India’s apple import market has long been fairly stable in terms of suppliers and their relative shares, with Washington and China dominating sales, Chile and New Zealand filling the counter-seasonal windows and Italy and France playing bit-part roles.
This year, however, there is a new supplier making its presence felt. Faced with high prices from their traditional supply origins resulting from a global apple shortage, importers have turned to Iran as a lower cost source.
Iranian apples are streaming into the Indian market, both over land and sea, with importers reporting fairly successful results for the ocean freight product.
“Heavy arrivals of mixed Afghan and Iranian Red Delicious apples similar in colour and quality to Kashmir apples are coming to India,” said a leading Indian apple distributor, who declined to be named.
“One of the entry routes is by road from Afghanistan via the Wagah border, which is duty-free. Most of this fruit is sent in open crates, and then moved to the northern part of India, including Delhi.”
While the quality of the fruit shipped by land is generally substandard, the distributor said it’s been selling well because of its low pricing.
Meanwhile, seafreighted product, which makes the seven-day voyage from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port to Nhava Sheva in Mumbai, has been performing well in terms of both price and quality, he noted. “Fruit sent this way has better quality and it’s cheaper in the Indian market than all other imported fruits. The sourcing cost is just US$0.80-1 per kg.'
The Iranian apple season runs from October to December, with stored fruit available from January to March, according to the market source.
He estimated that eight or nine trucks are coming in via the Wagah border daily, while almost 90-100 containers have arrived by sea.
Such volumes have been enough to make a significant splash. “This has hit the Indian market badly. All other apples are facing the heat and becoming uncompetitive,” he said.
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