India, the second largest country in the world by population, is a vital market for the blueberry industry. For 2021, the USHBC Export Committee increased funding for market development in India, with an emphasis on the food manufacturing and retail sectors where demand for dried and processed blueberries is rising. In this episode, we talk with two of USHBC’s India experts to understand the market conditions. 

Hosts Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and Alicia Adler, vice president of USHBC and NABC, are joined by Raj Kapoor, managing director of Assocom-India Pvt. and USHBC’s in-country representative in India, and Don Van De Werken, owner of J&D Farms and USHBC Export Committee member. Cronquist and Adler sit down with Kapoor and Van De Wekren to discuss the emerging Indian market. 

“You don’t have to conquer all of India, you can just conquer one corner of it and you will have more business than you know what to do with.” - Don Van De Werken

“Thinking about Indian culture … if you go to Dubai, it’s a small Emirates city, maybe 800,000 native or Emirates people. But there are 3,000,000 Indians that live there. The translation of what you’re doing in India can translate to the Middle East as well.”  - Don Van De Werken

Topics covered include: 

• Overview for the blueberry industry in India.
• Popularity of blueberries in India compared to other fruits.
• What Indian food manufacturers need and want from blueberry products.
• Perception of blueberries as a health product among Indian consumers. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North and South America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Juan Soria Morales in Mexico, Andres Armstrong in Chile, and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 13th, 2021.