Citrus Australia and the Victorian State Government of Australia will co-host the 2015 Australian Orange Media-Only Tasting Campaign on July 31, 2015, at Taste & See restaurant in Shanghai. The campaign will provide a fresh first look at the Australian oranges of this season and the opportunity for attendees to taste the superb specially made orange drinks, dishes, and desserts.

Attendees at the 2015 Australian Orange Media Campaign will be greeted by Mr. Tim Dillon, Commissioner at the Victorian State Government of Australia – China. Mr. Dillon’s introduction of sweet, safe, and healthy Australian oranges will be followed by remarks from Kang Yang Lim, chairman of Taste & See, encouraging customers to integrate Australian oranges into their daily diet. Mr. Ryan Lau, head pastry chef at Taste & See and formerly dessert chef at the Regent Hotel Singapore, will present an orange feast where he will share various orange recipes with the guests.

Australian citrus fruits are renowned throughout the world for their excellent color, sweet flavor, and high standards of quality and cleanliness. They are also renowned for their rich vitamin C content – one Australian orange has almost twice the recommended daily intake. Furthermore, they are high in folic acid and ideal for pregnant women, with one orange providing 18% of the recommended daily intake of this vital nutrient. Besides eating fresh oranges, combining Australian citrus fruits into daily baking and cooking is also the perfect choice to add an extra zing to meals and refreshments, as well as increasing their nutritional value.

The Australian citrus received a warm welcome last year. Furthermore, with the signing of the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement, the tariff for Australian oranges will decline to zero over the next eight years, making the fruit more competitively priced in China.

According to Citrus Australia, an excellent growing season has produced a very sweet fruit this season. There was much less wind during the spring, leading to a much cleaner fruit this season, and the cold weather in June has produced a rich and attractive orange color. In addition, the delivery time from Australia is much shorter than that from South America or Africa, which results in a fresher product and taste. Altogether, this season’s Australian oranges will have the same high quality as usual, and perhaps be even sweeter, safer, and healthier.

When it comes to health and safety, Australian citrus gives a good guarantee. Australian orange farmers use a pest control system called integrated pest management (IPM). This includes the use of beneficial insects to control the pest insects, so that the application of pesticides can be minimized. The beneficial insects are reared in special factories and then supplied to the farmers to release onto their farms. The industry also has a pesticide-residue testing program, which is endorsed by Citrus Australia and the Australian Government. In 2015, 500 residue tests will be conducted on export consignments to ensure 100% compliance with the residue limits of China.

Australia shipped 820 containers of citrus fruits to China last year, the majority of which were delivered to Shanghai and Guangzhou, with smaller amounts going to Qingdao, Dalian, and Tianjin. Among them, mandarins and navel oranges from Australia are the most popular and renowned varieties with Chinese consumers, while Valencia oranges, lemons, red and white grapefruit, and limes are also widely planted in Australia.

The 2015 season for Australian oranges extends from July to November. The eastern coastal cities and Beijing will still be the main markets for Australian oranges, but this year the industry will also begin to focus on some of the major inland cities such as Chengdu and Chongqing. During the peak season through to August, various promotions and marketing campaigns will be launched all over China, both in local stores like Sam’s Club, Ito Yokado (Chengdu), Ole’, Natregro, and via online sites including Fruitday, Jiaguo and Dazzle Fruit to increase penetration into the hinterland and allow even more Chinese customers to fall for this fresh and delicious Australian fruit.

About Citrus Australia
Citrus Australia Ltd. is the recognized national industry association representing the nation’s commercial citrus growers. It is supported by over 250 growers and affiliate members and an expanding Citrus Australia team that provide vital services to the industry, including public affairs, market access, development and promotion, information, communication, and biosecurity.