The Indian pomegranate season has just started and a good season is to be expected this year. With higher volumes and a stable price, Amit Kalya, of Kalya Exports is preparing to compete with powerhouses like Turkey and Egypt.

The amount of Indian pomegranates that is being produced this season is slightly higher, according to Amit Kalya of Kalya Exports. “We’ve had good weather in Maharashtra, the largest pomegranate producing state in India. This means the volumes will be slightly higher than last season. Thanks to these good volumes, our prices will be more stable this season.”

The pomegranates from India have regular customers, with most of the produce being exported to the traditional markets like the Middle East and India’s neighbors. Kalya is looking to explore some new markets this season though: “This year we want to target a variety of new markets. In Europe we want to focus on the Eastern European countries and the United Kingdom. We’d also like to find new partners in the Southern Asian region,” Kalya explains. “It’s not like we don’t export to Europe at all yet, as The Netherlands is actually taking large volumes of our pomegranates already!”

In Turkey and Egypt, most harvesting of their pomegranates are already done. Kalya knows they are India’s big competitors, but is optimistic about India’s chances: “Indian pomegranates mainly compete with Egypt due to their comparatively larger fruit size. Indian pomegranates varieties have got its own market though. Customers really like its sweetness, but of course the Egyptian and Turkish season affect our volumes somewhat. Indian pomegranate are available in a wide range of weight starting from 200gms per fruit to 450gms and also a wide range of sizes starting from 50mm to 90mm in diameter. Our arils are more juicy and sweet which makes it attractive for the international market.”

Kalya Exports mainly cultivates the Bhagwa variety and thanks to its popularity, Kalya does not see a reason to change the strategy in the near future.