Modi apples from Italy enter India through IG International

Modi apples are here! The popular apple variety from Italy has officially entered India by appointing IG International as its authorised distributor for the country.
Even as owners of this patented club variety hope to get a strong footing in India’s growing fruit market, the name of the variety has no connection, whatsoever, with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The variety was developed by CIV (Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti) --a group of specialist plant breeders set up in Italy in 2007-- by crossing the popular Liberty and Gala varieties of apples.

According to the company, the variety was named after the artist Amedeo Modigliani, called “Modì” by his friends, who became famous for his female portraits with shiny and bright colours.

Tarun Arora, director of IG International, said, "Modi apples are a club variety and it would be the single largest club variety to be imported into India. These apples have already become available at the Star Bazar stores and agricultural markets of metro cities."

Although Modi apples are a club variety, by pricing them at Rs 160/kg in retail, the company hopes to gain a significant market share in India. In India, this variety has been registered under Trademark Class 31.

Pier Filippo Tagliani, chairman of CIV, said, “The main aim of the development of the Modì® CIV brand in India over the next three years is to evaluate and identify commercial partnership opportunities with some of the key local importers/distributors, and to be able to then evaluate the possibility of local production tests."

India will get Modi apples grown in Italy, Turkey, New Zealand and Chilly, the company said. IG International has already imported 100 tonnes of the variety and plans to touch 500 tonnes by August.

Globally, China is the biggest producer of apples and until recently used to account for 60% of India's total apple imports. However, since Indian authorities imposed a ban on apples and pears from China in July 2017 after detection of a bug, apple imports from China have declined significantly. The Red Delicious variety, grown in Washington state, is the most popular imported apple variety in India.