Indian start-up Inl Farms, a horticulture firm focused on pomegranates, is planning to scale up production and diversify, reports the Business Standard.
The Mumbai-based company, set up in 2009 by Pankaj Khandelwal, aims to expand its acreage from 800 to 2,000 acres by 2018 and launch another undisclosed fruit this October.
Plans are also a-foot to invest in large-scale pomegranate juice or pulp production, and extend operations to South East Asia over the coming years.
Inl sources its pomegranates from farms in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. 50 per cent of its supply comes from its own farms, 25 per cent from existing growers and 25 per cent from contract farming, according to the report.
The firm, backed by investments from Unilazer Ventures and venture capital fund Aavishkaar, currently exports pomegranates to Europe (50 per cent of volumes), the domestic market (15 per cent) and West Asia (5 per cent).
Inl has grown from a six-member team in 2009 to a company with 85 full-time and 120-part-time staff.
