India’s apple production to rise by 6% in MY 2024/2025 amid favorable weather conditions

India’s domestic apple production in marketing year (MY) 2024/2025 is forecast 6 percent higher at 2.55 million metric tons (MMT) due to favorable weather conditions in the apple-growing regions. Post forecasts a 10 percent increase in apple imports at 600 thousand metric tons due to the growing demand for higher-quality apples. India’s pear production is forecast marginally higher at 313 thousand (MT), as the lack of integrated cold chain infrastructure limits growth in pear production. Grape production is anticipated to increase by four percent at 3.06 MMT owing to improved farming practices.

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Area and production
For marketing year (MY) 2024/25, FAS New Delhi forecasts India’s apple production higher at 2.55 million metric tons (MMT). This is nearly a six percent increase from the MY 2023/24 estimate. Despite the trend of growers keeping old trees that has resulted in an average of 85 percent of the area planted yielding a suitable harvest, this year’s short winter and limited rainfall during the flowering and fruit-setting stages supported quality production in the country’s apple-growing regions.

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India’s apple production constraints
Jammu and Kashmir, India’s northern territory (bordering Pakistan and the territory of Ladakh), is the country’s dominant apple producer. It accounts for approximately 70 percent of all domestic production, while the state of Himachal Pradesh, just to the south of it, represents nearly 20 percent of overall production. Apple orchards in these regions largely consist of the Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Ambri, McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Rich Red varietals. A few other states — Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Sikkim — together produce the remaining 10 percent. Despite the various states producing apples, multiple factors are limiting domestic value chain growth including insufficient cold chain and poor local road infrastructure. Specifically, apples produced domestically often cannot travel long distances to markets across India due to limited investment in refrigerated transportation and storage facilities.

Consumption
For MY 2024/2025, Post forecasts apple consumption higher by seven percent at 2.9 MMT, mainly attributable to the growth in population with higher incomes that are spending more on healthy and fresh foods. Similarly, Post is revising its MY 2023/2024 estimates higher to 2.8 MT on account of an expansion in consumer base.

Trade imports
For MY 2024/2025, Post projects apple imports at 600 thousand metric tons (MT), up by ten percent from the previous MY 2023/2024. Based on the latest trade data, imports are revised to 544 thousand MT and 360 thousand MT for MY’s 2023/2024 and 2022/2023, respectively. India’s removal of the 2019 retaliatory tariffs in September 2023 strongly boosted U.S.-origin apple exports to India.

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