Reliance Retail jolt for fruit/vegetable mart

With Reliance Industries venturing into fruit and vegetable retailing, a number of traditional players in the segment are eyeing tie-ups with foreign firms and hiring experts to take on competition.

New Delhi-based Dev Bhumi Cold Chain has appointed Roberrt Blokker, a former Nestle executive, as president (operations) to oversee its quality management in fruits. The company has a storage capacity of 10,000 tonne in both Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, and plans to increase it to 40,000 tonne with an estimated investment of Rs 60 crore in the next five years, Anil Dwivedi, director of the company, told PTI.

Suri Agro Fresh, another fresh fruit trading company, has tied up with the $2.6 billion Irish company Fyffes for a 50:50 joint venture.

"We have been getting benefits from their expertise as they come to hold workshop for better crop management as well for guiding us in matters of harvesting to packing," Hitin Suri, MD of Suri Agro Fresh, said.