Passion fruit is a very potential crop of Vietnam. Picture: Van Viet.
On July 21, the Ministry of Plant Protection sent a document to provincial/city ministries of agriculture and rural development, research units, organizations and individuals who produce and export passion fruit. ) and the Plant Quarantine Units for comments on the reporting of import requirements for Vietnamese passion fruit exported to Australia.
The Phytosanitary Ministry said it received a notification from the Australian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on the draft “Report on Import Requirements for Fresh Vietnamese Passion Fruit Exported to Australia” and forwarded it to the Vietnamese side for comments.
Therefore, the Department of Plant Health is proposing the following to the communities, associations and organisations, and individuals involved in the production and export of fresh passion fruit to Australia:
– Ask units to comment on the above draft report before sending it back to the Australian side. The draft report is attached to the document and published on the website of the Ministry of Plant Protection (http://sansangxuatkhau.ppd.gov.vn).
– Provincial/City Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development are directing specialized units to actively study and synthesize growing areas and packaging facilities for fresh passion fruit that meet requirements and have needs for export to Australia in the near future. Ready for delivery if required importing country.
– Associations, organizations and individuals, at Australia’s request, are proactively preparing technical conditions for growing areas to be ready for export to this market if successful.
All comments and a list of growing areas and packaging facilities are to be sent to the Department of Crop Protection (Department of International Cooperation and Communications, phone: 024.3857.0754 and email to: [email protected]) before August 20, 2023. If the consulted entity does not respond after this date, it is deemed to have agreed with the draft report.
Vietnamese passion fruit faces an opportunity to officially export to Australia. Picture: Van Viet.
Summary of Pest Risk Analysis Report for Fresh Passion Fruit Exported to Australia from Vietnam
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has completed a draft report evaluating the Vietnamese proposal on Australian market access for fresh passion fruit for human consumption.
The report’s introduction sets out Australia’s environmental protection policy and the purpose of the pest risk assessment for fresh passion fruit imported from Vietnam to protect Australian agriculture.
The report uses references including research, scientific evidence and data on pests related to passion fruit production such as: Research by Gangwar and Gangwar (2018) on the life cycle, distribution, severity and economic impact of the species. Bemisia tabaci; Research by Garcêz et al. (2015) on the association between pest density and spread of blackpea aphid-borne mosaic virus on passion fruit in Brazil. These studies are used to analyze pest risk and recommend risk management measures.
Accordingly, fresh passion fruit harvested from growing areas in Vietnam may be allowed to be imported into the Australian market, but must meet biosecurity requirements. The report identified 11 pest species that pose a risk to biosecurity, including fruit flies, aphids, spider mites and thrips (attached in Appendix).
The Department of Plant Health recommends that associations, organizations and individuals proactively prepare technical conditions for growing areas, if requested by Australia, to be ready for export to this market after successful opening. Picture: MH.
To mitigate these risks, the draft report proposes a number of risk management measures such as (with attached appendix): establishment of a pest-free area, a pest-free production area or a pest-free production facility. The application of radiation treatment is considered effective in controlling fruit fly species.
DAFF will summarize comments and conduct further consultations with stakeholders. After the review, the DAFF publishes the final report on the DAFF website and completes the pest risk analysis.
The requirements for ensuring biosecurity mentioned in the report form the basis for the development of the import conditions and the publication in the BICON system. Before the import conditions are published in the BICON system, the Vietnamese side must demonstrate their ability to apply risk management measures to ensure safe trade in passion fruit exports from Vietnam.