India has a good position in the global container trade. Over the past years this market has grown and this year a growth of 2.8 percent is expected, writes Maersk in a recently published report. In the first half of this year the container export in India grew by 11%. This is considerably higher than the 6% growth in the previous year.
India's achievements are due to the economic recovery in the US and a small improvement in Europe. These markets are traditionally the most important, worth a third of the total export. On a country level the main markets are the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kenya.
The main export products are vegetables (56%), fruits and nuts (42%). Within the fruit segment the export of grapes grew considerably, this product group had a growth of 180%. "Besides a good harvest in the country, India is profiting from a shorter season in South Africa and the shifting focus from Latin America to the US. It also helped that the exporters received more certificates, such as The Thompson and GlobalGAP, which are necessary for export to Europe," according to Frank Dedenis, Managing Director - India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh Cluster.
On the import side it is mainly China, the US, Germany, South Korea and Saudi Arabia that are important partners. It is mainly sustainable consumption goods that are imported, but the import of fruit and nuts is also increasing (+87%). This growth is thanks to the import of cashew nuts from Africa and apples from the US and China.
