INDUSTRY NEWS
Raising the profile of
Australian Almonds in India
Australian Almond branded rain jackets have been provided to labourers in India as part of a marketing push to raise the profile of Australian almonds in India .
THE ABA has appointed SS Associates , led by Sumit Saran , to raise the profile of Australian Almonds in India . Mr Saran has been involved in brand awareness campaigns for several high value imported foods in India for over two decades . In the last five years he has helped boost the export of American pistachios to India by more than 300 per cent . Four years ago Mr Saran started working with the Chilean walnut industry and India is now their biggest market . The campaign for Australian almonds is just starting in India . Social media handles have been established for initial consumer outreach . Mr Saran said that the handles are getting a good traction . He plans to build in this through influencer led promotions in the coming months . Billboard advertising was also placed in the time honoured Khari Baoli market in New Dehli , where a large percentage of almond imports are traded .
Some Australian Almonds branded rain jackets have also been supplied to labourers who manually load and unload sacks of almonds . Mr Saran said the wet weather gear has been well received by these workers and the gesture has also been appreciated by the importers . The real kick off for Australian Almonds promotions will get under way after a trade and media launch is held in India this week . This is the first time the Almond Board of Australia has engaged a marketing expert on the ground in India and comes on the back of the expected growth in production . California will always be the biggest supplier of almonds to India . “ In fact , India is the number one export market for California almonds ,” Mr Saran said . “ The market has grown significantly because of the long-term commitment , promotions , and long standing relationships that California almond growers and shippers have with Indian importers .”
Indians are very familiar with California almonds and the Nonpareil variety of almonds from there is the most popular in the country . More than 170,000 tonnes ( kwe ) is shipped into India annually . Last season Australia ’ s market share doubled to almost 25,000 tonnes after a trade agreement with India saw tariffs on Australian almond reduce by 50 %. The reduction applies to the first 34,000 tonne export annually . “ Australia has reduced duties for 34,000 metric tonnes of almonds per year , so I ’ ve got my eye on this figure and want to move beyond that too ,” Mr Saran said . While Australia experienced significant growth , the ABA has recongised the potential for further growth in India and aims to work with Mr Saran to lift the profile of Australian almonds beyond the traditional trading community . “ Where possible we want to promote the Australian quality ," he said .
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