Passionfruit from Vietnam

Public consultation on the draft report for the fresh passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) from Vietnam risk analysis has closed.

Risk analysis

When we do a risk analysis, we:

• review the science on pests and diseases of concern
• assess and analyse biosecurity risks
• develop proposed risk management measures, if required
• consult the public on the draft report and then review comments
• publish the final report
• verify that the country can meet the recommended risk management measures
• develop import conditions
• publish import conditions in our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).

About the risk analysis

We initiated this risk analysis because Vietnam requested market access for fresh passionfruit. Learn more about why we carry out risk analyses and our international obligations.

This risk analysis is being conducted as a review of biosecurity import requirements. This is because we conducted an assessment of the potential pests associated with passionfruit from Vietnam and found that:

• the pests of concern are the same, or of the same pest groups, as those pests that have been assessed previously for other horticultural goods
• there are appropriate risk management measures already established for these pests or pest groups.

Draft report

We released the draft report on 13 July 2023 for a 60 calendar day public consultation period, closing on 11 September 2023.

We proposed that the importation of commercially produced fresh passionfruit from Vietnam can be permitted provided they meet the biosecurity import conditions.

Pests

Eleven pests associated with passionfruit from Vietnam require risk management measures to reduce the biosecurity risk to an acceptable level. These pests are:

• fruit flies: Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae) and pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau)
• mealybugs: Pacific mealybug (Planococcus minor) and mango mealybug (Rastrococcus invadens)
• scale insects: dictyospermum scale (Chrysomphalus dictyospermi), mulberry scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona) and West Indian red scale (Selenaspidus articulatus)
• spider mite: Tetranychus piercei
• thrips: melon thrips (Thrips palmi) and chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis).

Risk management measures

We proposed a range of measures to reduce the risk of these pests arriving in Australia via the fresh passionfruit pathway. These measures are:

• for fruit flies
  • pest free areas, pest free places of production or pest free production sites, or
  • fruit treatment considered to be effective against fruit flies such as irradiation
• for mealybugs, scale insects, spider mite and thrips
  • pre-export visual inspection and, if found, remedial action.

Announcement

More information about this risk analysis is available in the Announcement Information Paper.

Trade

Australia-Vietnam trade

Vietnam is Australia’s 12th largest two-way trading partner in goods and services ($22.1 billion in 2021-22) and 7th largest market for agriculture, forestry and fisheries products ($3.2 billion in 2021-22).

Passionfruit industry in Vietnam

In 2019, the total growing area was reported to be approximately 10,500 ha, with most passionfruit grown in the central highland and northern mountainous regions. In 2019, annual production was reported to be 222,200 tonnes. Fruit are harvested year-round, however the main harvest season in northern areas is from May to December.

Most passionfruit are consumed as fresh fruit in Vietnam, however small, unspecified volumes of fresh and frozen passionfruit are exported to a range of markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Passionfruit industry in Australia

In 2021-22, the Australian passionfruit industry produced 4,787 tonnes of passionfruit at a value of $21.5 million.

Most of Australia’s passionfruit is grown in Queensland, including in the Cooktown/Daintree, Mareeba, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast regions. Passionfruit is also grown in the Tweed Valley region of NSW, with smaller volumes grown in other mainland states.

Australian passionfruit is grown year-round. Peak production occurs from December to August, with lower volumes produced at other times of the year. The total growing area for passionfruit in Australia in 2019 was approximately 280 ha.

There is currently little Australian passionfruit export activity. However, driving long-term domestic and export growth is a priority for the industry.

Next steps

We are considering all comments we received on the draft report. Your feedback is helping to inform our final report.

We expect to release the final report in early 2024. Please note that this is an indicative timeline and may be subject to change.

After verifying that Vietnam can meet the recommended risk management measures in the final report, we will develop import conditions. These will be published on our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).

Keep informed

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Contact us

For more information, email imports or phone 1800 900 090 (when prompted, choose option 1, option 1).