Deccan Produce started to ship kinnows to Russia this season for the first time, the opportunity came along as other major producing countries were deficient this year.
"We have always been aware of the potential for kinnow because we saw neighbouring countries exporting them, but export from India just didn't seem to take off," explains Nagesh Shetty from Deccan Produce.
"This season the neighbouring countries have had some trouble with supply and we have just sent four containers to Russia. We think that the fruit will do very well if it arrives in a good condition, if it does not then we have to try again but all in all I think it will be a very good line for us."
"This demand has not been influenced by the ban on Turkish fruit to Russia as Egypt has picked up that market I think it was because of problems in Pakistan. If this goes well we will send more and more to Russia. We already have relations in Russia for other produce so it was easy to build on that for kinnows."
India has a huge domestic market for kinnow so the quality and packing facilities are already there and it was easy for Deccan Produce to turn it around for export. In the future logistics will need to be augmented with the increase in volumes, but given our experience with other produce it will be easy to replicate in the coming year.
Mr Shetty said that there is so much of this fruit in India that additional markets will only help, and if Pakistan, whose volumes are down this season, comes back to normal next year, they can still export kinnows to Russia. "We have started from a small base and it will be easy to increase volumes manifold. But I think that if you have established the market and got it right, then you know you can do it.
