Industry leaders to speak at Fresh Produce India

A high-profile lineup of leading names in the business is set to speak at Fresh Produce India as the event makes its much-anticipated in-person return on 21-22 March 2024.

Organised by Fruitnet with Official Partner Asia Fruit Logistica, India’s premier event for fresh produce business professionals is back with a brand-new format. Taking place at Mumbai’s Trident Nariman Point Hotel on 21 March, Fresh Produce India is centred on a non-stop business networking expo, paired with a new-look content programme.

With a packed one-day programme of talks, presentations, interviews and tastings all taking place in the bustling expo, Fresh Produce India brings together key players to discuss the big trends and opportunities in India’s fast-moving fresh produce business.

Setting the scene

The programme opens with a high-powered panel discussion looking at the major shifts in the Indian market since the last in-person edition of Fresh Produce India took place in 2019. Reliance Retail’s Saurabh Raina, Siddharth Tata of Amazon Fresh, IG International’s Tarun Arora and Sumit Saran of SS Associates share their expert insights on India’s changing consumer, retail and distribution landscape. The discussion touches on a wide range of developments, from large-scale investments in infrastructure to the rise of quick commerce.

Avocados and berries on the rise

Avocados and berries, two fast emerging categories in India, are the focus of the second session. Multinational avocado supplier Westfalia Fruit is playing a pioneering role to develop the market through its joint venture with Sam Agri, Westfalia Fruit India. The group’s global business development executive Zac Bard is joined by Westfalia Fruit India general manager Ajay TG to talk about India’s journey in avocados. The pair discuss the impact of the opening of the market to key African supply origins such as Tanzania and Kenya as well as moves to develop domestic production among other topics.

India also recently opened its doors to Australian avocados, and Flora Zhang of Avocados Australia outlines the industry’s plans to develop the market, including an exciting marketing campaign featuring cricket celebrity, Brett Lee.

Turning the spotlight on berries, Yupaa Group’s Ambrish Karvat and Peter McPherson, consulting advisor to Australia’s Costa Group, explain why India is emerging as ‘the next frontier’ for the global berry business. As leading global breeders and marketers move in on the Indian market, they discuss some of the keys to success in developing domestic production ventures, plus they analyse India’s consumer market potential.

Developing the domestic offering 

India’s fresh fruit and vegetable producers are moving to capitalise on opportunities in their domestic market for branded and premium products. In a session focused on building India’s domestic fresh produce offering, Ajit Bisoi of leading seed company Rijk Zwaan discusses its efforts to develop Snibs, a range of snacking vegetables catering to trends towards healthy snacking. He is joined by Superplum’s Navneet Daga, who discusses the company’s work to develop a sophisticated, fully traceable supply chain with farmers in India and offer consumers safe and high-quality branded fruits. 

Azhar Tambuwala of major farmer cooperative Sahyadri Farms and Shardul Sheth of leading ag-tech company AgroStar then provide their insights on developing sustainable production systems in India. They also discuss some of the latest breakthroughs for India’s fresh produce exports, and the potential for further growth. 

Future of imports in focus

India’s rapidly developing fruit import market is the focus of the final session at Fresh Produce India. An expert panel featuring leading global brands and suppliers discusses some of the key market trends and opportunities, from efforts to introduce new club apple varieties to building consumption in lower-tier cities. Speakers include Jitender Lohani, CEO of leading importer DJ Exports, Anton Kruger, CEO of South Africa’s Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum; Jason Morris, global general manager of Pink Lady; and Laurent de Smedt, head of the pomefruit division at Belgian cooperative BelOrta.

Fresh Produce India’s content programme takes place alongside the bustling business networking expo. The mix of lively sessions in a shared conference and expo area enables delegates to connect with customers, buyers and service providers and tap into a wealth of established expertise and new talent.

Tours on Day Two

Day Two of Fresh Produce India (22 March) offers a programme of organised tours for delegates. The first stop on the tour is IG International’s cold storage facility at the second Mumbai International Cargo Terminal (MICT II). The state-of-the-art facility is strategically located next to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, just 18km from Nhava Sheva Port. The tour then heads to Vashi wholesale market, before visiting a selection of Mumbai’s leading modern food retail stores, including a large-format Reliance Smart Bazaar outlet.

View the full Fresh Produce India agenda here.