Indian fruits such as chikoo and Alphonso mangoes are enjoying growth in the UK market, despite the credit crunch.
Kaushal Khakhar, ceo of Kay Bee Exports, told freshinfo: “The UK is by far the most important market for our exotic products. It has the largest concentration of Asian-origin population in Europe, and is the most mature market in terms of product range.
“The credit crunch has taken a toll on the volumes for exotics. High-value lines like organics and Fairtrade were the early casualties. Consumers seem to be cautious of their spending and this has impacted on sales of exotics. Having said that, we are still seeing double-digit growth rates across all product lines. If not for the credit crunch, the growth rates would have been even higher.
“Various multiple stores are now realising the tremendous growth prospects that are possible in serving the ethnic population. Starting from a small base, clocking three-digit growth rates is not uncommon.”
India had an extended winter and an early monsoon, cutting short the season for summer fruits. Alphonso mangoes had one of the shortest seasons in recent memory.
“To make matters worse, there were unseasonal rains that caused anthracnose issues for the early fruit,” said Khakhar. “However, we saw this as an opportunity to highlight our superior quality offering. Our control over post-harvest practices, including mango ripening, has improved manifold this summer. We are hoping to translate that into seafreight trials for the coming seasons.”
But the outlook is less optimistic for Indian pomegranates, with their window shrinking every year. “The Wonderful variety from Israel and the US is extending availability every year, while South American and South African supplies cut short our season during the summer months,” added Khakhar.
