Taiwan could start exporting guavas to Australia within a year, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said yesterday.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on Monday last week released a draft risk assessment report for Taiwanese guava exports to the country, the agency said.
After a two-month public notification period, discussions can begin about details and procedures for managing guava exports to Australia, with shipments likely starting within one year, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture
Guavas could be vulnerable to the oriental fruit fly, or Bactrocera dorsalis, which is endemic to Taiwan. In December 2009, the agency submitted pest control management information on eradicating oriental fruit flies to the Australian quarantine unit.
After years of communication and Taiwan submitting supplementary documents, Australia in November 2023 sent experts to Taiwan for on-site inspections and verifications of guava orchards, it said.
The specialists inspected production facilities, pest and disease management, and post-harvest processing and packaging, which served as the basis for the draft risk assessment report, the agency said.
The experts affirmed Taiwan’s “high” operating and management standards, it said.
The draft assessment focused on fruit flies and other pests that could enter the country via fruit imports, it said.
Australian experts agreed to a proposed cold treatment disinfection technique for fruit flies, in addition to visual inspections and sorting prior to exports, it said.
After the public notification period is completed, Australian authorities would finalize their assessment, taking into account the public comments gathered, it added.
After that, the two countries could confirm quarantine and production conditions, it said.
The time between the consultation period and final agreement on imports varies by country, but it usually takes a few months to a year, the agency said.
Taiwanese officials will continue negotiations with their Australian counterparts as soon as possible, it said.
Taiwan currently exports guavas to the US, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Brunei, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
For exports to the US, guavas have to be stored in an environment below 1°C for 17 consecutive days before arriving in the US to minimize the risk of fruit fly infestation.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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