India: Modi apples gain popularity
Moments after the third consignment of the fruit arrived at the APMC market, it was sold in no time. Last year, apples under this brand had arrived at Vashi only once, and there were hardly any buyers who could remember selling the commodity.
According to Ramesh Shah, a trader at the APMC market, "An 18 to 20-kg basket of Modi apple is commanding a price between Rs 2400 and Rs2600, while the other imported apples are available at a maximum Rs2200 for the similar quantity."
Fruit dealers said they don't see any marketing gimmick behind the product. "This is not the first time Modi brand apple has arrived from Italy. It has nothing to do with the name of prime minister Narendra Modi," said APMC director Sanjay Pansare.
Modi is an international brand that began production in Italy with the establishment of the Modì Europa consortium in 2007. The Modi apple is mainly grown in Europe, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Uruguay and Australia.
The brand also claims to be the first apple with a carbon footprint marker – measured by the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Bolzano. Its carbon monoxide emissions are less than that of other varieties, grown under the same conditions as Modi.
Source: seeandsaynews.in
