As early as April of this year, Japan and Australia will start a joint project to harvest high-end fruit all year round. The goal is to take advantage of two countries' seasonal differences. The two countries will contribute farmland, personnel and technology for the project, which is also aimed at encouraging businesses to participate in the unique farming structure.
The two governments mean to develop new markets for luxury produce, which will be targeted at wealthy consumers in China and Southeast Asia.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison agreed on a plan to proceed with building a cooperative structure at a summit in November 2018. The two leaders "recognized the potential for the two countries to boost agricultural exports into international markets through cooperation on bilateral counter-seasonal production," according to a joint statement released after the meeting.
According to asia.nikkei.com¸ the deal will enable Japanese farmers, who usually grow fruit in summer and fall, to also grow them in Australia when Japan is in winter, allowing them to harvest in all seasons. As the two countries have little time difference, farmers in one can monitor farms in the other in real time using video and provide instructions to staff on site.
