IndiaNews. FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENT REVIEW April May 2007 CONTENTS

Transcription

1 FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENT REVIEW April May 2007 CONTENTS p.1 Editorial Food Industry Overview p.4 India's GDP crosses USD 1 trillion RBI lowers GDP growth forecast IMF forecasts slowdown of Indian economy p.5 India offers new concessions for Asean FTA p.6 Food labelling notification unimplementable: FICCI Duty-free access to Bangladesh, 3 others p.7 5 per cent less rains predicted Govt. may dole out Rs. 15-bio subsidy for mega food parks Aquaculture p.8 Temptation may buy HLL marine products biz Strong Rupee may hit marine sector Andhra production down Dairy, Meat & Poultry p.9 Prices of milk powder up Dairy companies gear up for probiotic food market Thacker plans integrated dairy complex Visakha Dairy plans plant p.10 Yakult, Danone set up Indian JV HLL plans to top ice cream market p.11 Bird flu rumours spoil West Bengal's poultry party Lab tests allay avian flu fears in Kerala, Bengal p.12 Egg prices at all-time high levels Now, egg boards the brand-wagon p.13 Rising income to fuel demand for poultry products Aavin's low-sugar ice creams Indians prefer chicken over red meat, eggs Meat Board to be set up in 2 months p.14 US layer breed relaunch Alcoholic Beverages p.14 Bubbly takes on beer, soft drinks p.15 Beer popularity up p.16 Mallya buys W&M Scotch bottled in India on a new high p.17 Cobra to set up greenfield brewery in Punjab InBev comes to India p.18 France warns India against 'tricks' WTO to set up dispute panel on Indian wines and spirits tariffs p.19 Angostura in talks with John Distillers Carlsberg acquires brewery in Himachal Pradesh Linton Park not via Goodricke Alcoholic Beverages (Contd.) p.20 Beam brings in Maker's Mark to take on Jack Chhabria, Henkell in JV talks Budweiser beer set to hit Indian market in June p.21 Kyndal to launch two new wines Non-alcoholic Beverages p.21 Pepsi fined Nestle, Coke reach accord for beverages p.22 PepsiCo focusing on juice, water and nutritional foods Nestle Waters thirsts for Himalayan p.23 Coke plans to buy Kinley rights from bottlers Coca-Cola ready to gulp Brindavan p.24 Coca-Cola foraying into retail lounge format Coke to buy Glaceau for USD 4.1 bio Tea p.25 South Indian tea quality significantly up, say experts p.26 Tea industry hopeful of another good year p.27 Tea import bill up by Rs. 210 mio Gujarat tea-makers to drive consumption with tea bars p.28 Tata Tea buys Vitax, Flosana brands Tata Tea to tap Chinese market p.29 Black tea certification to aid exports Typhoo set to debut in India Contents continued on next page IndiaNews is published every 2 months by: GIRACT 24 Pré Colomb, 1290 Versoix Geneva Switzerland Tel Fax info@giract.com

