Au Australia stonefruit nectarine

Taiwanese television personality Pei Zhen with Summerfruit representatives

Australian stonefruit signalled its return to the Taiwanese market with an official launch to coincide with the arrival of the first consignment of fruit from that country since 2006.

Summerfruit Australia CEO John Moore told Fruitnet.com the trade launch was well attended by Taiwanese media, with representatives from key television networks, local newspapers, magazines and freelance journalists, providing widespread coverage of both the event and Australian stonefruit.

Much of the attention focused around high-profile Taiwanese television presenter Pei Zhen who acted as master of ceremonies, and helped promote the health attributes of the fruit, said Mr Moore.

The event was run in conjunction with the arrival of a container of stonefruit at the port of Kaohiung, which was subsequently sent to the Sun Chung and Bin Jiang wholesale markets.

Mr Moore said the fruit had arrived in excellent quality and was well received by wholesalers and consumers.

He added that the season launch had placed Australian stonefruit in a strong position to claw back some of the market share it lost when access to Taiwan was blocked in early 2006.

The event was jointly funded by a project grant from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and through Summerfruit Australia’s marketing budget.