This Monday, Chilean marketing people launched a promotional campaign in India, setting their sights on the south Indian kiwi market. The goal was to create more awareness on the consumption of kiwifruit and the health benefits associated with it.

The industrys plan is to double the quantity of kiwifruits Chile exported to India in 2018 in the next five years, according to Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) director of marketing for Europe, Asia and Middle East, Charif Christian Carvajal. "We see there is a good potential in India and we are receiving good support from importers, retailers and distributors to really start motivating consumption of Kiwi fruit.”

"We are focusing on major urban centres and in the future, we have to start promoting in regional cities across in India," he added. A joint initiative of Embassy of Chile, the Chilean kiwifruit industry and the countrys commercial trade office ProChile, the campaign was for the first time launched in New Delhi last year. Carvajal said the industry wants to double the quantity of kiwifruits it exported to India in 2018 (9,604 tons), in the next five years.

According to thehansindia.com, overall kiwi fruit imports in India grew by 38 per cent from 29,941 tons to 41,375 tons, according to him. Chile exported 68,300 tons of fresh fruits to India, positioning it as one of top five markets in Asia for Chilean fresh fruit exports, he said. Around 82 per cent of fruit exports from Chile to India are apples and kiwi accounts for 15 per cent. Table grapes, pears, plums, cherries and blueberries are other fresh fruits the country exports to India.