KELOWNA – Okanagan apples could be destined for India if efforts by a Kelowna city councillor are successful.
Mohini Singh is leading the charge to start exporting local apples to the world’s second most populous country. With a population of 1.3 billion, Singh says the potential is huge.
“I want to take the lead on this because I think it’s not just good for Kelowna, it’s good for the whole valley and who knows what could happen after that. We start with apples, it could be something else,” says Singh.
Singh’s efforts have shifted into high gear after meeting briefly with India’s Prime Minister at a trade dinner in Vancouver last week. Narendra Modi told the Canadian crowd that’s he’s focused on building trade relations with Canada.
India does grow some of its own apples but it also imports them from countries like New Zealand and Australia. But Singh believes there is also a niche for Okanagan apples.
“From my research and from my phone calls, I understand the apples look good, but my friends in India tell me they taste like sawdust and I said our apples not only look good but taste good,” says Singh.
So far the idea is being embraced by B.C.’s premier and agriculture minister. The B.C. Fruit Growers Association is also on board, having been talking about expanding the export market for some time.
“It’s more of an opportunity than even China because India is on ground floor,“ says their president Fred Steele.
“India will expand to the same level as China. It will just take a few years and ironically enough it takes a few years to get the paperwork done, the trees in the ground and grow crops. So if we do this right, we should be right on time in order to access that niche market.”
But just like it took years to work out deals to export local cherries to China, apple exports to India won’t happen overnight.
“There is a lot of discussion that has to take place at the provincial and federal levels because there are tariffs on Indian side that have to be worked through,” says Singh.
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