Vietnamese dragon fruit gains favour in Australia

The Vietnam Trade Office in Australia is organising a Vietnamese dragon fruit week in large Australian cities from July 21 to August 10 to promote the export of the fruit.

Two tonnes of high quality dragon fruit have just been imported and distributed in Australia. (Illustrative image)
Two tonnes of high quality dragon fruit have just been imported and distributed in Australia. (Illustrative image)

Marking the recent arrival of 10 tonnes of Vietnamese dragon fruit in Australia, the promotion programme is based on community activities. It is set to encourage consumers to keep their receipts to participate in lucky draws; introduce the fruit at selling locations and on media and social networks; and set up booths to invite people to try dragon fruit within the framework of outdoor fairs in Sydney.

A representative of the office said amid new COVID-19 outbreaks, a number of big cities in Australia are applying high-level social distancing measures, causing difficulties for the promotion activities.

However, at a regular exchange of the office which took place virtually on July 22, some import companies and shopping malls in the country showed their interest in the fruit and unveiled that demand for importing it is high.

In 2020, the value Vietnamese dragon fruit exported to Australia hit a record of US$4.18 million, up 36 percent on year. The export remained stable in the first half of 2021.