Why prices of Japanese strawberries are so high in Singapore?

What factors decide the extremely high prices asked for Japanese strawberries in Singapore? Kumamoto, one of the leading agricultural regions in central Kyushu, Japan, is best known for its fruits and vegetables as well as livestock. According to Mr. Ishino of the Kumamoto Prefectural Sales Channel Expansion Business Division of the Kumamoto Prefecture Office, extra care is taken to ensure the fruit’s quality at every step of the way, when it comes to producing Japanese fruits. During picking, each individual fruit “goes through a very stringent selection process by the human eye, before getting packed and sent off for delivery”, Ishino shared. “Factors such as the size, shape, and whether the product has any bruises, are taken into consideration.” In the case of “non-standard” products (colour, deformation, other flaws), the fruits are usually returned. “It’s certainly true that Japanese fruit can be more expensive than fruit produced and sold in Singapore. This is as it is ...