Catalan fruit association Afrucat is sending the first shipment of Lleida-grown apples to India this week. The announcement comes two weeks after Spain signed an import agreement with India following a visit by a trade delegation organised by Afrucat last September to improve access to the Asian market.
Afrucat’s managing director Manel Simon said the decision was good news for Spanish producers due to India’s high consumption potential and the fact that it is nearer and more accessible than the Chinese market. He pointed out that based on current sociodemographic indicators, India’s population is expected to overtake that of China by 2020.
India imports around 200,000 tonnes of apples a year, with China, the US and Chile being the main suppliers. A number of European countries send smaller quantities, including Italy with around 4,000 tonnes a year, France with 2,000 tonnes and Belgium with 1,000 tonnes.
Although India is an important producer and consumer of apples, the quality of domestic production suffers because the country lacks a proper cold chain infrastructure and imported apples are highly valued by consumers.
