Australia may only supply a minuscule portion of the one million metric tons (MT) of apples Asia imports each year, but the country has managed to lift exports by almost half in the first semester of 2015.

In a post published by Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL), Fresh Intelligence Consulting export consultant Wayne Prowse said 2,152MT were shipped during the period with a value of AUD$5.9 million (US$4.1 million).

"Australia’s share was around 0.1 per cent and there is no misconception of the difficulty in generating demand for our apples at viable price points acceptable to our industry," Prowse said.

"Premium quality and safety; unmatched service; and constancy and reliability, are all marketing buzz words that need to be taken seriously to secure an increased share of these markets and compete effectively with New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, the United States and, of course, China."

Prowse highlighted 168MT of Tasmanian apples were sent to China after initial trials, which were mostly marketed through online distributors.

"China is the world's largest producer of apples so securing a slice of the import market is a significant challenge and sellers need to be unique to gain the attention of buyers," he said.

"Online distribution is a rapidly expanding sector in China particularly for imported fruit and savvy Australian growers are seizing the opportunity to develop trade for the Tiger Fuji variety and creating interest through this online supply channel."

Significant volume rises were seen in Singapore, jumping from 23MT to 81MT, as well as Thailand and Indonesia which rose from zero to 41MT and 230MT respectively.

"Although smaller in volume, Thailand and Singapore have also imported more apples from Australia this year with exporters focused on delivering high value varieties such as Pink Lady™, which set Australian apples apart from other suppliers," Prowse said.

"In 2012, Indonesia implemented some trade restrictions to curb the growth to improve domestic self-sufficiency, which for apples seems inappropriate given the tropical climate.

"Nonetheless, most of Australia’s apples to Indonesia are supplied to settlements in West Papua from Queensland-based exporters serving these areas as well as Papua New Guinea, which remains the largest export destination for Australian apples," he said.

In the 12 months to June, 2015, Papua New Guinea accounted for 45% of Australia's apple exports in volume, followed by Indonesia (11%), the U.K. (11%), China (7%), Singapore (8%), Thailand (6%), Malaysia (4%), Nauru (3%), Hong Kong (2%), New Caledonia (2%), Kiribati (1%) and Vietnam (1%).

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