Alk Brand, Group CEO of Westfalia Fruit, is on his maiden visit to India after the establishment of West-In Avo, a joint venture of Westfalia Fruit International with Sam Agri – India, Dvori Or & Zohara Farms – Israel for an integrated avocado growing and marketing project. The visit included review of West-In Avo’s long term strategy for the Indian market, growth plans and commitment of Westfalia Fruit to develop the avocado industry in India.
Mr Alk Brand, Group CEO, Westfalia Fruit with West-In Avo Indian team
West-In Avo is looking to expand the total nursery capacity to propagate over 100,000 plants a year and also start producing clonal plants, which have better tolerance to phytophthora root rot and is also ideally suited for the high rainfall tropical growing conditions in the Western Ghats region. West-In Avo is looking to work with large and small growers in this region to expand avocado growing areas from the current plantation of 120 hectares to over 1000 hectares in the next 3-4 years.
“We have had a strong start to our partnership in India, establishing ourselves as the market leader in avocados – having the largest growing footprint of avocado orchards and also marketing of avocado fruit in the Indian market. We see a great potential for India developing into a large market for growing Hass avocados for both domestic consumption and exports and Westfalia Fruit will take a leadership role in establishing the avocado industry in India,” mentioned Alk Brand, Group CEO of Westfalia Fruit Group.
GVK Naidu, MD of Sam Agri Group added, “Being the first integrated avocado project in India, we have built a very strong relationship with our grower partners by providing the highest quality planting material, continued technical support, develop package of practices for Indian conditions and also offer buy back of produce for marketing.”
About West-In Avo
West-In Avo is a subsidiary of Westfalia Fruit, established in joint venture with Sam Agri – India, Dvori-Or & Zohara Farms – Israel, to introduce Hass avocados in India and also other internationally accepted varieties that suit the Indian climate. West-In Avo markets Hass avocados India sourced from Westfalia’s global network of farms and from network of farms developed in India.
For more information, please visit www.westfaliafruit.in.
About Westfalia Fruit
The multinational Westfalia Fruit Group is a leading supplier of fresh and processed produce to international markets, offering a diverse range of quality fruit and related products via its vertically integrated supply chain. Founded over 70 years ago on guiding environmental, social, governance & sustainability principles. These practices, premised on the legacy of Dr Hans Merensky are at the heart of all that is done by the Group – “To Do Good”, – of which continue to underpin our approach today.
Today, operating in 15 countries spread over 5 continents, the Westfalia Fruit Group prides itself on advancing sustainable agricultural practices and being a responsible corporate citizen within the communities in which it operates.
As a frontrunner in the avocado industry, Westfalia grows, sources, ripens, packs, processes, and markets accredited avocados across the globe throughout the year. Value-added products include avocado oil, low-preservative guacamole, frozen avocado, and dried fruit.
Westfalia grows fruit in all major origins in the Americas and Africa and sources from partner orchards, giving the Group the most diverse avocado-growing footprint in the world. Westfalia’s dynamic and integrated supply chain from research to the consumer benefits all stakeholders. The Group’s research division, Westfalia Technological Services, is the world’s largest privately funded subtropical fruit research unit. Its dedicated team of scientists and technicians focus on varietal development, innovation, and environmental matters, and provides a pivotal role in defining the future of the global avocado industry.
A supplier of choice to retail, wholesale, and food-service customers, Westfalia operates sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America, southern Africa, and Asia. Fruit is packed in diverse formats and expertly ripened to deliver optimal eating quality.
For more information, please visit www.westfaliafruit.com.
