India: market of the future for the sale of German food products

Berlin / DE. (bve) India will become an important market for the sale of foodstuffs. This was the view unanimously expressed by the experts who attended the discussions on the subject of «Export market India – current developments and the sales potential for the German food industry» during the International Green Week Forum in Berlin. In 2007 sales of German foodstuffs and beverages to India were still relatively modest, at around 14,7 million Euro. However, bearing in mind the enormous economic growth that is taking place, with a concomitant rise in the purchasing power of Indian consumers, demand for higher quality foodstuffs is expected to rise rapidly over the next few years. According to the CMA the Indian retail food sector is in a period of transition, with expansion is taking place in the food trade in terms of sales, the number of outlets and floor area. Between 2007 and 2011 there will be a ten-fold increase in the number of stores, from the current level of 450, and over the same period sales are expected to rise from 950 million to six billion USD. Simultaneously the trade is making massive investments in logistics, procurement and distribution (source).