The Indian orange is yet to catch the attention of foreign and domestic companies as all the major players of the orange beverage segment use only imported pulp as a raw material. Dabur, the leader in orange based packaged juices with a 54 percent market share, sources orange concentrate from North and South America for its “Real” brand. Pepsico, the second biggest player with a 25 percent market share sources its concentrate from Brazil, the U.S. and Israel for its “Tropicana” brand.

The packaged juice market in India is about 50 million cases per annum with a sale of around $88 million. According to the industry sources, the market for packaged juices is growing at over 25 percent per annum. Beverage companies don’t prefer Indian oranges because of their low juice content in comparison to those grown abroad. Experts say that Indian oranges are suitable for fresh consumption and not for mechanized processing. It is for this reason that out of the annual production of 6 million tons of oranges in the country only 1 percent are processed. Nevertheless, companies like Pepsico have started to venture into a program for citrus cultivation from imported seed in Punjab.

Source: Business Standard


Publication date: 11/6/2007

New season of the naturally sweet grapefruit from the Sunshine State

The port of Antwerp is not only Europe’s second largest port but also one of the major crossroads of the international fruit trade. Antwerp handles over 1.5 million tonnes of fruit annually, making it far and away the European market leader. Antwerp is the principal destination in Europe for grapefruit from Florida – the world’s leading producer of grapefruit – both for consumption in Belgium and for redistribution to neighboring European countries.

Due to some inclement weather in Florida in recent years, Florida grapefruit have had to weather many a storm, both literally and figuratively. Fortunately, since last year, a positive change has set in: and now, just like last year, there is a good crop of top-quality Florida grapefruit. These delicious round globes of fruit are once again on sale in Belgian supermarkets and it looks as if they will be able to match the flavor of last year’s crop, considered by many the tastiest ever.

Per season, the Belgians consume ca. 4 million kg of Florida grapefruit
Mike Yetter, the International Marketing Director of the Florida Department of Citrus: "Florida is estimating that the new season’s crop will be around 25 million boxes of grapefruit all told; this is approx. 19kg per box. Last season we shipped 2 091 000 cartons of Florida grapefruit to Belgium or 10.1% of the total fresh crop, of which ca. 10% remained in Belgium for consumption. The rest of the Florida grapefruit that arrive in Antwerp are shipped on to the neighboring countries. This means that last season the Belgians consumed no less than 4 million kg of Florida grapefruit."



Florida Grapefruit for health-conscious people with a sweet tooth!
The Florida grapefruit – and the popular pink and red varieties in particular – distinguishes itself from those originated elsewhere through its naturally sweet taste, tender flesh, juiciness and thin skin. People with a sweet tooth will be in their element this season as the brix levels (the natural sweetness) in the red grapefruit of Florida is higher now than at any time in the past decade. This sun-drenched fruit is also crammed full of vitamins which boost the body’s immune system during the winter months. Besides the high healthy-eating factor, they are extremely tasty.

This means that a Florida grapefruit perfectly meets the customer’s current purchasing criteria: delicious, functional and healthy! Florida grapefruit are naturally sweet enough to be eaten without adding extra sugar and also lend themselves perfectly as a novel cooking ingredient. No wonder that Florida grapefruit are eagerly sought-after by Belgian supermarkets and consumers. You can enjoy healthy Florida grapefruit from November till the end of May. Florida grapefruit juice is available all year round as a healthy and tasty thirst-quencher

About FDOC
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. Visit www.floridajuice.com for more info. The USDA’s Web site is www.nass.usda.gov/index.asp.



Publication date: 11/6/2007