Europe is a long-established market and trade partner for India's fresh produce business, but there are still many untapped opportunities for trade and collaboration.
From new markets to emerging supply sources, Fresh Produce India 2015 will give delegates first-hand insights into some of the latest opportunities.
India’s only international conference event for the fresh fruit and vegetable business will attract the key players to Mumbai on 23-25 April – and European companies will be well represented.
Belgian Fruit Valley (BFV), Belgium’s largest apple and pear grower-marketer whose fruit is marketed under the Truval brand, recently launched a concerted export campaign in the Indian market. BFV, through importer Yupaa, plans to sell 1,000 tonnes of proprietary Truval Jolyred apples and 100 tonnes of Truval Conference pears in India this season under a special retail promotion.
Both BFV’s marketing manager Marc Evrard and Yupaa’s Parth Karvat will be on hand to explain their campaign at Fresh Produce India, and the work they’re doing to educate trade, retailers and consumers about both varieties, which are new to the Indian market.
Slovenia, one of the EU’s smallest member states, has also carved out a reputation for its apples in key export markets over the past 10 years, from the UK to the Middle East. Evrosad, the country’s leading grower and exporter, has led the way, and managing director Bostjan Kozole will explain the potential he sees for Slovenia to ship apples to India.
Retail future
As well as bringing new perspectives from Europe, Fresh Produce India will hear from some of the recognised authorities on the local scene.
The situation and outlook for modern food retailing in India is one of the hot topics on the agenda. While the sector is notoriously complex to navigate for local and international players, some companies are beginning to make headway.
Sumit Saran, CEO of the fruit and vegetable division at Future Consumer Enterprise, part of Indian retail giant the Future Group, will discuss the company’s ambitious effort to build an integrated fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain business.
He will be joined on a high-powered retail panel by Naresh (NK) Jawa of Allfresh Supply Chain Management. Jawa, formerly with Container Corporation of India, set up his company almost two years ago to develop a fresh produce supply chain for the so-called ‘organised’ retail sector. He’ll explain some of the opportunities and challenges in plying the modern retail trade in India.
Other topics up for discussion at Fresh Produce India include the changing regulatory environment in food safety, new opportunities for the country’s exporters in Russia and the future potential for kiwifruit. After kicking off with a Welcome Reception on the evening of 23 April, Fresh Produce India’s conference programme runs throughout the day on 24 April, followed by a day of study tours to key wholesale market and retail operations on 25 April.
For more information or to register for Fresh Produce India, visit www.freshproduceindia.com
