Apple import might fall this year

Import till January of current fiscal is already down by 15%

India’s apple imports might fall this season. At January-end, for the season from August 2015 to July 2016, these were 15 per cent down from a year before. Washington Apple Commission, representing growers and trade and export promoters of the fruit grown in that US state, says their sales to India would be around 2.5 million cartons (each having 20 kg), compared to 5.5 mn in the previous season, from August 2014 to July 2015.

Total apple import by India is typically around 10 mn cartons a year; last year, a little more than half of this was of the Washington apple. Its overall production for the year, for which the harvesting period was from August to November 2015, was 115 mn cartons, compared to 140 mn in the same period of previous year, said Todd Fryhover, president, Washington Apple Commission.

“Last year, India was the third largest importer of our apple after Mexico and Canada,” said Fryhover. This year, India is expected to be the fourth largest.

The production in India is estimated around 2.2 mn tonnes a year. “India also imports apple from Chile and China,” said Keith Sunderlal, India representative on the Commission.

Large corporate importers of the Washington apple in India include the Future Group, Adani Group and Reliance, they added.