After the recent launch of Belgian conference pears, IG International, India’s largest fresh fruit importers, is all set to bring Belgian apples to India, adding to its assortment of exotic fruits from India and abroad.
BelOrta, a Belgian fruit and vegetable cooperative, and IG International, one of the oldest cold chain companies in India, have collaborated to utilise their combined experience of the market and distribution network to introduce another exotic fruit category on Indian shores, Tarun Arora, Director of the Mumbai-based IG International Pvt Ltd, said on Monday.
After bananas, apples are the most consumed fruits in India and consumption of imported apples goes up during the off-season. India produces around 20 lakh tonnes of apple each year with Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh being the top apple-producing states of India.
“We have also introduced a new variety, Jonagold apples to the list of fruits offered by IG, which has a good shelf-life and a unique taste,” said Arora. IG International currently imports 31 varieties of fruits from 22 countries for distribution across India.
BelOrta’s apples, which command a substantial share of the Belgian fruit market, have a sweet and sour taste. The first consignment of these apples, 2,500 tons, arrived in India in January. It was pegged at a wholesale price of ₹.110 per kg in the Indian market.
BelOrta is a Belgian fruit and vegetable cooperative, located in the heart of Europe. More than 1.350 active growers guarantee a supply of over 120 varieties of vegetables, 30 varieties of fruit and 17 varieties of herbs throughout the year, Jo Lambrecht, Commercial Manager of BelOrta, said.