Fears of exploding pineapples and crumbling industry if government accepts import bid

shares Share article Campaigners have invoked fears of exploding pineapples in their fight to prevent the federal government from allowing additional imports to disrupt the $80 million domestic industry.

Labor is considering whether to allow pineapple imports from India and Indonesia, but growers are raise biosecurity concerns about the potential introduction of foreign pests and diseases.

Nationals Leader Matt Canavan is pushing for Labor to abandon any move to allow pineapple imports. 9News

Nationals Leader Matt Canavan on Wednesday singled out the possibility of local produce becoming infected by bacterial heart and fruit rot disease – also known as exploding pineapple disease.

“I don’t know about others, but I don’t really want my pineapples to explode on my kitchen table. Doesn’t sound very good,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Exploding pineapple disease can be found in Malaysia, the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, Brazil, Costa Rice and Hawaii.