After Apple, Adani Agri Fresh to begin cherry procurement in Himachal; peaches and plums next

Lucknow, May 9 (IANS) Adani Agri Fresh Limited (AAFL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), has announced its entry into the stone fruit category, which includes fruits such as cherries, with plans to begin procurement in Himachal Pradesh (HP).

The expansion is expected to support improved shelf life, wider market access and better price discovery for farmers. Controlled atmosphere storage facilities across AAFL’s six locations in the state have now been upgraded to support cherry storage and distribution, according to the company.

Notably, AAFL has been among the early organised players in apple procurement, storage and marketing in Himachal Pradesh.

“We will begin with cherry procurement in the coming season and gradually expand into other stone fruits (such as peaches and plums). This builds on our experience in apple sourcing and our continued focus on improving market access for farmers,” said Manish Agarwal, Business Head, AAFL.

He was speaking at ‘Fruit Horizon 2026: Globalizing India’s Fruit Value Chain’ this week, organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) along with the Uttar Pradesh State Transformation Commission and the Department of Horticulture.

Since commencing operations in 2006 under the Farm-Pik brand, the company has procured over 3 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of apples from more than 17,000 farmers, with direct payouts of approximately Rs 1,500 crore.

Adani Agri Fresh has developed a cumulative storage capacity of 25,000 MT in HP, supporting improved shelf life and wider market access.

AAFL follows a standardised grading and sorting system that enables transparent price discovery based on quality parameters. This reduces dependence on traditional mandis and helps farmers realise better value.

The company is also expanding its Digital Mandi initiative, which enables farmers to sell produce remotely without visiting procurement centres. The platform is being extended to additional regions.

Currently procuring about 4 per cent of HP’s apple production, AAFL continues to augment capacity to reach more growers.

AAFL also works extensively with the Adani Foundation, the social welfare and development arm of the Adani Group, to support healthcare, education and community development in orchard regions.

–IANS

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