THE continued concerns surrounding coronavirus are helping drive export sales of Australia's Queen Garnet plum.
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The fruit has been heavily promoted on the back of its health benefits with various research showing it to contain more antioxidants than other plum varieties.
Queensland-based company, Nutrafruit, owns the global licence to the fruit.
Nutrafruit chief executive officer Luke Couch said it was projecting a 300 per cent growth this year in export markets, with countries including the United Arab Emirates, China, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore now accounting for up to 50pc of this year's harvest.
"More people are trying to find natural foods to enhance their health and wellbeing amid the Coronavirus pandemic, we're expecting this year's harvest to sell out quickly," he said.
"With this increased international interest, we'll continue to heavily invest in export markets for premium pricing and sustained growth."
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A 2019 human trial found daily consumption of Queen Garnet plum juice decreased biomarkers of inflammation, blood pressure and fat levels in hypertensive and overweight humans.
In a separate investigation, consumption of Queen Garnet plums reduced the symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Researchers attributed these effects to the fruit's anthocyanins which are antioxidants found in red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables.
The fruit's signature dark purple flesh is also an indicator of its high antioxidant content.
The company reported that ideal growing conditions in key production areas delivered high fruit quality and doubled the fruit yield.
The Queen Garnet plum season runs until the end of March.
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