Aug. 15, 2007
Susumu Kono
Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer (Japan)
With their unique brand of sweetness, tropical fruits such as mangoes, papayas and star fruit are experiencing a rapid rise in imports, all on the back of increased popularity among young women.
For the countries of origin to export the exotic delicacies to Japan, they must have sufficient delousing technology. Recently, Japanese importers have begun providing the necessary technology to make this happen, thereby bringing more of these fruits to the Japanese dinner table.
Of the myriad fruit being imported, the most popular are mangoes. Last year, 12,383 tons, valued at 4.9 billion yen, was imported, breaking the previous records. The yen amount was a full 10 percent higher than that of 2005.
According to Finance Ministry estimates, as of May this year, there had been a 7 percent increase over the same time last year, with about 2.4 billion yen.
Papayas, too, saw a 4.8 percent growth over 2005, with sales totaling 1.2 billion yen. Durians, meanwhile, saw a 9 percent growth over 2006 import totals, indicating a sleeper boom for tropical fruit.
The trend was initially sparked by young women who discovered the fruits during trips abroad, but according to Junko Kato, assistant manager of the gift floor at Takano's flagship store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the fruit has "become popular among many people, irregardless of sex or age."
Major supermarkets also have begun carrying the fruit on a larger scale, and the prices have become more affordable, with Mexican mangoes going for about 400 yen to 500 yen each, while Philippine mangoes fetch less than half that.
At Aeon Co., sales for tropical fruit at its about 350 branches nationwide in mid-July were up 15 percent over last year's, largely based on mango sales. Tokyu Store Corp., too, experienced a 14 percent growth in tropical fruit sales at its 100 stores for the month of July.
Processed foods containing tropical fruit also have played a role in the boom.
According to Fuji-Keizai, a private polling organization, the mango custard market grew 4.1 percent between 2003 and 2006 to reach 2.5 billion yen.
Another significant factor is the rise in the number of countries exporting to Japan. In June last year, a ban on mango shipments from India, the world's largest mango exporter, was lifted. For the remainder of the year, only nine tons of the fruit was imported. As of this May, however, that number had ballooned to 52 tons.
Exporters including Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand already are certified to export mangoes to Japan. Countries that are attempting to duplicate this success and ask that restrictions be removed include Malaysia and Cambodia, while Brazil and 11 other nations are seeking to have restrictions removed on further products. Malaysia is hoping to open up the papaya market, while that country and the Philippines have each applied to be allowed to import mangosteens.
To import such items to Japan, the relevant countries or regions must apply to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and undergo a check to see if their pest control technology is adequate. There have been a number of cases in which applications by countries with insufficient delousing technology have taken a long time to grant. India's application to export mangoes to Japan took 10 years, while it took 18 years for Brazil to make its first export to Japan.
Because of this, Japanese trading houses dealing with tropical fruit have responded to the increased popularity by helping the exporters with the relevant technology, a move that seems set to cut the application period by a large margin.
"A particularly fast application could take as little as two or three years," the ministry said.
For the countries of origin to export the exotic delicacies to Japan, they must have sufficient delousing technology. Recently, Japanese importers have begun providing the necessary technology to make this happen, thereby bringing more of these fruits to the Japanese dinner table.
Of the myriad fruit being imported, the most popular are mangoes. Last year, 12,383 tons, valued at 4.9 billion yen, was imported, breaking the previous records. The yen amount was a full 10 percent higher than that of 2005.
According to Finance Ministry estimates, as of May this year, there had been a 7 percent increase over the same time last year, with about 2.4 billion yen.
Papayas, too, saw a 4.8 percent growth over 2005, with sales totaling 1.2 billion yen. Durians, meanwhile, saw a 9 percent growth over 2006 import totals, indicating a sleeper boom for tropical fruit.
The trend was initially sparked by young women who discovered the fruits during trips abroad, but according to Junko Kato, assistant manager of the gift floor at Takano's flagship store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the fruit has "become popular among many people, irregardless of sex or age."
Major supermarkets also have begun carrying the fruit on a larger scale, and the prices have become more affordable, with Mexican mangoes going for about 400 yen to 500 yen each, while Philippine mangoes fetch less than half that.
At Aeon Co., sales for tropical fruit at its about 350 branches nationwide in mid-July were up 15 percent over last year's, largely based on mango sales. Tokyu Store Corp., too, experienced a 14 percent growth in tropical fruit sales at its 100 stores for the month of July.
Processed foods containing tropical fruit also have played a role in the boom.
According to Fuji-Keizai, a private polling organization, the mango custard market grew 4.1 percent between 2003 and 2006 to reach 2.5 billion yen.
Another significant factor is the rise in the number of countries exporting to Japan. In June last year, a ban on mango shipments from India, the world's largest mango exporter, was lifted. For the remainder of the year, only nine tons of the fruit was imported. As of this May, however, that number had ballooned to 52 tons.
Exporters including Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand already are certified to export mangoes to Japan. Countries that are attempting to duplicate this success and ask that restrictions be removed include Malaysia and Cambodia, while Brazil and 11 other nations are seeking to have restrictions removed on further products. Malaysia is hoping to open up the papaya market, while that country and the Philippines have each applied to be allowed to import mangosteens.
To import such items to Japan, the relevant countries or regions must apply to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and undergo a check to see if their pest control technology is adequate. There have been a number of cases in which applications by countries with insufficient delousing technology have taken a long time to grant. India's application to export mangoes to Japan took 10 years, while it took 18 years for Brazil to make its first export to Japan.
Because of this, Japanese trading houses dealing with tropical fruit have responded to the increased popularity by helping the exporters with the relevant technology, a move that seems set to cut the application period by a large margin.
"A particularly fast application could take as little as two or three years," the ministry said.
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