Summary
This report presents information
gained prior to and during visits to Japan and the USA in search of potential
export markets for three root crops. Parallel research is also underway
on the choice of suitable sites and seasons for production, of suitable
varieties, and postharvest practices, with some support being provided
to the establishment of an entity responsible for coordination of production,
export and marketing of the three commodities. Besides providing information
on nomenclature of the species, this report also presents information on
the domestic production and marketing scene. In essence it is concluded
that export opportunities are greater into Japan than the USA and that,
from the export market price perspective, the yam type called yamato-imo,
and more specifically the tanba-imo type, has greater potential than taro,
and taro has far greater potential than sweet potato. Based on volume,
however, the greatest export opportunity is for taro into Japan, followed
by yamato-imo yams, particularly tanba-imo type, into Japan, then taro
into USA and then lower potential for sweet potato into both Japan and
USA. From a practical production perspective in Australia, however,
more producers have experience growing sweet potato, fewer with taro and
next to none with yams. The report is organised by commodity, starting
with sweet potato, followed by taro and ending in yam. In the same
order the following are the salient points from the report:
Sweet potato
-
China dominates the world figures
for production of sweet potato, with animal feed and industrial products
the major uses of sweet potato. Availability is year-round (but seasonal
according to specific geographical location) and prices in Beijing are
quite stable whereas in production zones they rise before, and fall after,
harvest season(s).
-
In Japan sweet potato as fresh
product is concentrated to their summer/autumn season. Between 10-15%
of production is consumed as processed product. Wholesale market
though put is declining steadily annually, and annual price has remained
static, but seasonal price varies with maximum price/kg is achieved during
June-August. Frozen imports offset this to some extent; but fresh sweet
potato cannot be imported to Japan.
-
Australian production of sweet
potato is largely confined to Queensland, and varieties in the main have
golden flesh (whereas Japanese varieties are normally red-skinned with
white flesh). Fresh product supply to the market is constant year round,
but price tends to rise in the second half of the year.
Taro
-
Various species have been called
taro; Alocasia spp., Cryptosperma spp., Xanthosoma spp. and Colocasia spp.
It is the latter, which is referred to in the report, and then only to
the .small-corm. taro in an export context.
-
Japan is the major world importer
of the small-corm taro, with annual quantities averaging 20,000 t fresh
and 55,000 t frozen. Called sato-imo, various types exist in Japan, and
their seasonal price variation is in line with that for sweet potato (and
less so far for yam). China supplies most of the imports to Japan, and
because they share similar geography cannot supply the off-season with
fresh product.
-
Most Pacific Islands produce
large-corm taro, for home/domestic consumption and for export (to New Zealand,
Australia and the USA), the dominance of countries varying according to
disease (taro blight) pressure. Fiji is now the major non-USA exporter.
The USA follows Japan as the second largest importer of taro (large-corm
type) with Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic supplying 90% of the demand.
-
The Australian taro industry
is quite new, although the crop is not new to Australia. Divided
into two types . Taro Pacific (large-corm) and Taro Supreme (small-corm)
. production spans NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Production
of Taro- Pacific peaks in May-September but prices are reasonably constant
and imports reach up to 3000 t per annum. Production of Taro Supreme is
in its infancy, with a view to satisfy local and export demand.
Yam
-
While data on imports of yam
to Japan from China are not available, annual production ranges between
140,000 . 200,000 t since 1986.
-
It is highly likely that import
opportunities will open if the yam industry follows that of taro and sweet
potato, particularly for processed product. Fortunately at present there
appears to be no quarantine barrier to entry.
-
Efforts should concentrate on
the yamato-imo types; ise-imo and the dark-skinned dark- fleshed tanba-imo.
Besides the primary focus of the report on markets and prices, it also
provides detail on history of production, geographic locations for growing,
their seasonality and varietal names, and contains a number of colour photographic
plates depicting samples of various crops.
David J. Midmore
Director
Primary Industries Research
Centre
Central Queensland University
Last updated: 7 May
2003
Copyright RIRDC
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/AFO/03-034sum.html
