In short:
Demand for exotic tropical fruit has increased substantially in the past year.
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Demand → increase → year
Retailers believe increased awareness and social media have contributed to the boom.
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awareness → believe → boom
Farmers report more inquiries for their produce as demand outstrips supply.
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demand → report → supply
Rare tropical fruits grown in Far North Queensland have become highly sought-after treats in capital cities as more of the unusual produce reaches grocery store shelves.
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more → grow → shelves
The exotic foods, including jackfruit, rambutan and mangosteens, have been gaining attention through social media, word of mouth, and cultural demand.
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foods → include → mouth
As growers aim to boost production and demand increases, markets in major cities are trying to order even more for their customers.
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markets → aim → customers
Melbourne grocer Daniel Perogiannis has been selling exotic fruit for the past two years and has been ordering more in recent months due to growing interest.
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Perogiannis → sell → interest
"We sell out every single week.
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We → sell → ?
Whatever we've bought sells out and the demand gets higher,"he said.
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demand → buy → Whatever
"I think the increase in demand has come due to a lot of internationals coming into Australia.
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increase → think → Australia
They're looking for something they can find in their hometown or their home country, and it's something that breeds familiarity for them.
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that → look → them
"Because of that, I think a lot of Australians are starting to hear the words and the names of these fruits, and they're doing their own research into it and looking for it themselves.
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they → think → it
It is a similar story in Brisbane, where fruit seller Michael Nguyen has also noticed more people on the hunt for the tropical treats.
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Nguyen → notice → treats
"[In] the past 12 months the popularity of, for example, mangosteens or jackfruit, I think that's evolved quite a lot,"he said.
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that → think → example
He said he expected that demand to grow even further in coming years.
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demand → say → years
"As long as [farmers] can grow more produce, I think some of these tropical fruit lines will become mainstream," Mr Nguyen said.
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Nguyen → grow → lines
Mr Perogiannis said social media also helped build interest in the quirky varieties.
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media → say → varieties
"There's a lot of exotic fruit popping up from around the world, and it's led to people being curious," he said.
"The most recent one was black sapote.
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one → be → world
Since that happened, we've had flocks of people coming in to find out what it was.
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it → happen → people
Both retailers buy tropical produce from Warren Orsmond, an exotic fruit farmer outside Tully, between Cairns and Townsville.
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retailers → buy → Cairns
Mr Orsmond grows 14 varieties of exotic fruit commercially and said his phone was constantly buzzing lately with new inquiries.
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phone → grow → inquiries
"Even within the last two months, the amount of little shops and agents calling up, chasing the fruit [has increased]," he said.
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he → call → fruit
The most popular fruits coming off his farm were rambutans and mangosteens, but lesser-known fruits like rollinia and sapodilla were also in demand.
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fruits → come → demand
He said Far North Queensland's climate made it the perfect place to grow them.
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it → say → them
"Our climate, our humidity, it's very similar to where these fruits have originated from.
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fruits → originate → where
You know, South-East Asia, South America, Central America
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You → know → ?
," he said.
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he → say → ?
He said as people travelled more, particularly to Asia, they were becoming more aware of tropical fruits.
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they → say → fruits
Then once home they wanted the flavours they tasted overseas.
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they → want → flavours
Mr Orsmond said he was working to increase the size of his harvest to keep up with the growing demand.
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he → say → demand
"There is some expansion in the pipeline, but it's always a case of managing the amount we can put out and also looking at what the market is demanding or wanting," he said.
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he → be → what
The Aporia