AUSTRALIAN fruit growers have a better understanding of what international consumers are looking for when purchasing fruit, thanks to a series of surveys carried out in China, Thailand and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Agriculture Victoria research scientist Bruce Tomkins said there were huge opportunities to grow the market for Australian pears and stone-fruit in all three countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo do this, however, marketers need to understand what shoppers want and prices they are willing to pay,\u201d Mr Tomkins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralian grown\u2019 was identified as a key driver for sales in all markets, but we need to provide the right cultivar, with the right characteristics, at the right price,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Tomkins said one survey looked at two new pears Deliza and Lanya in Thailand and Indonesia and compared them to the well-known Packham pear.<\/p>\n
Key findings included:<\/strong><\/p>\n Another round of surveys in Indonesia collected feedback from 150 consumers on six cultivars of Australian stone-fruit; two nectarines, two peaches and two plums.<\/p>\n Key findings included:<\/strong><\/p>\n A final round of surveys was conducted in three Chinese cities, Beijing, Chongqing and Shanghai, to understand shopper perceptions of two Australian export nectarines.<\/p>\n This survey looked at two cultivars of nectarines, a white sub-acid and a yellow high acid.<\/p>\n There were also Chinese nectarines, with soft and firm textures for comparison.<\/p>\n Key findings were:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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