An alternative to the Chinese market,
India bought USD30,000 worth of Chungnam pears.
Challenges include high tariffs and
a 40-day quarantine period.

Chungnam has shifted its ‘focus’ and succeeded in setting foot in India with the population of 1.3 billion.
On September 2nd, Chungnam had a meeting with Gianchand Arora, chairman of I.G International, India's largest fruit importer, at the provincial office.
Participants from the province included Na So-yeol, vice governor for culture and sports; Goo Bon-gwon, CEO of Asan Horticultural Producers’ Co-op; export manager of Nonghyup Economic Holdings; and the deputy head of the Nonghyup Chungnam Regional Headquarters. They focused on the introduction of the competitiveness of Chungnam pears in overseas markets and the outstanding farm product distribution infrastructure in the region. Both parties discussed how to expand their trade volumes.
I.G International is a large import and distribution company that has 27 offices, 16 low-temperature warehouses and 85 transportation vehicles throughout India. It imports 31 kinds of agricultural products from 22 countries and supplies them to 28 outlets including HyperCity and Lulu in India.
The situation in India is similar to that of the Vietnam market to which Chungnam’s pear export increased explosively last year, while India is not importing low-priced Chinese pears due to a border dispute with China.
Chungnam entered the Indian market for the first time in October last year. It has shipped more than USD30,000 worth of pears to the market until July this year. However, there are challenges to overcome: A 35% tariff is imposed. The recognition of Korean pears is low. Most notably, India demands a 40-day quarantine period at 0℃before shipment for pest control.