2 FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENT REVIEW April May 2007 CONTENTS (Continued) Coffee p.29 Starbucks submits fresh application for India foray p.30 Coffee exports set new record Rupee effect: Coffee exporters stop signing new orders Costa Coffee to expand presence p.31 Coke not to push lukewarm Georgia to the masses Café Coffee Day plans bulk trading in Europe p.32 Tata Coffee inaugurates freeze-dried coffee plant Tata Coffee to launch coffee brand in Russia Food Service & Retailing p.32 Future Group plans restaurants in airports Carrefour puts off India plan p.33 Retail sector grapples with high space cost National group formed to oppose big retailers p.34 Bharti plans 3-tier retail model Bharti retail foray delayed p.35 AV Birla Group to invest in retail Heritage Foods plans stores in Bangalore HLL sells Sangam Direct to Wadhawan Food Magna retail chain mulls expansion p.36 Biyani plans cash-n-carry battle Future group plans to invest Rs. 40 bio RPG Retail plans 2,000 Spencer's outlets over 2 years Snacks p.37 Future to lay off Frito products GFA plans doughnut kiosks p.38 Danone to return Tiger brand to Britannia Ferrero subsidiary asked to export 50 per cent Excise cut on biscuits, ready-to-eats p.39 Hershey's takes 51 per cent stake in Godrej Beverages Hershey leaves Amul with a bitter taste p.40 Indian snacks arm boosts PepsiCo sales Culinary Items p.40 Spice of life Summer treats Mayonnaise flavors p.41 SC restrains Dabur from using Glucose-D Protein punch p.42 Promo line lands Maggi in a soup Sugar p.42 Government to purchase ethanol p.43 Sugar exports may double this year on subsidy Sugar output jumps 25 per cent Sugarcane output estimate increased p.44 Axe falls on sugar companies Sugar exports: Industry faces double whammy Sugar output may be 26.5 mio tons p.45 Package for ailing sugar industry in Maharashtra Maharashtra waives purchase tax on sugarcane Bihar amends sugar Act to boost ethanol output p.46 Maharashtra ends floor rate for sugar exports Birla sugar cos plan expansion Oils p.47 Record oilmeal export in Strong Rupee hurting oilseed exports p.48 Oilseeds output to dip 17 per cent Edible oil imports may increase 14 per cent CMIE sees rise in oilseed output p.49 Consumption of edible oils has gone up Castor oil exports rise Govt. cuts duty p.50 Adani Wilmar to enter coconut oil segment Ruchi group takes over Sical s palm oil business Food Additives p.51 Higher acreage likely to fuel mentha crop output Export of mint products rise Gujarat to develop Navlakhi port for salt exports p.52 Vanilla prices may gain this year Vanilla paste for baking Natural vanilla extract launched Anil Products to up starch capacity Spices & Flavors p.53 Spices exports up 36 per cent Turmeric market reels under glut p.54 Pepper prices touch seven year high Pepper exports surge Cumin exports from Rajasthan surge p.55 Low inventory, fall in output fuel nutmeg, mace prices Aricha launches a range of organic spices Cardamom output to dip India to be world spices hub by 2017 p.56 Domestic Prices Of Major Spices Contents continued on next page Vol GIRACT 2007

3 FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENT REVIEW April May 2007 CONTENTS (Continued) Foodgrains p.57 HarvestPlus aid for boosting nutrition levels Russia bans Indian rice over pesticide concerns Old's gold p.58 Wheat, rice consumption dips in urban India: NSSO UK's Weetabix launches operations in India p.59 Wheat output more than estimate India to import wheat from Pakistan Wheat imports may surge p.60 Wheat imports to be dearer Stronger rupee affecting Indian rice exports Nod for commercial release of disease-resistant rice strains p.61 Basmati prices rise India s rice exports may fall on stronger rupee, local demand p.62 Non-basmati rice exports may touch 4 mio tons Govt. to import pulses India to import lentils p.63 Duty-free import of pulses extended Fruits & Vegetables p.63 India will export mangoes, import motorbikes from US Rising mercury affects apple cultivation in Himachal Himachal expects high apple produce p.64 Indian bananas set to reach European Union markets Gujarat farmers going for bananas Fruits & Vegetables p.65 Drought to hit mango pulp output Indian mango on way to US markets India may export 400 ton of mangoes to Japan this season p.66 Mango exporters eye Australia, New Zealand Alphonso output down Strawberry growers smile p.67 India forms cashew body pact with Brazil, Vietnam Value of cashew exports down p.68 Govt. cuts minimum export price for onion Onion exports surge p.69 New onion powder plants in Gujarat Record production of cherries expected in Kashmir Biotech p.69 SC allows field trials of GM crops p.70 Mahyco office vandalised for suspected GM crop trials Hybrid pigeon pea could trigger revolution in pulses Major Food Companies p.71 ITC to invest Rs. 150 bio for expansion ITC FY07 net up 20 per cent Related Publications p.72 ChinaNews It is summer in India. And summer in India means mangoes. Vol GIRACT 2007

4 Food & Food Ingredients Review Editorial A growing economy leads to strengthening of all fundamentals. This is good news for business in general. But, nothing is without its share of problems. Reflecting the growing strength of Indian economy, the Indian Rupee has been rising. On 31 May 2007, the Reserve Bank Reference Rate for USD 1 was INR Exactly 1 year ago, on 31 May 2006, RBI Reference rate for USD 1 was INR The following chart illustrates the rise of Rupee against the Dollar. The rise of the Rupee is more pronounced in the case of the USD. The overall scenario is as follows: Change From 2006 to 2007 % GBP EURO YEN USD A reason for the sudden spurt in the Indian Rupee is FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). FDI has shown a 200 per cent increase from USD 5.5 billion in to USD 15.7 billion in Most of India s foreign trade is designated in US Dollars. So, the rise of Rupee against the USD has affected India s importers and exporters. Importers are happy, while the exporters are crying hoarse. (Continued on next page) Vol GIRACT

