Dragon fruit a blooming industry

Demand for dragon fruit has exploded over the past three years, with nutritional benefits beginning to catch the eye of health-conscious consumers. The future is bright for Australia’s burgeoning dragon fruit industry, with the establishment of a new grower association and funding to undertake important industry research and development.

But the late start to the domestic season this year highlights the importance of maintaining imports until the industry is able to meet consumer demand, according to Brisbane Markets wholesaler, J.E. Tipper’s Product Development Manager, Richard Birtill.

A Central and South American native, dragon fruit has been grown in Australia since the 1970s but over the past three years interest in the fruit has grown beyond the traditional Asian market. As more fruit appear on the shelves of local fruit and veg shops, Australian consumers have responded positively.

“The change in supply and demand over the past few years has been very significant. It’s gone from being a true absolute minor to having much more of a presence in the shops,” Mr Birtill said. Usually, the Queensland dragon fruit season will start just before Christmas and continue for about five months over summer and autumn with a further two months supply in October and November coming in from Northern Territory.

“Unfortunately, this year the season didn’t start until January, six weeks later than usual, so the local supply missed both the Christmas and Lunar New Year trade,” Mr Birtill said.

Dragon fruit is currently imported from April until September, with supplies coming in from Vietnam and a recent access application has been made by the Phillipines.

“I believe that imports are actually helping grow the overall market for dragon fruit in Australia,” Mr Birtill said. “Having fruit available on the shelf yearround keeps them in front of consumers and encourages repeat purchases. It can have a real, positive impact on the purchase of domestic product when they’re in season.

“The consumer will always prefer to purchase comparable domestic fruit, every time. Imports help to ensure the fruit is available when a customer wants it, but as domestic production increases the demand for imported fruit will reduce.”

With increased local production, consumers will have noticed a reduction in cost at the cash register.

“We have seen price points come down a lot, from $8 to $10 a kilo eight years ago, down to $5 to $7 a kilo today. These prices are purely volume driven, more supply has dropped the price point,” Mr Birtill said.

In February 2021, a project to unite dragon fruit growers to strengthen industry governance and research and development capacity was launched, led by Central Queensland University and funded by AgriFutures Australia.

This new Australian Dragon Fruit Growers Association (AFGA) hopes a recruitment drive for new growers will help make more high-quality, local fruit consistently available.

But the formation of the association is also vital to improving the research and development that goes into the industry, according to Mr Birtill.

“Because it has been such a minor crop, there’s absolutely zero pesticide approval, so most crops have in reality grown almost on an organic basis,” Mr Birtill said.

“By having a registered association and funding from AgriFutures, we have been able to apply for two pesticide permits, one to control for insects and the other to control for disease, which should improve the visual appearance of the fruit going forward.

“Without a centralised association or very large growers to fund that sort of research or apply for the permits, it is very difficult to get them approved.”

Grower and ADFGA Secretary, Jim Hoa Yang Li, said, in the past, growers had struggled to access information and markets, but the time was now ripe to support an expansion.

“For those who are interested in the industry, we can provide the network of professional growers and the stakeholders,” Mr Li said.

“They can absorb knowledge and experience of dragon fruit cropping as well as access industry-level resources, for example cuttings of unique varieties, specialised fertiliser, and how in different farms we have different ways of growing them.”

Mr Birtill is heavily involved in the new association, and is working hard to ensure growers understand what the consumer market is looking for.

“For instance, if you have a grower that is sending lots of small fruit to market, they won’t be getting the return they are looking for,” Mr Birtill said.

“But if they were to thin the flowers and encourage the production of larger fruit then they will receive a better price. It’s my role to let them know what the market is saying and provide advice on how they can meet those consumer demands.”