The Japanese government has approved commercial imports of Rainbow papayas, marking “the beginning of a new chapter for Hawaiian papaya growers,” according to a press release issued by the USDA on Wednesday. 

The Hawaii papayas were hit by a ringspot virus back in the 1990s that threatened their survival.

Scientists swooped in and genetically modified the fruit to be resistant to the virus. But the Japanese government has been reluctant to accept the reconfigured fruit.

In the 1990s, an outbreak of the papaya ringspot virus decimated Hawaii’s papaya crop. Scientists from Cornell University, the University of Hawaii, The Upjohn Company and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service used biotechnology to develop the Rainbow papaya, which is resistant to the virus. After receiving full clearance from the U.S. government, the Rainbow papaya was commercialized in 1998. Now, the majority of Hawaii’s papaya crop is resistant to ringspot virus through genetic engineering.

Japan was once the major market for Hawaiian papayas, with annual sales reaching $15 million in 1996. These sales dropped to $1 million by 2010 while U.S. exporters awaited Japan’s approval of Rainbow papaya. With Japan’s approval for import of Rainbow papaya, U.S. papaya producers are set to regain access to this important market, supporting jobs through increased exports.