Regular Update
ATM News Network: The Global Grape Congress2023, which is an annual meeting point for the global table grape industry, was held online on March 28, 2023, on an online platform. The conference was organised by Fruitnet, in cooperation with Fruit Logistica.
In this online conference, a session was held on the ‘Enhancing Asia’s Varietal Offer’ topic. In it David Liao of Holyfresh, Owen Ou, General Manager of Shanghai Riverking and Azhar Tambuwala Director of Marketing, Sahyadri Farms participated. Mr Tambuwala was the key speaker
Mr Tambuwala said that India will lead the global market with the introduction of grape varieties from across the globe which will be stronger, tastier and better yielding. The response of customers across the globe is very good for Indian grapes.
“Earlier it was very difficult to register a grape variety. It used to take more than a year to register a grape variety. We have to run around various offices and go through various processes for this. It was and is important to register a variety for legal protection. The government has now simplified the process and it takes only five to six months to get the permit,” said Mr Tambuwala.
For new varieties, he said that the grape growers in India visit various countries to see different varieties of grapes, how they are grown in which climatic conditions they are grown and will these varieties be suitable for Indian climatic conditions. They see the working process and how various varieties function. Mix and match the Indian grape growing process with the foreign process has helped Indian grape growers.
He emphasised that India will be the leading exporter of grapes soon, by saying, “India is a young exporter, the country started exporting grapes 25 years back and is doing great. It has found new learnings in the last 15-10 years. Grapes are produced across the country of over 162 thousand hectares and only 5 percent of them are exported. The local market consumption itself is high. Indian customers too welcome new varieties of grapes. The growers must adapt and adopt new varieties, opening the doors to varieties in the world. India has the potential to be a future in grape growing.
The session echoed that customers across the world are positive about the Asian grape market. The growers must work on the demand of the market.
One of the world's largest producers is beginning to expand its production portfolio and add the latest varieties.
-Azhar Tambuwala, Director of Marketing, Sahyadri Farms
The local variety is a favourite in markets across the region driven by intra-Asia trade. What makes this grape so appealing and how will its popularity influence the market for other offerings?
-David Liao, Holyfresh
It is no straightforward task introducing a new variety to market. Making the right moves is key to ensuring long-term acceptance, especially Asian markets like China.
-Owen Ou, General Manager of Shanghai Riverking
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