US growers bet on fruitful trade with India for Northwest Cherries and Washington Apples
It is a second morsel of cherries, for farmers from the United States who are betting on a fruitful trade with India. With India eliminating the requirement for fumigation on cherries shipped from the US, Northwest Cherry Growers (NWCG) hopes to quickly increase their market presence in India.
On Tuesday, NWCG, a trade association based in the US, launched its roadshow in India to introduce this summer’s crop of the juicy red fruit at retail stores here. Ron Verdonk, Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, Embassy of the United States of America, commented on how they had access to the Indian market earlier but the fumigation protocol caused problems with the distribution of cherries in the Pacific Northwest.
Smoked cherries tend to soften quickly which affects shelf life and distribution to smaller towns, where according to Sumit Saran, NWCG’s local marketing representative, there is growing consumer interest in exotic imported fruits. He described how places like Dhanbad are showing interest in products like blueberries and cherries. Saran said Northwest cherries are retailing in the Indian market for 1,500 rupees a kilogram although in the next few weeks as more volumes come in, prices are likely to come down. July is the beginning of the season of American Cherry which has been retailing till the end of August and so far 4400 boxes of 10kg each have been shipped to India.
The pink look of the apple
Meanwhile, Verdonk has also been very excited about the apple and nut trade from the US rippling into India this year after announcing the end of retaliatory tariffs on these during Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the US. “Come September, and we’ll have a level playing field for Washington apples again,” Verdonk said.
In 2017, India was the second largest export market for Washington apples, raising $120 million for some 1,400 individual growers of the fruit. However, in 2019, India slapped retaliatory tariffs on 28 US products including apples, nuts, chickpeas and lentils. This dealt a body blow to Washington apples, which faced an additional 20 percent duty (on top of the current 50 percent) and resulted in the export of just $1 million worth of fruit to India last season. India is a big consumer of apples, and it imported a total of 3,60,000 tons last year. “The opportunity in India is huge,” Verdonk said.
It is expected that the tariff hike will coincide with the apple harvest in the United States and will bring joy to farmers in Washington.
Also read: Samunnati facilitates the export of 275 tons of grapes to the Netherlands
Nutritionist Kavita Devgan talks about the nutritional benefits of cherries
Video credit: Chitra Narayanan
During the event promoting cherries, nutritionist Kavita Devgan talked about the nutritional benefits of the stone fruit, which she said has a low glycemic index (20-25) and is therefore diabetic-friendly. I also focused on the fact that they have anthocyanins that help lower blood pressure and natural melatonin that promotes better sleep.
And to get the point across that there’s more to cherries than just a sprinkle on top of dessert, celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani created delicious dishes that took on the fruit – millet cherries and a chargrilled slider accompanied by a tangy cherry chutney.