MAJOR AGRIBUSINESS companies, retail food chains and horticulture import giants are among the stops on a relationship-building tour being conducted by Hort Innovation in India this week.

Starting in Delhi tomorrow, the tour aims to boost the Australian horticulture sector’s economic partnership with India across research, marketing and trade.

Hort Innovation Investment Manager, and tour participant, Neil Burgess said India is the third largest major economy in the world and the growth opportunities for business between India and Australia are significant.

“Over the past several years India’s agriculture research, agribusiness and commercial retail sales activities have reached an awe-inspiring level of enterprise and sophistication,” he said.

“Through this tour, myself and trade and R&D technology representatives from Hort Innovation, plan to strengthen existing ties with Indian research agencies, companies and government contacts, and develop new, productive relationships for the benefit of Australian growers.”

As the Australian horticulture sector’s Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation is continuously on the lookout for co-investors for research projects, and to boost trade links, to support growers’ commercial outcomes.
The week-long tour will include meetings with:

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): An organisation comprising 101 research institutes and 71 universities across India.
• Dharampal Satyapal Group: A rapidly growing conglomerate with a presence in agribusiness.
• ITC Agribusiness: One of India's largest integrated agri-business enterprises
• Cravo: Specialists in production systems that utilise automatic retractable roofs
• Adani Agrifresh: Boasts the largest integrated apple supply chain initiative with ultra-modern storage infrastructure in India. It also imports apples, pears, citrus, kiwi fruits and grapes.
• Big Basket: A popular online supermarket in India
• Agrifluence: A horticulture supply-chain specialist

Last financial year, Australia exported almost $135M in produce to India, which included almonds, oranges, grapes, walnuts, cherries, pears and apples. Six years earlier in 2013, exports to India were less than half that figure at $63M.

This initiative underpins Hort Innovation’s commitment to sustainable growth in horticulture, with the overarching aim of increasing the sector’s value to $20 billion by 2030.