Chile is launching its first promotional campaign for kiwifruit in India as it seeks to tap into the growing appetite among Indian consumers for the furry green fruit.
Indian imported 5,109 tonnes of kiwifruit from Chile in the 2016/17, an increase of 59 per cent on the previous season.
However, given the lack of any promotion endeavours to date, Chile has yet to establish itself as an origin of kiwifruit among traders, retailers and consumers in India.
Under the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement signed last year, Chilean kiwifruit is subject to an import duty of 15 per cent, compared with 30 per cent for all other origins, giving it a clear advantage over its competitors.
Announcing the campaign at this week’s Fresh Produce India trade show in Mumbai, Charif Christian Carvajal, Asoex’s marketing director for Asia, said: “This is the first time the Chilean fruit industry will undertake a promotional campaign in India, which will have the important participation and funding of Chilean kiwifruit growers and exporters associated to the activity, our government – represented through ProChile and the Ministry of Agriculture – and, for the very first time, the important financial contributions of leading importers and distributors of kiwifruit in the market. This effort from all stakeholders shows the commitment our industry has to the Indian market,' he explained.
Carolina Vásquez, Chilean trade director at ProChile India, added: “This promotion…represents an important contribution towards strengthening Chile’s image in India.
“We hope to expand the number of importers and distributors forming part of the initiative in the coming seasons and motivate other exporting sectors in Chile to follow in this line of work and take full advantage of the benefits stemming from the recently signed Preferential Trade Agreement signed between our both nations”.
The campaign will be implemented by Delhi-based marketing consultancy SS Associates.
“We believe that with targeted promotions and reaching out to discerning consumers through retail and media promotions, we will have a positive impact on increasing the penetration and awareness of kiwifruit exports from Chile,” the agency said.
According to Carlos Cruzat, president of the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, kiwifruit exports are forecast to rise by 3 per cent this season to around 180,000 tonnes.
This season has also seen the introduction of new quality parameters which will result in fruit being left on the vine for longer in order to achieve better levels of dry matter, soluble solids and brix, a measure for sweetness.
Chile is the third largest kiwifruit exporter in the world. Its season runs from March through to November.
