TOKYO -- Australia is stepping up efforts to expand fruit exports to Japan, taking advantage of different harvest times and seeking customers beyond its limited domestic market.
The northeastern state of Queensland has begun trial marketing of bananas in greater Tokyo to gauge shoppers' response. In late November, Queensland bananas appeared in a featured section at a Yaoko supermarket in Yokohama. These "Eco Bananas" are grown without fertilizers or agrochemicals, with special attention to the quality of soil and nearby waterways. Their tips are colored with wax to show that they meet a certain standard.
