Indian appetite for pears continues to grow

Himachal Pradesh and Punjab are prime pear-growing areas in India, but in order to satiate the rising demand for pears, imports appear to be the only option. Imports of fresh pears -- from the US, South Africa and China -- have soared dramatically.

According to information available on the APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) website, India imported 14,571.90 tonnes of fresh pears in 2013-14, valued at around ₹78.93 crore. There were no imports in 2012-13, nor in 2011-12.

Some 9,253.58 tonnes of fresh pears, valued at ₹35.62 crore, was imported from China in 2013-14.

Though imports from South Africa were the second highest at 2,799.56 tonnes in 2013-14, compared to imports from the US at 2,518.76 tonnes, the value of pear imports from South Africa was at ₹19.75 crore compared to the value of American pears at ₹23.56 crore

India also exported 3.39 tonnes of pears in 2013-14 worth ₹1.40 lakh. There were nil exports in the previous years.

Incidentally, several varieties of pears are grown in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Pear varieties such as William, Kashmir Nakh, Vicar of Wakefield, Beuree D Amanlis, Goshbagu, Beurre Hardy are grown in J&K.

US apple grower and exporter Stemilt Growers has moved to strengthen its position in India’s lucrative pear market.

“Along with a record production of apples, we have 13 different varieties of pears grown in the US,” Bill Young, Global Sales Director at Stemilt Growers told BusinessLine , a recent visit to India. “Though all the 13 varieties are sold in the global market, Anjus pears (from the US) are particularly liked by Indian consumers,” he added.

Tarun Arora, Director, IG International, exporter and importer of fresh fruits said that though domestic pears such as Baghugosha, Kieffer, China and sand pear are grown in India, imports from Belgium were on the rise.

“The US is currently exporting a variety called Anjou and Red Anjou, which is good to taste. South Africa primarily does the Packham’s variety, while China does Shandong pears, Ya pears, Golden pears and Su pears,” said Arora.

Stemilt’s Young pointed out that that the Conference pear from Belgium “is very good to eat, though Indians might not like its skin discolouration, which is a trademark of most pears from Belgium.”

Stemlit Growers has 9,644 acres of apple orchards and total fruit tree acreage of 11,364. Last year, the company exported 500,000 boxes of apples, 60,000 boxes of pears and 12,000 boxes of cherries to India. Stemilt has been eyeing the Indian market for increased volumes.

World pear production is forecast to increase a modest 5 per cent to over 24.4 million tonnes boosted by higher output in China, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture.

However, global trade is forecast down 7 per cent, primarily as a result of the Russian ban from the European Union.

As part of a wider embargo imposed last August, in retaliation to sanctions over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine conflict, Russia had banned all fruit imports from the European Union.

The report has noted that China’s production is forecast to continue expanding, to a record 18.5 million tonnes, as the acreage also expands.

Exports are expected to jump slightly to 320,000 tonnes, prompted by a bump in demand from its top market, Indonesia.

India’s production of 340,000 tonnes of pears has been added to the database.

The report indicated that United States production is forecast to decrease 9 per cent to 724,000 tonnes, driven by reduced area in Washington and the other western states.

Russia’s production is forecast to increase 6 per cent to 153,000 tonnes due to favourable weather. Imports are expected to drop 30 per cent to 275,000 tonnes due to the ban, which primarily affects the EU, and to a lesser extent the United States.