India is one of the most promising countries for kiwi producers across the globe, says Naufil Kalam, director for Indian importer CR Fruits International. “In recent times, we see a lot of producers from Chile, New Zealand, Italy and Greece increasingly marketing their product, to increase their market share in India. The Indian consumers are increasingly aware of tremendous health benefits the fruit holds and the potential is humongous. Demand for kiwis is rising, especially in the monsoon season, due to increasing dengue cases across the country for which kiwis are a proven remedy. Statistically, India is showing tremendous growth in kiwi imports with a 25% increase in the year 2021 over 2020 and we’re expecting an increasing growth this year as well, with more and more markets being open to India. A huge demand can also be seen for golden kiwis from New Zealand, for their sweeter taste.”
Depending on the city you’re in, demand for specific kiwi changes. Kalam explains that in the lower tiers of cities, price is more important than anything: “In India the highest demand is for 39,40,41 and 42 sizes. The pressure of kiwi is a major factor that drives the Indian consumers. This is the reason more and more importers are focusing on improvising the logistical facilities from the place of production up to the destination. The demand can also be classified among the various cities in India. In tier 1 cities, there is demand for the large sizes. Hence, we see major sales of big size kiwis in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and so on. In the tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the major focus is pricing. There is also increasing demand for jumbo kiwis in India in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Kiwis are a huge product for major hotel brands, since they are used in salads and other innovative dishes. Kiwis are also a major ingredient in new forms of vegan diets, which are becoming more popular in India.”
Before the pandemic, New Zealand kiwis basically dominated the market, Kalam states. “Brands like Zespri basically had a monopoly a few years ago. The primary origin of kiwi has shifted rapidly in recent times, though. Now that European and American kiwis found their way into India, there has been major competition for kiwis from New Zealand. The availability of kiwi has also been year-round, unlike before. Today we see Chilean, Italian and Greek kiwis rapidly increasing their share in the Indian market. Since the ban on Iranian kiwis, the two major players in the Indian market have been the kiwis from New Zealand and Chile. However, we can see kiwis from Greece and Italy entering into the Indian market in a rapid pace. They are also preferred by the Indian consumers during the months of November and December, when the quality and quantity of Chilean kiwis start reducing. These Greek and Italian kiwis are found to be fresher and tastier as compared to Chilean kiwis.”
Kalam feels that there is much potential in the Indian market for fruit exporters in general. “Fruit import in India is a big opportunity for producers across the globe. With a country of a population of 1.4 billion, India is a land of opportunity. But there is an increasing focus from the Indian government to reduce the imports and focus more on Indian production. With increasing demand of consumers for fruits, India’s import figure will only see a rising trend for the next few years to come. With more and more Indians shifting towards modern diets such as a vegan diet, fruits have become a major part of the everyday food intake for a large part of the population. Our focus at CR Fruits International remains to ensure that the best quality fruits are available to our consumers,” he concludes.
