AUSTRALIAN DURIANS ON THE WAY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Durio zibethinus
FAMILY: Bombacaceae
FARMERS DOWN UNDER MAY GROW TROPICAL FRUITS IF THERE IS A MARKET
Australian noses have never been averse to the smell of money. And just now, money smells like durian. In a move that is tantamount to Singapore sending meat pies to Australia, Southeast Asia's beloved pungent fruit may become just another export crop for our southern neighbour. The plot to cash in on Singaporeans' cherished gastronomic moments is taking root in Australia's tropical north. Farmers there may diversify into durians - and other tropical fruit - if they can find Asian markets for them. It is not quite as much like selling ice to the Eskimos as it might sound. Because of differing weather patterns, the Australians will be able to supply durians here in the off season. They think they could be looking at a market worth millions of dollars. Even with the limited local season, Singapore imported durians worth $10 million last year.
Other tropical fruits the Australians are looking at as potential crops for export to Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong include rambutans, mangosteens, jackfruit, chempedak, bananas and mangoes. Some could be supplied in both the on and off seasons. A 12-member survey mission led by Mr. Terence Pilavachi, special adviser to the Australian Trade Minister, will be here for a week from Friday to study market opportunities and competition. Mr. David Day, Australian Trade Commissioner in Singapore, said his country had been supplying Singapore with temperate-climate fruits such as apples, pears, oranges and avocados. "For the export market, people are thinking and planning the growing of tropical products. There are new plantations and they have the capacity for producing for export," he said. The delegates, comprising growers and exporters from Queensland and the Northern Territory and a representative of the national airline, Qantas, are also thinking of selling Singapore vegetables such as broccoli, capsicum and chilli, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet corn and zucchini.
Last year, Australian fruit and vegetable exports to Singapore totalled $75 million, a 40 percent rise over the previous year. There are already some durian plantations in northern Queensland. If the trade does begin, the Australians will be relying on the local peoples' reputation for being prepared to go anywhere and pay any price for a morsel of their favourite fruit, because the southern product will be more expensive than those now available. Said Mr. Day: "We can supply durians off-season but consumers will have to pay a premium for them." He could not quote a price at this stage.
The Australians will also have cause to thank the Thai exporters who this year introduced consumers to peeled and prepacked durians. This is the form in which they would arrive from Down Under. Asked if he had ever eaten a durian himself, Mr. Day confessed: "No. I have never got past the smell!" A Trade Commission colleague, Mr. Phillip Sibree has done so - three times. "On the first occasion, I told myself this is a fruit I can do without for the rest of my life," he said. But he tried again. and after his third attempt - in Thailand where he and a companion could not resist the local product selling for 20 baht (about S$2) - Mr. Sibree said: "My nose has got used to it. My nose has become a durian nose. It is a heaty nose. But I still think durians are something I can do without."
ANYONE FOR A TASTE OF AUSSIE DURIANS?
Singaporeans could soon be buying Australian durians, rambutans and mangoes - and these would be available all year round too. This may sound surprising, but some Australian farmers have already started growing these and other tropical fruits. The bulk of the harvest is for export, mainly to the Southeast Asian market and in particular, to Singapore. It will not be a case of selling coal to Newcastle, as the supply from Australia will complement the seasonal supply of these tropical fruits by local and neighbouring farmers.
Mr. David Day, Australia's trade commissioner, said at the Australian Fruit and Vegetable Display at the Australian Trade Commission yesterday: "We can provide these tropical fruits to the region during the 'off' seasons." Mr. David Minnis, Australia's horticulture officer for Southeast Asia, said that Australia had expanded its horticultural activities to growing kiwi fruits, avocados, lychees, durians, rambutans and mangoes as well. The scheme to grow such fruits in a temperate land for tropical markets was prompted partly by a depression faced by Australian sugar and tobacco farms, which have since diversified into fruit-growing activities.
More importantly, Singapore is Australia's largest market for fruits and vegetables, and the country intends to increase local consumption, which amounted to more than $70 million last year. It hopes to expand its range of exports to Singapore by exploiting the large consumption of fruits here. Last year, Singaporeans consumed more than $247 million worth of fruits, which is 75 per cent more than the $141 million worth of rice eaten by the local population. Mr. William Hargreaves, senior Australian Trade Commissioner to Singapore, said that he had spoken to Australian fruit exporters and horticulture specialists in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland during his recent visit home. He said that he had stressed the need to maintain the high standard of imported Australian fruits and vegetables.
A trade mission, led by Mr. Terence G. Pilavachi, special consultant to the Australian Ministry of Trade, will be promoting the home-grown tropical fruits in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in May this year. At a seminar held concurrently with the display, Mr. Minnis suggested ways of handling which can reduce the amount of wastage. He said that proper temperature control and packaging and handling of the cartons of fruits are important to maintain the quality of the goods. Measures like marking the date of arrival to help identify the older products, and racking will lengthen the lifespan and freshness of the fruits and vegetables in the cold stores.
DATE: November 1984
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