Red dragon fruit from Taiwan may now be exported to Japan after eight years of negotiations with Japanese officials, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday.
Japan now accepts all types of Taiwanese dragon fruit, following the approval of the white-fleshed variety in 2010.
As red dragon fruit is more popular than the white variety in Japan, the ministry has since 2016 been working with its Japanese counterparts to allow its import.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
On Wednesday, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries formally announced that it would accept red dragon fruit grown in Taiwan that meet certain conditions.
As the Oriental fruit fly and melon fly are both found in Taiwan, processing is required to ensure they are not present in fruit exports, the Taiwanese ministry said.
The fruit must therefore be steam-treated, with the interior reaching at least 46.5°C for 30 minutes to kill any potential pests, it said.
In August last year and last month, officials from Japan were invited to inspect testing and processing facilities and found them to be up to standards, it added.
Eleven types of fresh fruits from Taiwan may now be exported to Japan: mango, grape, papaya, dragon fruit, ponkan, two pomelo varieties, lychee, jujube, banana and pineapple.
Taiwanese dragon fruit is also exported to Canada, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, Brunei, Palau, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Netherlands.
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