Potential for exporting fruit from Papua New Guinea to overseas markets during their off-seasons

Abstract

This study is an initial identification of fruit crops that could be exported from Papua New Guinea to nearby overseas markets during their off-seasons. The period of plentiful supply of 57 fruit and five nut species in Papua New Guinea is compared with that in two other Southern Hemisphere countries (Australia and Indonesia) and two nearby Northern Hemisphere countries (the Philippines and Thailand). Four basic patterns occur for the crops examined. Firstly, there are clear consistent differences between the main production periods in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres for some species, such as durian, rambutan and mandarin. For other species, such as avocado and watermelon. the production periods overlap in the two hemispheres. A few crops, such as banana and coconut, are non-seasonal in all locations. The fourth pattern is displayed by other species including guava, paw paw and lime, for which production is non-seasonal in certain environments and seasonal in others. The best prospects for exporting fresh fruit- from Papua New Guinea are for durian, langsat, mangosteen, pulasan and rambutan to certain Asian markets during the Northern Hemisphere non-production period. There is potential for other fruit exports to both Northern Hemisphere Asian markets and Southern Hemisphere markets in Australia, but this is limited by other factors including quarantine restrictions, the highly perishable nature of some fruit, limited demand and the poor quality cultivars grown in Papua New Guinea. Fruit in this category includes avocado, grapefruit, lime, mandarin, mango, pomelo, raspberry and strawberry.