5 Food & Food Ingredients Review Editorial Food industry exporters in almost every segment aquaculture, meat, dairy, fruit & vegetables, coffee, tea, sugar, spices, oilmeals - are finding the going very difficult. Most exporters operate on wafer-thin margins and they are in no position to absorb the forex shock. This has disturbed the exports of food products from India quite seriously and it will be some time before the situation stabilizes. On the other hand, the increasing strength of the Indian Rupee has made it easier for Indian corporate barons to acquire companies abroad. We have one major story and one small one on this subject in this issue. Vijay Mallya, India s liquor king (UB Group), has acquired Scottish whisky maker, Whyte & Mackay, for USD 1.2 bio. Scots may not like it but now there is a Scottish whisky produced by an Indian corporate house. The small story is that Tetley Group, owned by Tata Group, has agreed to buy the Vitax and Flosana trademarks in Poland for an undisclosed sum. The amount that the Tatas have paid for these two Polish brands must be very small compared to the huge profit that they have made in the sale of their stake in Glaceau to Coca Cola. The Tatas had invested about USD 677 mio last August to buy a 30 per cent stake in Glaceau. In less than a year, they have sold their stake at almost double the price. Some analysts are saying, Wow!, while others are criticizing Tatas for looking at short-term profits and missing the opportunity of entering a growing field. One may agree or disagree with the Tata Group s decision to sell its share in Glaceau, but no one can accuse it of not having an ear on the ground for opportunities. In the second week of May, Tata Tea announced its joint venture with Zhejiang Tea Import and Export Company. The Zhejiang and Tata joint venture will target the Chinese and other Far Eastern markets. Operating in the largest tea consuming areas of the world, this JV will surely be worth keeping an eye on. While on the subject of tea, one cannot ignore the interesting developments in the dairy sector. Probiotics seem to be the new talk-of-town. Amul has already launched a probiotic ice cream and is exploring possibilities of launching other probiotic products. French dairy giant Danone and Japanese company Yakult have joined hands to manufacture dairy products in Haryana. It is expected that the joint venture will soon launch the probiotic drink, Yakult, in India. While Danone must be excited about the new launch, it has its hands full with the ongoing controversy with Britannia. At the time of writing it, we do not know whether the talks are moving forward or backward; whether it will be a messy divorce or an amicable parting of ways. We wait for the dust to settle down in this matter before we can report with any degree of clarity. Dust has also been flying thick in India with rival corporate houses dragging each other to court on either intellectual property matters or on improper advertisement. Hindustan Lever dragged Nestle to the Advertising Standards Council of India for making tall claims about its soups. Heinz has been able to get Supreme Court to restrain Dabur from using a Glucose-D pack, which is very similar to the pack of Heinz s Glucon-D. (Continued on next page) Vol GIRACT

6 Food & Food Ingredients Review Editorial Judicial intervention and regulation in business disputes is a sign of the maturing Indian market and also indicates that the much-maligned judicial system of India does deliver. Pepsi learnt it the hard way, when it was ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 100,000 by a court in Shimla in a case about worms and insects in a Pepsi Mirinda bottle. A fine by a court is preferable to the vandalism that Mahyco and Reliance Fresh have experienced in recent times. The Mahyco office in Kolkata was ransacked by anti-gm protesters, while Reliance Fresh stores were vandalized by vegetable vendors who thought that their livelihood would be threatened by large retail shops selling vegetables and fruits. Businesses across the world have to learn to live with politics. India is no exception. Retailers, who have mega plans for India, must keep this in mind. Resistance to organized retail is growing. Taking care of concerns of various sections of society will be the big challenge that all big retail houses will have to face up to. A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh preached to a gathering of top business houses about keeping their greed under check and doing something for society. While it may be too much to ask businesses to turn altruistic, it may be worthwhile for them to address social concerns, to at least avoid serious backlash. This involves a balancing act that needs fine-tuning. The non-friendly atmosphere for large retail in India has turned away French major, Carrefour, at least for the time being. It is not advisable to turn one s back on a major market like India, which also happens to be the world s second-fastest growing economy. Understanding the opposing pulls and pushes of a growing complex economy like India needs patience, perseverance, experience and empathy. We hope that Carrefour will soon review its decision about its plans in India. If you have any plans for India, please call on us for the best advice and support. Vol GIRACT

7 Note: The contents and editorial page given above are excerpts from IndiaNews published by GIRACT. The excerpts have been published by Hindustan Studies & Services Ltd. at the website with due permission from GIRACT. For further details about IndiaNews, please contact or Vol GIRACT