How Australia provides important elements to Indian culture

From the bustling metropolitan streets of Mumbai to the rural homes of Kanpur, India, almonds are part of the country’s traditional culture.

Raju Bhatia, a nut importer, said, “Every mother, if she can afford it, feeds her children about 10 almonds in the morning every day.”

However, almond consumption in the country is changing due to a younger generation of health-conscious people and India’s wealthy population.

“People are being educated about the health benefits,” Bhatia said.

“The economy here is rising and disposable income is increasing.

“The middle class, currently around 300 million people, is expected to grow to 600 million in the next few years, which is driving consumption and we hope it will continue to grow.”

Bhatia said catering to the younger generation is a rich business opportunity for India, which is the “youngest country in the world” with an average population of 29 years.

“More than 60% of the population is under 30,” he said.

“They want to eat healthy food rather than junk food. A very important factor for this is India’s youth.”

next generation driver seat

Bhatia’s family has been selling spices and nuts since 1887.

He was one of the first importers of Australian almonds over 25 years ago and is now one of the largest.

He said his country is experiencing astronomical growth in nut consumption, estimating it to be increasing by up to 20% each year.

His daughter Aishwarya Bhatia also joined the family tradition and launched a snack line with her sister in 2009, which is sold in 30 cities across the country.

“With Gen Z coming in, we’re more health conscious and we’re starting to make conscious decisions about food, and that’s where nuts and dry foods play a really important and important role.” she said.

Bhatia said it’s not just waistlines and longevity that they’re concerned about, but gut health and food intolerances are becoming increasingly recognized.

Contagious coffee culture

Sydney-born Shannon D’Souza said the trend towards lactose- and dairy-free products such as almond milk is timely in tapping India’s emerging coffee culture, another fast-growing market. .

D’Souza is part of the major disruption to India’s coffee scene right now.

The business administration graduate started his own coffee shop and roastery because he couldn’t find decent coffee anywhere.

“From day one, we had so many people come in and say, ‘I want barista-quality almond milk,'” he said.

“I think the reason for that is because a lot of people in India are very sensitive to gut health, skin care, heat, and heat, so there’s a lot of awareness.” [plant milk] Good for gut health and skin care. ”

‘Game changer’

Select Harvest, one of Australia’s largest almond producers, aims to provide an alternative avenue for almonds through processed foods.

“We’re starting to look at sales volumes and how we can increase that sales volume in that Indian market. It’s really being driven by the value addition that’s happening in the market,” says International Sales. Manager Ekrem Omer said.

“What we’re looking at is not just retail demand and snack demand; [almonds] It is used in beverages, confectionery, bread making, and muesli, which are developing markets in the Indian market. ”

Despite the cultural importance of almonds in India, almonds are not a cultivated crop in India, so consumers rely heavily on California, the world’s largest producer, along with Spain and Australia.

Australia is now in a better position than its competitors with a new trade deal that cuts tariffs on Australian almonds by 50%.

Australian Almond Board CEO Tim Jackson said this was a game changer.

“It had an immediate impact on almonds. Almond exports have doubled this year and reached record levels,” he said.

“Currently they account for 20 percent of our total exports.”

Almonds are currently Australia’s most valuable horticultural commodity.

The Almond Board even predicts that India could rival China as the largest importer.

By 2025, the value of almond farm shipments is expected to reach $1 billion.

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