India’s fresh apple imports are likely to hit a new high this 2024-25 marketing year starting July on rising consumption and growing demand for quality apples. This is despite an improved harvest in the domestic market.

Trade sees import volumes rising from various origins on growing demand for the fruit in the year ahead even as the domestic harvest season is coming to an end.

The USDA India Post, the local office in the country, has forecast a 10 per cent increase in apple imports at 6 lakh tonnes (lt) during 2024-25 marketing year due to the growing demand for higher quality apples, over previous year’s 5.44 lt. In its early November projections, the USDA Post has pegged apple consumption at 29.79 lt during 2024-25, up 6.54 per cent from 27.96 lt a year ago.

Robust domestic supply

The domestic production is forecast to be 6 per cent higher at 25.5 lt from 24.1 lt a year ago, per the USDA Post on favourable weather conditions in the key growing regions of North India. India’s apple season typically runs from July till November.

“This year the Indian domestic apple season has seen a robust supply from key growing regions in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal. While the harvest has been satisfactory, we have seen a good demand on the other hand. We are optimistic about the season ahead and expect the demand to stay strong,” said Prashant Gidwani, Founder, Fresh Fruit Alliances Pvt Ltd.

“The imported apples as a category is growing much faster and volume-wise it is much higher now. In the past, apples from the US were contributing a lot to the market, but now Iran and Turkey are huge exporters to India,” said Chiranjeevi AR, Founder and MD of the Bengaluru-based Scion Agricos, which imports the fruit from countries such as Poland, South Africa and France among other origins.

Poland new entrant

Chiranjeevi said the Indian consumers have increasingly started preferring the premium club varieties that are grown in a particular region from countries such as the US, France and Italy among others. Scion Agricos, which imported some six containers (roughly over 20 tonnes) of apples last year, is targetting imports of some 50 container of which 40 would be from Poland alone, he added.

Factors such as rising health consciousness, easier availability are driving the consumption of apples in the country, Chiranjeevi said.

“From November till August next year, it will be only the imported apples on which the Indian market is going to rely on,” says Rohan Ursal, Managing Director of the Pune-based DB Ursal & Grand Sons. “A few years ago, the US, South Africa and New Zealand dominated the Indian market. But in the last few years, Poland has come up very well,” he said.

Ursal said for the apple producers in countries like the US, Poland and Turkey among others, India and China are key markets, where consumption is growing year-on-year.

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