Largest Australian delegation attending India food industry fair: Official

Australian food brands seek a market of 25-30 million people in India's Tier-I and Tier-II cities, he says

As many as 23 Australian companies and two industry groups are attending the Indian food industry’s premium trade fair in Delhi, said a senior official of the country’s embassy on Thursday.

Australian seafood, lamb and sheep, food ingredients and commodities will be on show at the five-day Aahar India food and hospitality fair. The 38th edition of the fair is organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation and supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, and the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.

Australian food brands seek a market of 25-30 million people in India’s Tier-I and Tier-II cities, said John Southwell, trade and investment commissioner, Australia Trade and Investment Commission, told ‘Business Standard’.

Indians who have travelled to Australia are already familiar with these brands that got noticed because of television shows like Masterchef Australia, he said. Indian-origin Australians make up a one-million-strong group in Australia, which has a population of 27 million. Their interaction with relatives in India has created a demand for Aussie food products, Southwell said.

Ryan Meat Company, Summerfruit Australia, ice cream flavour Frosty Boy, Source Wellness Drinks, and Supercharged Food are Australian brands attending Aahar India 2024. The companies are keen on setting up business-to-business partnerships in India, said Southwell.

The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which came into force in December 2022, has improved trade flows in food and beverages. Excluding coal, Australia's exports to India are up 35 percent in the first year after ECTA was signed, he said. Exports of Australian lamb, seafood, and oranges to India have increased.

As part of ECTA, India reduced tariffs on imported wine for the first time. As many as 24 Australian wineries visited India for the ProWine Mumbai last year.

India will not impose a duty on imported Australian lentils until March 31, 2025, but the food item’s imports have fallen because the trade is seasonal and dependent on weather. "But the key point is that both countries are counter-seasonal, and we can provide both imports into Indian food processing as well as to meet Indian consumer demand," Southwell said.

Processed foods are India's largest food and agriculture exports to Australia. "Indian exports to Australia have also increased under ECTA. Exports of rice and cereals have gone up by 23 percent, bread, ice cream and biscuits have increased 25 per cent and frozen vegetable exports have also risen 25 percent," Southwell said.