The Hindu Business Line : US prunes soon on shop shelves

``We have conducted primary market research in the four metros that show India as a potentially big market for California prunes,'' Ms Peggy Castaldi, Marketing Director, California Prune Board (CPB), told newspersons here.

According to her, the lack of awareness about prunes vis-a-vis other dry fruits was the main constraint for marketing California prunes in India. ``When we asked our respondents to give us names of various dry fruits, only one per cent mentioned prunes. However, when prompted, 28 per cent said they had heard what prunes were about. And when they were given the prunes for tasting, as many 70 per cent registered purchase intent. That probably gives an idea of the potential market here,'' Ms Castaldi.

To promote awareness about prunes, the CPB — which is a self-governing industry body comprising 1,250 growers and 23 packers in California — is launching a consumer-cum-trade promotion campaign in the country. ``The campaign would be generic in nature and we will initially target the upwardly mobile, health-conscious and educated consumers in the four metros and a few major towns,'' said Mr Keith Sunderlal, President of The SCS Group, which represents CPB in India.

The focus would largely be on the health aspect, namely that of prunes being a good source of dietary fibre and anti-oxidants and also containing no fat, cholesterol or sodium.

Prunes are basically dried plums with moisture content of around 20 per cent (three tonnes of fresh plum yield one tonne of prune after drying). Roughly 70 per cent of the world's prunes and 99 per cent of that of US are grown in around 80,000 acres of California, mainly concentrated in the Sacramento, Santa Clara, Sonoma Napa and San Joaqin Valleys. Prunes are an offshoot of La Petite D'Agen, a prune plum native of Southwest France that was grafted into the rootstcok of the Californian wild varieties.

The US annually produces nearly 150,000 tonnes of prunes annually, of which over 76,000 tonnes are exported fetching around $190 million. The major markets include Japan (nearly 19,000 tonnes), Germany (13,400 tonnes), Italy (6,800 tonnes), United Kingdom (6,700 tonnes) and Hongkong and China (4,000 tonnes).

India, on the other hand, is estimated to import a paltry five tonnes. California prunes are now selling in select retail for as much as Rs 120-140 per pack of 340 gm. ``Considering that the market in China (including Hongkong) was hardly 500 tonnes two-and-a-half years ago when we launched our promotional campaign, we are sure the figure for India too will go up in the next couple of years. Prices will also come down as the quantity of shipments go up,'' Ms Castaldi said.

The import duty on prunes is currently 35.2 per cent, comprising a basic customs duty of 30 per cent and a special additional customs duty of four per cent.

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