Correction: Camet has sent a revised press release stating the shipments were sent on Sept. 19 and 20, whereas in the initial release the company reported Sept. 16 and 19.

Peruvian company Camet Trading SAC sent its first ever avocados to India this weekl, capitalizing on market access that was granted in August last year.  

In a release, the Westfalia Fruit subsidiary said the first load of avocados was sent on Sept. 19 and another was expected to take place on Sept. 20.

The group said the fruit was destined for the markets of New Delhi and Mumbai.

"India is the second most populated  country in the world with 1.2 billion inhabitants and this is a great opportunity to develop a new market for Peruvian Hass avocados," Camet said.

"On this first occasion the destinations will be the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. The fruit comes from Fundo Casablanca in Chilca, Cañete, and will be sold in different self-service chains in both cities."

In a statement given to Fresh Fruit Portal, CEO Carlos Enrique Camet added a third shipment was in the pipeline with New Delhi as the target market.

"The volume that India will import in the 2017 campaign is approximately 250 [metric] tons (MT). It is a market that is growing each year with enormous potential. This can be seen from the imported volumes in previous years: 70MT in the 2016 campaign and 30MT the year before," Camet said.

He added negotiations were also underway with India's authorities in a bid to reduce tariffs from 30% to 15%, in order to be on par with Chile. 

"This renegotiation for a new deal will take around two years and we hope that the Peruvian Government achieves the goals that have been set," he said. 

Next year Camet expects to increase exports to Asia overall by 200%, and part of that will involve promotional campaigns with importers and supermarkets in the Indian market, in conjunction with support from Peru's commercial office in India.

"We will go from exporting 50 containers [to Asia] in 2017 to 150 containers in 2018, having sealed important deals with China, Japan and India in the trade fair Asia Fruit Logistica," he said.

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