India’s premier business event is back in Mumbai on 3-4 April with an exciting line-up of top speakers, unique experiences and first-rate networking opportunities
Delegates to Fresh Produce India 2025 can look forward to a wide-ranging programme of expert talks, insightful meetings, immersive tours and much more this April in Mumbai.
Organised by Fruitnet with official partner Asia Fruit Logistica, India’s premier business event for fresh produce professionals returns to Trident Nariman Point Hotel in Mumbai on 3-4 April.
Fresh Produce India combines a non-stop business networking expo with a packed programme of talks, presentations, interviews and tastings on Day One. Day Two offers hosted tours to top fresh produce distributors and food retail stores in Mumbai.
Fresh Produce India opens with two unique experiences designed to nourish both body and mind, hosted by Avocados Australia and Summerfruit Australia. Celebrated yoga teacher and author Ira Trivedi hosts an early morning yoga and wellness session by the poolside at the Trident Nariman Point Hotel. A Welcome Breakfast follows with celebrity chef Amritra Richand featuring Australian avocados, plums and nectarines.
Fresh Produce India’s high-energy content programme then kicks off, bringing together leading experts to discuss a range of exciting market trends and opportunities.
Quick commerce leaders talk fresh produce
Quick commerce has taken the Indian market by storm as consumers embrace the convenience of ultra-fast deliveries of grocery items, fresh produce and daily essentials.
The opening session spotlights India’s quick commerce revolution and how it is reshaping fresh produce retail. Sachin Khurana of QuikRelations unpacks the remarkable growth of the sector. He is then joined by a panel of top players including Zepto’s Ramlingha Rajoo and Swiggy Instamart’s Raunak Shetty to discuss the future market opportunities and challenges.
India is emerging as a production hub for ‘newer’ fruits like berries and dragon fruit. Richard Mills of Haygrove Growing Systems discusses India’s rise in berries and the key role for protected cropping systems. He is joined by Tarun Arora of IG International, who explains the group’s large-scale investments in production of dragon fruit and other new crops.
India is now one of the world’s top apple importers, and the market continues to evolve rapidly. A panel of top global apple marketers – including president of the Washington Apple Commission Michael Schadler, Blue Whale’s Marc Peyres, and Nicola Zanotelli of IG International, share their expert insights on how to build an apple brand in India.
Speakers include (l-r) Richard Mills, MD of Haygrove Growing Systems, Washington Apple Commission president Michael Schadler and Anup Karwa of Innoterra BioScience
Game-changing technologies
Elsewhere on the programme, Fresh Produce India features case studies on cutting-edge technologies with the potential to change the game for the industry.
Anup Karwa of Innoterra BioScience explains why the new T4-resistant banana variety it has identified could provide a solution to one of the banana industry’s biggest challenges. Meanwhile, Frigotec’s Roland Wirth discusses its AI innovation Softripe which ripens tropical fruits such as avocados, mangoes and bananas naturally to deliver superior flavour and shelf-life.
HortiRoad2India also hosts a special session featuring business pitches with the potential to revolutionise food retail in India. The session, led by director of the Dutch public-private partnership Desh Ramnath, showcases fresh produce and solutions that promise to make retailers leaders in offering fresh, clean, residue-free exotic fruit and vegetables year-round.
The packed content programme wraps up with a supplier spotlight on South Africa, which is making impressive inroads on India’s fruit import market. A panel of industry leaders discusses South Africa’s future as a supplier to India in both established and emerging products. Speakers include Werner van Rooyen, CFO of Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum, Hortgro’s Jacques du Preez, Derek Donkin of Subtrop, and NGK Trading’s Gagan Khosla.
Delegates can take part in organised visits to leading retail stores and distribution facilities in Mumbai
Networking central
Fresh Produce India’s content programme takes place in the same space as the bustling business networking expo. Delegates can enjoy a wide range of activities to maximise networking and connect with industry leaders throughout the day. They can hold meetings in the exclusive business lounge powered by Austrade; enjoy an avocado-themed networking lunch hosted by Westfalia; sample Thirty33 cold-pressed juices at the coffee and juice station sponsored by Surifresh Extract; and wind down and relax at the evening cocktail hosted by Fruit South Africa.
Fresh Produce India 2025 also stages the launch of the brand-new Fresh Produce India Awards, a series of prestigious accolades recognising outstanding achievement in India’s fresh fruit and vegetable business.
Day Two offers a range of exciting tours to choose from. Delegates can get exclusive behind-the-scenes access to some of India’s state-of-the-art fresh produce distribution operations with hosted visits to the facilities of DJ Exports and Suri Agro Fresh. A visit to one of Reliance Retail’s premium Freshpik formats also offers a guided tour of the experiential gourmet food store.
