Peru has carried out its first ever sea shipment of Hass avocados to the Indian market. The consignment left Peru on 16 May and is due to arrive in the port of Nhava Sheva, Mumbai on 7 July.
Camet Trading, the company behind the shipment, said it marked the next chapter in its expansion in India following its shipment of the first airflown consignment of Peruvian avocados to the market in September 2017.
Camet Trading said it is committed to developing the avocado market for India’s 1.2bn consumers. In April the company sent a trade mission to India to meet with importers in order to develop a joint strategy to introduce the fruit into the market.
The company has been sending weekly consignments of its La Chicla branded avocados by air to India since the beginning of the 2018 season. This is being supported by promotional activities in supermarkets and specialist stores in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Camet said the promising results of the promotions had encouraged the company and its importers to dispatch a second container by sea one week after the first.
Awareness of avocados is growing among Indian consumers, thanks largely to in-store sampling and promotions. The bulk of them are sold to middle class consumers in western regions, although consumption is also spreading to the north and south of the country.
Most of the avocados consumed in the country come from New Zealand or are grown locally.
