California Peaches, Nectarines Gain Access To Australia

The California Grape & Tree Fruit League, on behalf of California’s stone fruit industry, is pleased to announce that, following the approval of Australian protocol, California peach and nectarine growers and shippers have been granted access into both Eastern and Western Australia. Both markets are a first for California’s stone fruit producers and have been a priority project spearheaded by the industry for more than a decade.  
 
The first of California’s peach and nectarine production arrived at the Sydney airport on Saturday, July 27 from Kingsburg-based grower and shipper HMC Farms. The approval to export came at the stone fruit industry’s peak season.
 
“For years HMC Farms has worked closely with Marcy Martin of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League, as well as U.S. and Australian government agencies, so that the California stone fruit industry would be able to ship their product to a country previously unavailable,” stated Harold McClarty, owner of HMC Farms. “I would like to personally thank these individuals for their team effort. This could not have happened without the long days and evenings they invested, and the HMC team’s dedication. Somewhere along the way the objective became to get through the obstacles along the path; however, the end result has been a great achievement and we are very proud of that.”
 
Both peaches and nectarines will be available in two of Australia’s largest retailers — Coles and Woolworths — through mid-October. Based on the success of other U.S. fruit export programs, Australian importers anticipate positive feedback from their consumers.