Industry update: Zespri
Zespri is proud to take New Zealand’s kiwifruit to the world, connecting our growers with consumers who are focused on their health and wellbeing and on supporting brands they know make a positive contribution to communities and the environment.
Our focus, wherever we are in the world, is on being a positive member of the community, and that’s certainly the case in India which we’ve identified as a strategic market for our future growth. It’s one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a large and rapidly expanding consumer market.
We’ve been operating in India for over 10 years and demand for our fruit is strong and increasing, with kiwifruit now the fastest-growing major imported fruit category. It’s a really exciting opportunity for our growers and also our partners and consumers in India.
We’re looking to build on this by developing strong and equitable partnerships with supply chain partners and working with local retailers to help drive sales and ensure our business grow together.
India has a unique retail environment with over 85 percent of food and grocery trade being done by small vendors in the general trade channel and we have a strong focus on supporting them.
Today over 1,200 small fruit vendors are Zespri partners, contributing to more than 14 percent of Zespri’s business in India. We plan to grow that community to over 3,000 people in the next five years and to increase our investment in India over the next 10 years.
The programme has been a game changer as it has helped to uplift both small fruit vendors’ earnings and Zespri grower returns – it’s a great example of New Zealand and Indian businesses partnering to deliver value to both sides. We also want to do what we can to create opportunities for other New Zealand and Indian businesses and to help strengthen the relationship between our two countries.
In support of that we were really proud to work with the India New Zealand Business Council to launch the report, India & New Zealand, A Relationship Ready For Its Next Phase.
The report outlines a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening the relationship between our countries and we’re really encouraged by the positive response from both governments. The opportunities for both sides in working together are immense and we’re looking forward to supporting efforts to do so, including creating opportunities and removing barriers.
For Zespri, our efforts to grow the market are hindered by a 33% tariff. So with the support of the New Zealand and Indian governments and alongside Plant & Food Research, we’re exploring a proposal to assist the local Indian kiwifruit industry in North Eastern India to improve orchard and supply chain performance, to strengthen returns and support their communities.
In exchange, Zespri is seeking tariff relief which would enable Zespri to intensify our market development efforts in India building awareness of and demand for kiwifruit which would in turn also benefit Indian growers who are counter seasonal to New Zealand.
We believe this would be a really positive partnership which would create a model for other industries to follow, creating opportunities and value in both countries.
Zespri is committed to working in and with India and we look forward to building this partnership in the future and delivering more kiwifruit to our local Indian consumers.
See article in KiaOra India Magazine: https://issuu.com/inzbc/docs/kiaora_india_jun2023_v5_low/27
