In a surprise twist at the IFPA Southern Africa conference, Shubha Rawal, the head of sourcing at Indian fruit importer IG International, dropped a juicy truth bomb: South African pears have completely wiped out the competition from the US and Europe. “There’s nothing coming in from the US, nothing from Europe—South Africa has cornered the pear market in India,” she said. Talk about a pear-fect takeover!
Rawal, who’s seen Indian consumer habits evolve dramatically post-Covid, pointed out how people have shifted from junk food to fresh, healthy options, even jumping on the avocado and berry bandwagon. The health craze, she said, kicked off with the citrus vitamin C hype, and now fruits like pears are flying off the shelves.
But here’s the kicker: Indian consumers are still in the early stages of learning about different apple varieties, especially the wide range of South African apples. “When we talk about apples from South Africa, there’s a whole lot of varieties. But in India, an apple is just an apple,” she laughed. “It’ll take years to educate the market, but trust me, it’s happening slowly—like planting bamboo.”
And let’s not forget about India’s crazy-fast Q-commerce, where you can have anything delivered in just four minutes. No kidding. “I can get Royal Gala apples from South Africa or Zespri kiwis from New Zealand in less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea,” Rawal said. Though Q-commerce only makes up 10% of fresh produce sales, it’s growing fast, backed by major investors who see the potential of the fresh fruit market.
In short, South African fruit is on a roll in India, and we’re just getting started. Patience, they say, is a virtue—especially when you’re planting bamboo (or in this case, growing an emerging market). For South African farmers, the future’s looking sweet… and pear-y profitable.
For more info on how IG International is shaping the future of fruit in India, check out IG International’s website.