has approval to export pitayas to Australia.

Background

In the Americas, the pitaya is grown commercially from Argentina through to Texas in the United States. Vietnam is also a large commercial producer and Malaysia is an emerging producer.

Rambutan

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is a red or yellow tropical fruit that is round to oval in shape, with hairlike protrusions.  The rambutan is highly perishable, which makes it difficult to handle and gives it a short shelf life.

Around 85 per cent of Australian production takes place in northern Queensland, with the remainder in the Northern Territory. Fruit yields can vary widely from year to year.  Australian rambutan production in 2006-07 was an estimated 140 tonnes, down substantially on the peak production year of 2004-05, due to the damage to trees cause by Cyclone Larry in early 2006. Around 60 per cent of 2005-06 rambutan production in Queensland and an estimated 23 per cent of all rambutan trees in Queensland were lost due to the cyclone.
Australian rambutan growers gained access to the Japanese market in 2000 where the rambutan is considered a luxury item.  Most Australian rambutan exports go to this market.  In 2002-03, Australian rambutan exports to Japan peaked at 85 tonnes with an estimated value of $1.2 million.  In recent years, however, Australian rambutan exports to Japan have declined to almost nothing because of markedly lower Australian production and the strength of the Australian dollar compared with the Japanese yen.
No imports of fresh rambutan are allowed into Australia but there may be some canned rambutan imports.

Background

The  main producers and exporters are Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, with Honduras emerging as a significant exporter in recent years.  Thai rambutan production has been declining in recent years and its fresh exports have fallen to very low levels.

Canned rambutan is an important component of the world rambutan trade. Singapore is the largest importer of rambutan products, with growing demand from other Asian countries, the United States and Europe.

Links

• Australian Tropical Fruit Portal (www.australiantropicalfruits.org.au), information about the Australian tropical and exotic fruit industry
• The ‘Fruits and berries’ chapter in RIRDC’s The New Crop Industries Handbook, pp. 165–97 (www.rirdc.gov.au/NewCrops/Contents.html), includes sections on durian, lychee, longan, rambutan and minor tropical fruits (mainly pitaya. pomelo, jackfruit, hog plum and carambola)
• Northern Territory Horticultural Association (www.ntha.com.au), information on tropical exotic fruit, including the newsletter of Tropical Exotic Fruit Australia (TEFA)
• Australian Lychee Growers Association (www.australianlychee.com.au), peak industry body