ACCE$$ TO A$IA ASIAN VEGETABLES NEWSLETTER Issue No. 3, October 1995 (English Edition)

This is the third issue of Acce$$ to A$ia. In the second, we presented some of our research results for Japanese pumpkin and market survey information on Chinese chard. In this newsletter, we are informing you of the potential for green soybean and presenting some information about Chinese broccoli including its currrent retail and wholesale prices in Melbourne.

GREEN SOYBEAN EXPORT & DOMESTIC OPPORTUNITIES

( Ray Holland, Shepparton TEL: (058) 214788 )

• Green soybean, also known as eda mame in Japan ( and mo dau in Cantonese ) is the largest by volume frozen vegetable imported into Japan after potatoes. Imports increased by 10.6% to 57,000 tonnes in 1994 compared to 1993 and have increased by 33% since 1991. In the Japanese food service industry, green soybean is consumed as a snack to complement beverages ( such as beer ). Changing trends show green soybean is now used more as a green vegetable rather than a snack food and is increasing in popularity as a frozen product. About 80% of imports are used by the food service industry with the balance by the retail trade.
• There is also an import replacement opportunity for the Australian domestic market demand of 1,500 tonnes per year which has a retail value of around $7.2 million. This demand stems from Japanese expatriates and Asian tourists to Australia.
• There will be cultivar trials conducted on green soybean this coming season.

An estimated potential market value at the farm gate of $1.00/kg would return about $6,000/ha. Based on a landed price of $2.40/kg and a 5% share of Japanese imports, commercial export trade could reach an estimated $7 million in addition to the domestic market potential of around $7.2 million.

Green Soybean

Appearance - Small hairy pale green bean pods 5 - 7.5 cm in length, less than 2.5 cm wide with distinct indentations of the location of the beans.

Nutritional Content - Green soybeans have a relatively high protein content and are a good source of vitamin A. In every 100g, there are:

• 70g of water
• 13.6g of protein
• 5.7g of fats
• 7g of carbohydrates
• 100mg calcium
• 219mg phosphorus
• 6.4mg iron
• 0.28mg carotene
• 0.33mg vitamin B1
• 0.16mg vitamin B2
• 1.7mg niacin
• 25mg vitamin C

Preparation - For most purposes, green soybean are shelled. If serving as snacks, they are left whole and shelled as eaten by the consumer.

DOMESTIC SCENE

Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) is one of the more popular Asian vegetables in Australia. It is readily available in Melbourne and is known as kai lan (Cantonese), gai lum (Mandarin), and cai ro (Vietnamese).

In a recent survey conducted on Chinese restaurants around Melbourne, Chinese broccoli was considered the most used Asian vegetable. A good supplier in Melbourne has the reputation of having the best Chinese broccoli in Australia.

There are a number of Farm Cemical Users Courses being conducted throughout the state at the moment. The aim of the course is to help growers correctly interpret the information contained on labels of agricultural and horticultural chemicals. It will also provide an overview on safety issues involved with handling these chemicals and advice on spray calibration.

There will be a Farm Chemical Users Course for Vietnamese growers in the next couple of months in Geelong. If you are interested in attending this course, please contact Mandy Chew on (03) 9210 9222.