Australia progresses market access for Vietnamese dragon fruit
Australia has commenced work on market access for fresh dragon fruit from Vietnam into Australia.
Fresh dragon fruit is one of Vietnam's top priorities for horticultural market access. Australia has already undertaken preliminary work on the assessment, including reviewing pests and diseases, following strong collaboration between the Governments of Australia and Vietnam. Further work on risk assessment will be carried out in the next few months, including a field visit to production areas and an assessment of production and export practices. A draft report is expected to be released for public comment later in 2016.
Australia is also progressing access for other types of Vietnamese fruits. The first consignments of Vietnamese lychees were exported to Australia in May 2015, with 28 tonnes being exported in 2015. Australia completed a risk assessment for Vietnamese mangoes in November 2015 and work is ongoing to finalise trading arrangements.
Further information about market access for dragon fruit can be found on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website: http://agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis/memos/ba2016-13