Japan lifts restrictions on Australian grape imports

Japanese consumers will be able to buy the full range of Australian table grapes from next season, following the removal of varietal restrictions on imports. The Australian Government said the expanded market access, announced on Wednesday after a long campaign, is a win for Australia’s table grape industry. For the past 10 years, Australia has only been able to export three varieties of table grapes to Japan – Crimson Seedless, Red Globe and Thompson Seedless. Now, Australian table grape producers will be able to ship more than 130 table grape varieties grown in the country to Japan for the upcoming table grape export season, which runs from December to May. Australian Table Grape Association CEO Jeff Scott said the industry’s campaign had been a long time in the making, and the achievement would transform table grape exports to Japan. “Interest for Australian table grapes in Japan has increased steadily over the past 10 years, since technical market access was granted in 2014,” ...