Zespri International has launched a kiwifruit marketing campaign in India and the fruit will now be available on the shelves of major retailers such as Hypercity, Reliance and Godrej Nature's Basket in Delhi and Mumbai.
Zespri's regional marketing manager Daniel Mathieson said there was huge potential for kiwifruit in India, and he told Hospitality Biz the biggest challenge in marketing the fruit there was a lack of consumer awareness of the product.
Mr Mathieson said education was important to overcome this, and with India's growing health-conscious middle class, kiwifruit should perform very well there.
India is a new market in Zespri's sights and while the country has infrastructure challenges, company CEO Lain Jager said the potential there is quite exciting.
New Zealand kiwifruit expansion into the Indian market could be made substantially more attractive if a Free Trade Agreement between the two nations currently in discussion is signed later this year or early next year.
New Zealand-India trade could quadruple in the next decade if the deal is signed, according to New Zealand High Commissioner to India Rupert Holborow. Indian tariffs on kiwifruit are quite high, and dropping those is reportedly a key focus for New Zealand negotiators.
