The production of guava in India is expanding every year, in multiple regions of the country, says Manoj Barai, Director at Indian fresh produce exporter M.K. Exports: "Guava production is on a strong upswing; Maharashtra and Gujarat are up 10 to 12 per cent year over year. MP and Rajasthan are growing the fruits as well now, supported by improved orchard management and stronger export-quality practices. Demand for guava has grown steadily in recent years, with shipment volumes up about 20 to 25 per cent last year, and a further 30 to 40 per cent increase is anticipated this year. One could say the product is booming, with prices also increasing by about 5 to 9 per cent versus last year."
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Barai would like to expand further into European markets, and to achieve this, the company is providing training to farmers in order to meet the EU market requirements. "Our established markets are found in the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France. We do, however, have new targets for guavas this year, mainly countries such as Canada, Belgium, Italy, Australia, Russia, and Denmark. In order to export to European countries, we provide hands-on training for farmers to inform them on EU market requirements, keep them updated on EU compliance, and expand certified organic production."
Looking at the difficulties this year, dealing with the weather is a major issue according to Barai: "There are several challenges associated with the current guava season. For one, we've had to deal with unpredictable weather. Early monsoons and temperature swings caused losses. We managed to mitigate these problems with enhanced pre-cooling, tighter moisture control, and proactive crop monitoring."
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There are other challenges to deal with, but these are of a more constant nature, Barai states. "Competition is also something to factor in. There's pressure from Thailand as well as Egypt. We differentiate with staggered seasons, diverse flavor profiles, and a reliable year-round supply. Then there's the compliance with EU pesticide norms, for which we offer free compliance consulting and practical training, to ensure growers meet the required EU standards."
"For the balance of the season, the focus is on scaling certified-organic guava, advancing pink-flesh lots into commercial volumes, tightening cold-chain SLAs, and deepening retail programs in the UAE and Europe to lift realizations and repeat orders," Barai concludes.
For more information:
Manoj Barai
M.K. Exports
Tel: +91-9867635052
Email: [email protected]
www.mkexports.co.in
