The time of the date season in India has a major benefit in the international market. Kaushal Khakhar, the CEO of Indian fresh exporter Kay Bee Exports, states: “In India, the dates season begins in June through the middle of July. In this specific time frame, the countries from which dates originate aren’t in the season, which makes Indian dates highly sought-after. The predominant variety of dates produced in India is called the Barhi date. This is a yellow variety, however, a red version can also be found, although it’s not as popular. India being the sole one that offers dates during June and July, it is one of the sought-after for and admired varieties, the demand in the world is quite excessive.”
India and the other countries generally cultivate the same kinds of dates, however the dates grown in India have a distinct flavor, Khakar explains. “Although the kinds of dates that are grown across India and the Middle East are similar, in reality Middle East and India are similar, their growing environments, soils and agro-climatic conditions differ from one in India and the Middle East. Thus, only a small discernible taste distinction can be observed between dates produced in India as well as those grown in those of the Middle East. Demand for dates from Indian origin to export and also for the market in India has grown. This is attributed to the nature of dates as a fruit that is easy to eat perfect for snacking on.”
Kay Bee Exports is ready to expand its market with its dates and plans to be able to tap into the Dutch market in the coming year, too. Khakhar adds: “Historically, our biggest market is those of the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Malaysia in which Indian dates are very well-established. The dates we sell are pesticide completely free, and adhere to the strictest international requirements for high-quality and safety for food. for this reason, they’re stored inside an BRC accredited packing facility. We use two packaging sizes which are loose in an 8kg container or ready for shelf (pre-packed and labelled) with a 500g punnet. Both are popular on these markets. From now on, we’re getting inquiries from markets that are new like Canada as well as other regions of Europe including the Netherlands We hope to begin shipping during the season.”
In addition to exports, the local market in India for date is enormous as per Khakar. “With an estimated number of 1.4 billion people, the date consumption in India is always high, and was 64.2 million tonnes in 2021. Today, just a tiny percent of the 200,000 tons of dates produced in India exports. The goal for the year is to expand our markets as well as to target emerging markets where Indian dates could strategically fill the gaps between two sources and expand our customer base.”
Because the costs of air transport have risen to levels that are normal yet again, Khakhar feels certain that they will have a competitive advantage when it comes to the marketplace this season “India enjoys a distinct advantage this year as its air freight costs have returned to pre-pandemic level and the capacity of the belly and the amount of flights available to all nations has dramatically grown. In addition, due to Kay Bee Exports has been IATA accredited and therefore an own freight forwarder which means we are able to get lower rates and significantly get cargo space from air carriers,” he concludes.
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Kay Bee Exports
Tel: +91 88 79 000 973
Email: Export@kaybeeexports.com
www.kaybeeexports.com
Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies