The Many Shades of Indian Fruit Import .

Keith Sunderlal of SCS Group presented an interesting report on the Indian market of imported fruit. The SCS Group is a consulting company specialised in food marketing, international trade and communication strategy related to agricultural products. It is a pioneer in the marketing of food and drinks in India.

The import trend of fruit from India has been grown for many years. In the 2009/10 season, imports amounted about 140,000 tons of fruit, more than $ 120 million.

In the first place was apple imports in the 2009/10 season, 100,000 tons with a value of $ 90,000. Other major fruit imports are recorded for citrus ($ 15,000), kiwifruit ($ 10,000), grapes, pears, plums. Very limited in volume are peaches and nectarines.

The demand of imported fruit is linked to economic factors (as a result of India's economic growth in the first place), geographical and demographic aspects (as a young population) and consumer behaviour, more and more careful to have a healthy lifestyle.

The import involved products with specific characteristics such as counter-seasonality, domestic availability, shelf life, nutritional profile and physical differentiation. But the preference of Indian consumers take into account familiarity, exoticness, price, taste profile, usage pattern (decorative, ornamental, gifting, auspicious).

The major fruits imported to India are apples, grapes, kiwis, pears (Eastern and Western varieties), citrus and plums. Low demand is recorded for cherries, tropical fruit (rambutan, mangosteen, dragon fruit, guava, tamarind), peach, nectarine and berries. Surprisingly, among the imported fruits there are mangoes, litchi, limes, lemons, melons and avocados. Unlikely, then, foreign imports of banana, pineapple and pomegranate, as India has great supplies nationwide.

In conclusion, Sunderlal gave some advice to foreign operators interested in the Indian market, reminding them that the commercial target is not represented, as you might think, over a billion Indians; primarily because only a portion of the population has the means to buy imported fruit and then because the structure of the fruit trade in the country is very fragmented and there are no mass channels (such as supermarkets), capable of bringing a particular product to all.

Moreover, India is a market only if you develop it and invest in it. "There is life beyond the modern retail", Sunderlal concluded. "Therefore you must remember the three words: Enter, Establish, Persevere."

Source : freshplaza.com