India has a longstanding relationship with almonds with generations of mothers giving almonds to their children first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Aided by a sustained ABC program, the shipments of almonds from California to India have seen a 50% increase over the last 5 years reaching 126 million lbs. in 2015-16. In the current year, by April, India had already surpassed its highest ever annual shipment level to reach 139 million lbs., a 42% growth over the corresponding period last year. The per capita consumption (addressable population) of almonds in India currently stands only at 0.39 lbs., compared to developed markets like the US (1.97 lbs.), Germany (1.89 lbs.) and Canada (1.87 lbs.), thus signaling a huge opportunity for growth.
Trade Conference
In India, the Trade is largely unorganized with limited number of players from a few families dominating the trade. Lately we are seeing newer players entering the trade as well. An annual trade conference is conducted to ensure that the Trade has continued faith in the growing almond potential in India. This year the conference was held on 23rd February in New Delhi and addressed global ABC updates, marketing updates and the status of market access discussions apart from developments in USA-India agricultural trade. The speakers included Richard Waycott (CEO, ABC), Julie Adams (Vice President, ABC), Sudarshan Mazumdar (Regional Director – India, ABC) and Scott Sindelar (Minister Counselor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Embassy). Additionally, an external speaker, Dr. Padma Venkatasubramanian was invited to speak about her learnings of almond benefits as quoted in the ancient texts of traditional Indian medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. The conference was a resounding success with a 35% increase in attendance over the previous year, with presence of importers from different parts of the country as well as some almond handlers from California.
Discussion Over Almonds
In India, the kitchen and taking care of the family’s needs is still the woman’s responsibility. With an increasing number of women working, they find themselves feeling guilty of their work coming at the cost of them taking care of their family. To highlight the issue, ABC conducted a panel discussion in Hyderabad, titled “Discussion Over Almonds- Working Mother’s Dilemma in Ensuring the Family Health”. Panelists included actress & model Namrata Shirodkar; nutritionist & wellness consultants, Ritika Samadar & Sheila Krishnaswamy; all of whom are facing the struggles of managing work and taking care of their families. Additionally, Senior Director, Global Marketing, ABC, Emily Fleischmann brought an international perspective to the subject. They discussed their individual mechanisms to manage while highlighting the importance of daily consumption of almonds for themselves as well as for all family members. The panelists provided useful tips from their experiences which other working women could also incorporate in their lives. The tactic was extremely successful in highlighting the health benefits of almonds in a broader social context and as a result the media was extremely excited about this activity and took the message to their readers.
