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FRUITY invasion
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Luscious green USA pears are now in our fruit stalls
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Though the fruit is sweet, its USP is its low-calorie, high-fibre properties and the fact that it has no sodium or fat. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
THE RED and Green Anjou and the Bartlett from Washington and Oregon have descended and will soon be all over Bangalore. No sir, these are not tribes we are talking about. It's a fruity invasion of luscious pears.
For long an inspiration for still life paintings and some yum recipes, they are perhaps not a very familiar taste with the Indian palate. After the big red Washington apples, and the mammoth New Zealand oranges, came the kiwi to Bangalore. Now it's the turn of pears. USA Pears has launched over four varieties of its pear grown in the Washington and Oregon areas.
Elusively flavoured
Pear-producing areas in India have been limited to the hilly regions of north and northeast. A reason why we probably didn't see too much of them here down south. Importers too largely targeted Delhi and Mumbai.
"Even though pears were not readily available across the country till now, most Indians are familiar with the taste and aroma of pears. Indians are also large consumers of stone fruits like apples. Pears are from the same family. They are juicy, elusively flavoured, and sweet," says Sumit Saran, India representative of Pear Bureau Northwest, a non-profit organisation marketing USA Pears. Indian pears are available from April to October. So USA Pears is hoping to capture the remaining complementary season.
"India is a small producer of pears. Pear production in India is approximately 1,88,000 tonnes, which is only 0.4 per cent of India's total fruit production. Imports have just started and are close to 2,500 tonnes," says Saran. Imports have been allowed since 2001.
Good market
Bangalore in particular, and India in general, is a big market that the Pear Bureau Northwest is looking at. "In addition to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are two of the largest markets. Bangalore is in fact the fastest growing market for this fruit." They are now also available in Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.
The proverbial sweet tooth of Indians may prove a hit factor for the company. Saran admits that Indians like fruits that are juicy, soft and sweet. "Sweetness, in fact, is the most important parameter. Meetha hai to achcha hai (if it's sweet it's good) is the Indian fruit-eating mantra," he declares, adding that the Anjou and the Bartlett variety of pears fit the bill perfectly. Levulose, the sweetest of all known sugars, is said to be found to a greater extent in fresh pears than in any other fruit, making it an instant source of glucose.
Though the fruit is sweet, the company is marketing it on its low-calorie, high-fibre properties and the fact that it has no sodium and no fat. A healthy snack in an increasingly fat-conscious society.
Chef's help
Pear Bureau Northwest is looking at the Indian market rather seriously. The promotion campaign has been launched after a detailed research was conducted. "The research showed that India can be among the top five markets of USA Pears in five years."
The Red and Green Anjou, and the Bartlett in bright red and yellow colours are the varieties that will hit the Indian markets. And who better than master chef Sanjeev Kapoor to create recipes for them with the Khana Khazana team? Zee's popular serial will have two episodes dedicated to this fruit. Sampling and in-store promotions are high on the list of marketing strategies. A booklet with recipes will be published soon. Recipes can also be downloaded from the website www.usapears.org.
The company has introduced products like the Pear Packer and Pear Slicer designed specially to hold four pears and be able to slice it neatly in a pattern, so that it can be sold as a "convenient anytime, anywhere snack".
USA Pears are available in supermarkets for about Rs. 80 to Rs. 100 per kg.
BHUMIKA K.
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