Both demand and supply have been on good levels for the fresh coconuts in India, says Sachin Beri, director for Indian fresh coconut exporter Vashini: "The market for the export of fresh coconuts has been rather good. We've seen steady demand and stable supply. We grow our coconuts in the south of India, and there's been sturdy growth with good quality, so it's looking very positive right now. Our biggest focus is on ensuring we don't experience any rejections from clients, which means we're tailoring each shipment to the requirements of that specific client. We mainly ship to Europe, the UK and Canada."
Although the current production is not that different from last year, looking at the five-year growth has been very strong, Beri explains. "Our production volumes are pretty much similar to the production of last year. However, if we zoom out a bit, we can see that coconut production in India has doubled in the last five years. We're not done in terms of growth, since we would like to penetrate more markets, we'll also need to take more smaller farmers under our wing. This is a win-win situation, as we are able to fulfil more orders, and these smaller farmers are guaranteed a stable income. And since we work under Fairtrade, these farmers are getting paid more than the general market value of the coconuts."
Although the Red Sea crisis brings another challenge to the table, for Vashini there hasn't been much difference in how they operate, Beri states: "Naturally the situation with the Red Sea is a worrying one, and it does affect our business. It mostly means we have to take more care of the coconuts and treat it well, maximizing the potential shelf life of the product. Since the transit to Europe has been increased by about twenty days, we need to store them at good temperatures. That being said, the Red Sea crisis does have an effect on the orders from Europe, but overall we're handling the situation pretty well."
In the coming months, demand for coconuts in Europe will only become stronger. "As summer is approaching, we expect demand to increase as well. Summertime is the period where consumers will have more interest in coconuts. We're ready for the extra work and are confident we can fulfil all the orders that come our way," Beri concludes.
For more information:
Sachin Beri
Vashini
Tel: +44 776 797 4470
Tel: +91 99 888 56 969
Email: [email protected]
www.vashiniagro.com