Growers to discuss incursion at Tokyo trade show

THE detection of fruit fly is not expected to pose a problem selling Tasmania’s produce and clean image before 82,000 buyers at Asia’s largest food and drink exhibition next week, says fruit growers.

Tasmanian food producers Houston’s Farms and Westerway Raspberries will join freeze-dried food processor Forager Foods in heading to Tokyo next week for the fourday exhibition.

Fruit Growers Tasmania’s business development manager Phil Pyke said with buyers from Taiwan and China at Foodex Japan, discussion about fruit fly will come up.

“We will have the capacity to reassure those markets and show how diligent the steps are in ridding Tasmania of the fruitfly incursion,” Mr Pyke said.

The trade show attracts about 82,000 domestic and international buyers from retail, food service, distribution and trading companies.

Mr Pyke said the Tasmanian industry understood international markets and the requirements of maintaining them under protocols and export requirements.

“Aspects of this are commercial grower relationships, industry working with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Department of Foreign Affairs, Austrade and various protocol country representatives and managing incoming inspector audits.”

Tas Fruit and Vegetable Export Facilitation Group’s Ian Locke will meet Japanese firms interested in investing in Tasmania. “We have been able to develop a project to provide funding support to not just fruit growers but other producers,” Mr Pyke said.