Pears and the Australian Agricultural Industry

An interesting fact that may be unknown to many is that pears are not only a good source of fibre, but they also contain loads of Vitamin C that boosts the immune system. Moreover, pears are also known as pome fruit, and they belong to the Rosaceae family. This family includes other fruits such as apples and quinces. Additionally, Australian pears are produced all around the country. However, 90% of this fruit is grown in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. In fact, the harvesting season of these pears typically occurs around February and April. Nonetheless, this fruit is available throughout the year due to the use of controlled atmosphere technology.

Even though the Goulburn Valley is responsible for 90% of the country’s pears, other states contributed to the production as well. Some of these areas include the Yarra Valley and Gippsland. Furthermore, some of the other places that also produce this fruit are Stanthorpe, Batlow and Adelaide Hills. Hence, due to the nation-wide production of this popular fruit, Australia can enjoy the year-round availability of these fruits.

As of June 2019, Australia has been able to produce a total of 114,496 tonnes of this fruit. This quantity was valued at $115.4 million. In fact, 34% of the total production was used for processing. Moreover, it seems that Australians have a particular liking for this fruit. Thus, 60% of Australian families purchased fresh pears. This amounts to an average of 820 grams per shopping trip. Additionally, the wholesale value of the fresh supply was calculated at $121.1 million, with $109 million was distributed into retail and $11.8 million was reserved for food service.

Interestingly enough, for the year ending June 2019, Australia was able to export approximately 9,190 tonnes of this fruit. The majority of the imports were sent to New Zealand. Some other countries that also enjoyed Australian pears are Indonesia, Canada and Singapore. Also, as of June 2019, 2,209 tonnes of preserved pears were imported.