Japanese growers from the Fukushima region are looking to South East Asian countries to export produce in the wake of embargos from traditional markets, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
Taiwan and Hong Kong, which together imported more than 90 per cent of the region's total export volume of 70 tonnes in 2009, banned all imports of Fukushima products after the meltdown in the city’s nuclear power plant in March 2011.
While domestic shipments of Fukushima’s fruit have remained steady since the disaster, concerns regarding produce safety saw prices cut in half.
The region's growers had become reputable producers of peaches, apples, pears and grapes, supplying a combined total of around 72,000 tonnes of these four products in 2011.
With the closure of Taiwan and Hong Kong, Thailand is fast becoming a major export destination for Fukushima produce, with around 20 retail representatives invited to the region in August last year to tour a peach orchard and prefectural institution which screens products and checks they are free of radiation.
Following the visit, two tonnes of fruit were shipped to Thailand last autumn and sold at four Bangkok department stores that attract a wealthy clientele capable of paying ¥800 (US$8) for a peach and ¥300 (US$3) for an apple.
Fukushima fruit exports to Malaysia also commenced this year, with 2.5 tonnes of peaches, 250kg of pears and 80kg of grapes sent to Thailand and Malaysia combined in August and September.
These reportedly all sold out in department stores based in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, the country’s respective capitals which boast the wealthier demographics.
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