Washington apple exports to India have hit a record 1.85m cartons (20kg) for the 2008/09 season (September 2008 through August 2009).
The figure marks a 118 per cent increase on last season’s shipments of 850,000 cartons and is 32 per cent up on 2006/07 exports of 1.4m cartons.
“This was a record year for us and there are many aspects to the trends that give us the confidence our shipments into India shall grow during 2009/10,” said Keith Sunderlal of the SCS Group, which represents the Washington Apple Commission in South Asia.
Washington maintained a dominant share of India’s apple import market during 2008/09, with strong sales reported throughout the 12-month period.
A large and competitively-priced crop of Red Delicious in Washington helped to drive sales, together with strong wholesale trade servicing, consumer PR and in-store promotions.
