IG International, Deccan Exotics form joint venture to establish avocados nursery

IG International, one of the country’s fresh fruit importers, has formed a joint venture - IG Deccan Pvt Ltd - with Deccan Exotics to establish a plant nursery for avocados and grow five million trees over the next five years.

The joint venture has been formed to redefine and alter avocados consumption in India by making the fruit “a native commodity” across the nation, a statement from IG International said. 

The plant nursery will be located in and around Hyderabad and will handle all new varieties from global breeding companies. It will help cultivators with sublicensing to grow avocados in India. 

“The long-term goal is to make IG Deccan Pvt Ltd the largest avocado nursery in India,” the statement said. 

IG International, which has been in the fresh fruit market for over five decades, had begun importing fresh fruits in 2002 and has an organized, strategic sourcing system augmented by a supply chain well-connected with an overseas procurement network. 

Specializing in dragon fruits

Deccan Exotics is an independently-owned orchard and horticultural research centre specializing in the cultivation of dragon fruit. The pioneering facility is spread across 30 acres, providing the ideal horticulture environment close to the Fruit Research Station at Sangareedy in Telangana. 

The company offers the largest selection of dragon fruit varieties in the country, nurturing the cultivation of 27-odd varieties, including hybrids and seven commercial varieties.

The statement quoted Tarun Arora, Director of Finance and Operations of IG International, as saying: “Our joint venture with a pioneering company like Deccan Exotics will help us create a blooming biome for avocado exclusively for our buyers in India, and it will also create an opportunity for India to be the next big avocado market for importers abroad.”

Dr Srinivas Rao Madhavaram, CEO and Founder, Deccan Exotics, said in the statement: “We are thrilled to form a new joint venture with market leaders like IG International to bring the taste of home-grown avocados to every plate in India. Their flawless distribution coupled with our ingenious R&D capabilities will form a perfect synergy to create the best product.”