Category — Agriculture

The Dutch seed company Enza Zaden has registered a new subsidiary: Enza Zaden India. “We are very proud to open up this new company in India,” says Jaap Mazereeuw,
Enza Zaden India is located in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, a region known as a key producer of vegetables in the country. Enza’s new company will direct its attention to the development of hybrid varieties completely catered to local growers. The new varieties will provide better yields to the growers, and are intended to be more resilient when it comes to diseases.  After China and Indonesia, India is the third big market explored by Enza.

Ed Fast, Canada’s Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway,  highlighted the launch of the fifth round of negotiations toward a Canada-India trade agreement. “Our government remains firmly focused on what matters to Canadians: jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Deepening Canada’s trading relationships with high-growth markets like India is key to these efforts,” said Fast.

A Canada-India joint study concluded that a trade agreement between the two countries could boost Canada’s economy by at least $6 billion. That translates to almost 40,000 new jobs or a $500 boost to the average Canadian family’s annual income. A trade agreement with India would eliminate or reduce tariffs on Canadian goods, liberalize trade in services, and directly benefit Canadian workers and businesses in sectors such as agriculture, resource-related and chemical products, transport equipment, machinery and equipment, and services.

For the past eight years, Jim Patell and his staff at Stanford University have taught a course called Entrepreneurial Design for the Extreme Affordability. One of the students was Peter Frykman who came up with a way to help small plot farmers in rural areas where the water supply is limited. “They need a way to use their limited water resources more effectively and basically lift themselves out of poverty,” said Frykman.

Frykman took his idea and started a company called DripTech. Based in Mountain View, California  it now serves 1,000 small farmers in India and China. Unlike most irrigation systems, this one doesn’t require filters or electricity — only a bucket and a way to manually control the flow of water. “We’ve made it more affordable,” said Frykman. “We’ve made it simpler to install and maintain. It runs on lower pressure and we can manufacture it locally.”

The cost of the irrigation system runs about $150 per half-acre. Most small plot farms have less than five acres.

According to the New York Times,India is captivating the mainstream cosmetics industry this year.

From high-end brands creating makeup shades based on the country’s bright colors to skin- and hair-care lines capitalizing on Ayurveda, when it comes to beauty, inside and out, the industry is increasingly turning to the world’s second-most-populous country.

France’s Clarins,just introduced a line of cosmetics “Enchanted” inspired by Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. The collection includes lip glosses with the names Pink Jaipur and Nude Delhi, and four products for eyes: shadows in violet and a coppery brown, and an update of kajal, the intensely pigmented traditional Indian eyeliner.

Chanel’s limited-edition Bombay Express de Chanel cosmetic line was designed for Karl Lagerfeld’s pre-fall 2012 collection, the Paris-Bombay Métiers d’Art show, which was strongly influenced by opulent Indian fabrics and embellishments. To complement the clothes, Peter Philips, Chanel’s creative director of makeup, designed four products, including a gold nail shade called Diwali, after the  festival of lights, and a golden powder named Route des Indes de Chanel.

The new six-piece Thakoon for Nars nail collection is a result of Thakoon Panichgul’s spring-summer 2012 line, which was inspired by the country and is heavy on gold accenting and bold colors, named in Hindi after popular Indian spices or medicinal plants, such as Amchoor (powdered dried raw mango).

Ravi R, Mark Masten of Paraomount Farms, Nixon James, Gunjan Bagla, Ravi C

India Journal reported on Paramount Farms talk about their success in India. I hosted the event and Mark Masten, our client and now my friend was kind enough to give his perspective on their success in India. Amritt and I began working with Paramount Farms over four years ago.

According to the paper,  Mark  Masten  has had an ‘India connection’ for close to two decades and is now selling California pistachios in India. His first encounter with India was in 1994 as an employee of General Electric (GE). Paramount Farms is a wholly-owned operating company of Roll Global which also owns companies like Fiji Waters, POM Wonderful, Teleflora to name a few. Paramount Farms is among the world’s largest grower, processor and marketer of pistachios and almonds.  Masten joined Paramount in 2005 and has since been leading the company’s growth in the US and developing markets.

Pistachios are grown on Paramount’s 10 K acres farm in the Central Valley in California from where they are exported to India. Paramount launched its brand in India five years ago and since then has seen major growth. Though Indian consumers prefer almonds above pistachios, Paramount is pitching for pistachios as a ‘healthy snack’, trying to make it more affordable and getting rid of the image it has as a luxury item.

Paramount has its main office in Delhi with branches in Vadodara, Gujarat; Calcutta, Mumbai among others. Masten pointed out that India does not grow pistachios. All pistachios come either from the US or Iran. Paramount pistachios are roasted and packaged in India. Research is on to introduce flavored pistachios suited for the Indian palate. Paramount is also working in conjunction with the Diabetes Foundation of India to establish that pistachios are a healthy snack. The company is also investing in local pistachio health research. It has a 100 percent commitment to quality and will not compromise on this at any cost.

If you wish to watch Mark’s speech and the Q&A that followed, click here http://youtu.be/2FMkk8n4hkQ

What this means

An American company can build an honest and profitable business in India and Indian consumers will pay a premium for quality if communicated effectively.