Malaysian pineapple growers are awaiting the findings of an Australian Senate inquiry, which will determine whether or not their de-crowned fruit will be granted market access.
While Australia already imports pineapple from a number of South East Asian countries, domestic growers have raised concerns about a strain of Erwinia which has been found in Malaysian fruit, fearing it could cripple the A$70m industry.
Alex Livingstone, CEO of Queensland’s peak horticultural body Growcom, said the strain causes fruit to collapse from the inside, telling the ABC it was a “very serious and catastrophic” disease.
Livingstone said Australia’s Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture had been “pretty lax in its science” when considering the impact the imports could have on the industry.
A senate report on the inquiry is expected early this week.
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