Indian consumers warm to imported apple varieties

India is becoming a popular export market for various fruits from many different countries. As the p…

India is becoming a popular export market for various fruits from many different countries. As the population becomes more affluent they are looking for variety and top quality produce.

One company is at the forefront in providing these consumers with what they desire. Yupaa Fresh was the first Indian importer to introduce produce from various countries, the most recent occasion being last December when they were the first to import Spanish pears into India, and they were also the first to import Polish, Belgian and Spanish apples.

"These introductions from new origins have gone well," said Parth Karvat from Yupaa Fresh. "We started with trials for these various products and, based on market feedback, we have built up each accordingly. The Indian market has become heavily dominated by Dutch and Belgian apples and pears in the last couple of years."

Yupaa Fresh is a big apple importer, with the club variety Jolly Red from Belgium and Royal Galas from Poland. They are currently importing big volumes of apples from Washington and from Chile and other southern hemisphere countries.

"Imported fruit is quite a bit more expensive than the domestic fruit, due to import duties. Apples have a 50% import duty and other products have a 30% duty, making the price difference significant. What makes them attractive to the consumer is the different varieties which are not grown in India, and their counter-seasonal availability."

Yupaa Fresh can supply imported apples from both hemispheres year round.

India does not have a big supermarket culture, most people shop at open markets or small grocery stores. Walmart moved into India a few years ago but growth has not been as fast as they expected.

Yupaa Fresh supplies the wholesale markets across India who in turn supply the supermarkets, grocery stores, retail markets, fruit shops and handcart vendors. The importers have coldstore facilities to keep the produce fresh, once the fruit reaches the wholesale market it generally takes 2-3 days to reach the consumers through different retail channels.