We are conducting a risk analysis for greenhouse-grown fresh oriental melon (Cucumis melo var. makuwa) and rockmelon (Cucumis melo var. cantalupo) fruit from the Republic of Korea (Korea) for human consumption.
When we do a risk analysis, we:
- review the science on pests and diseases of concern
- assess and analyse biosecurity risks
- develop proposed risk management measures, if required
- consult the public on the draft report and then review comments
- publish the final report
- verify that the country can meet the recommended biosecurity requirements
- develop import conditions
- publish import conditions in our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).
About the risk analysis
We initiated this risk analysis because Korea requested market access for greenhouse-grown fresh oriental melon and rockmelon fruit. Learn more about why we carry out risk analyses and our international obligations.
We are conducting this assessment as a risk analysis for the purposes of Section 174 of the Biosecurity Act 2015. This is because we have completed a preliminary assessment of the pests of potential biosecurity concern associated with oriental melon and rockmelon fruit from Korea and have found that:
- the pests of concern are the same, or of the same pest groups, as those pests that have been assessed previously for other horticultural goods
- there are appropriate risk management measures already established for these pests or pest groups.
Announcement
More information about this risk analysis is available in the Announcement Information Paper.
Download Announcement Information Paper
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, May 2019.
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Announcement Information Paper PDF  |
4 | 812 KB |
Announcement Information Paper DOCX  |
4 | 1.0 MB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for help.
Trade
Australia-Korea trade
Australia and Korea have a strong two-way trading relationship. Korea is Australia’s fourth largest export market for agriculture, valued at $3.2 billion in 2017/18. In recent years, Korea has been a major market for Australian beef and veal, lamb, sugar, wheat and barley.
Korea is a rapidly growing market for Australian horticulture goods (such as vegetables, tree nuts and fruit), with exports valued at $45 million in 2017/18.
Melon industry in Korea
Melons are grown throughout Korea. Greenhouse-grown melons are produced and exported year round in Korea. Peak production for oriental melons is from March to June, with potential to be extended to August, and from June to October, with some variation in planting date, for rockmelons.
In 2016, Korea produced 153,828 tonnes of oriental melon, of which 137 tonnes were exported. Exports were predominantly to Mongolia, Japan, Taiwan, European Union and Guam. Korea also produced in the same year 36,937 tonnes of rockmelon, of which 945 tonnes were exported. Exports were predominantly to Malaysia, Mongolia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Russia.
Melon industry in Australia
The Australian melon industry consists of approximately 250 growers producing some 217,000 tonnes of melons annually across an area of around 8,500 hectares. The major melon types produced in Australia are rockmelons, honeydew melons and watermelons. The department is not aware of any commercially produced oriental melons in Australia.
Melons are grown across most states and territories within Australia. Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales are major producers, with Victoria and South Australia producing lower, but still significant volumes.
Melons are available year round in Australia, with August to April being the main production period for rockmelons.
Export markets for Australian rockmelons include the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, South Africa, Solomon Islands, Singapore and Samoa.
Next steps
We will:
- Review the science on pests and diseases of concern.
- Assess and analyse the biosecurity risks.
- Develop a draft report, which will propose risk management measures (if required) to manage the identified biosecurity risks.
We will then release the draft report for a 60 calendar day public consultation period. We plan to release the draft report for public consultation in the second half of 2020. Please note that this is an indicative timeline and may be subject to change.
Keep informed
Register as a stakeholder
Subscribe to the plant stakeholder register to receive notices about plant biosecurity policies.
Contact us
For more information, email imports or phone 1800 900 090 (option 1, option 1).