Japan adds a new dragon fruit supplier

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries approved the import of all dragon fruit grown in Taiwan, including red-fleshed, purple-fleshed, and red/purple dragon fruit. Although Taiwan received approval to export white-fleshed dragon fruit in 2010, it had to wait a few years for the other varieties, due to the Bactrocena dorsalis and Bactrocena cucurbitae fruit flies. As part of the requirements to export the fruit, it must undergo quarantine treatment before being marketed in Japan. In 2016, Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture requested to export all dragon fruit grown in the country, as local cultivation of the red and purple varieties had surpassed that of the white-fleshed variety. Taiwan exports 11 fresh fruits to Japan, including mangoes, grapes, papayas, grapefruits, lychees, bananas and pineapples. In 2023, Taiwan exported nearly 18,000 ...