The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts a slight decline in apple imports to India during the market year (MY) 2022-23 (July-June), while apple imports from Iran Second half of MY 2022-23. Short transit times between Iran and India and attractive import prices are cited as reasons.
According to USDA FAS (Foreign Agricultural Service) report ‘Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual’, India’s apple imports are projected to reach 430,000 tons in 2022-2023, down slightly from 4,48,000 tons in the previous year. doing.
According to the report, Turkey will be the leading supplier with a market share of 26% in 2021-2022, followed by Iran (23%), Chile (18%) and Italy (14%) respectively.
Iranian apples are projected to continue strong export growth in the second half of 2022-2023 due to shorter transit times to other origins and increased demand for apples in southern markets during the lean season. Apples native to Turkey also maintain a high market share, with distribution mostly confined to metropolitan areas, the company said.
Price range
Underscoring the concerns of domestic producers due to the importation of apples from Iran, as of 29 October, the wholesale price of apples originating from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir was Rs 9,500 per quintal compared to Rs 9,500 per quintal from Iran. He said apples cost 8,000 to 8,500 rupees per quintal. .
Average prices for MY 2021-22 are about $1,158/ton for imported fresh apples originating in the United States, $1,117/ton for Chile, $830/ton for Turkey, $913/ton for Italy, $503/ton. was. Ton native to Iran.
India’s retaliatory tariffs have kept US apple prices high, he said.
US apple market share continues to decline from 20% in MY 2019-20 to less than 3% in MY 2021-22. The report states: Imported apples must be accompanied by a certificate stating that the product does not contain genetically modified (GM) organisms and is not of GM origin. ”
Domestic production
USDA’s FAS New Delhi forecasts India’s apple production for MY 2022-23 at 2.35 million tonnes (mt), little different from MY 2021-22. The 2022 monsoon brought sufficient rainfall during the flowering and fruiting stages, resulting in a good harvest and good market deliveries.
Jammu and Kashmir accounts for about 70% of the country’s apple production. Himachal Pradesh’s share is around 20%. Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim together account for 10% of his output, the report said.
In MY 2022-23, Himachal Pradesh has allocated 1,45,000 tons of apples procured by the state marketing agencies through the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). As of October 21, Himachal Pradesh government agencies have procured more than 80,000 tonnes of his apples. It was the highest procurement since 2010, according to reports.
Jammu and Kashmir’s MIS program for apple sourcing is maintained by the National Cooperative Marketing Federation. However, farmers are not taking advantage of it because the price has exceeded his MIS rate more than expected.
Some private companies such as Devbhumi, Reliance and Adani Agri Fresh (Farm Pik) source directly from farmers and operate their own warehouses and pricing schemes separate from the government-controlled market yards, it said. says.
consumption
India’s apple consumption in 2022-2023 could be about 2.6 million tonnes, according to the report, almost unchanged from last year. About 60% of the fruit is consumed fresh and the remaining 40% consists of processed apples from low quality domestic production.
It added that key factors driving the demand for apples include population growth, rising disposable income, health consciousness and availability of the fruit in the market.
Published November 8, 2022
