New guidelines in import-- Poses challenges for Indian fruit importers. Demand for fresh fruit imports increased in India last year, though the countrys importers have had to deal with some challenges. New guidelines for imported apples have made it more difficult to bring fruit into the country and the lingering effects of 2013s currency valuation swings have forced consumers to adjust to new prices. “The market for imported apples in India was good last year, though there were some pricing issues,” said Tarun Arora of IG International. “Prices rose by six or seven dollars on a carton of apples due to currency depreciation, so consumers were still getting used to the new pricing.” Fortunately for importers, currency issues did not bleed in 2014. But it did bring changes in labelling guidelines for imported apples. While there were no labelling guidelines prior to 2014, the Food Safety Standards Association of India implemented new rules that many importers felt hindered their business. “The new labelling laws are quite strict,” said Arora. “Before, you could just ship the fruit and didnt have to print cartons specifically for the Indian market. Now, they want labels that have packing dates, expiration dates, packer names, exporters names and many other things. These changes have reduced the volume of apples coming into India” In addition to labelling guidelines, new rules were also introduced regarding the types of fungicides that can be used to wash incoming fruit. IG International sources its apples from Washington State in the United States, China, Chile and New Zealand. This years shipments from New Zealand were about 70 percent lighter than those from the previous season.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:37:44 +0000
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