The ministry states that 14 tonne of Indian pomegranates were exported from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra to the United States
In an initiative towards introducing Indian Pomegranates to distant markets, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated the first commercial sea shipment of Indian pomegranates from Maharashtra to the United States of America (USA).
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated that 14 tonne of Indian pomegranates were exported from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra to New York, USA. With growing international demand for premium quality fresh fruits, the arrival of this shipment heralds the potential of Indian Pomegranates becoming a preferred choice in the competitive US market, the ministry added.
The inaugural sea shipment of 4,620 boxes of Indian Pomegranates, weighing approximately 14 tonne, reached the US East Coast in the second week of March, within five weeks of the point of departure.
“Apeda has been supporting the export of Indian fruits like Mangoes and Pomegranates to the USA by funding the pre-clearance program. Indian farmers will achieve better realisation when their fruit gets exported to premium international markets like the USA. Indian mangoes have already reached annual exports of around 3500 tonne and we hope that Pomegranates will also reach such strong numbers in the years to come,” stated Abhishek Dev, Chairman, Apeda.
Owing to the success of the static trial to enhance the shelf life of Pomegranates for up to 60 days by APEDA in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Pomegranate, India had successfully flagged off its first trial commercial sea shipment of Pomegranates comprising of 4200 boxes (12.6 tonne) to the US in February 2024.
In the financial year 2023-24, India exported 72,011 metric tonne of Pomegranates worth USD 69.08 million. This year, there has been a significant growth in Pomegranate exports from India, registering a growth of 21 per cent with a value of USD 59.76 million in the period April to January, 2024-2025, as per the data from the ministry.
Key export destinations include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bahrain, Oman and the USA. The ministry said that looking ahead, the industry is optimistic that with continued marketing efforts and strategic promotional campaigns, Indian Pomegranates can carve a niche for themselves in the premium US market.
