Juice Market in India 2013

Netscribes' latest market research report titled Juice Market in India 2013 depicts the current status of the juice market in India. Fruit beverages can be categorized into juices, drinks and nectars based on the pulp content. In recent years, Indians have displayed a marked preference for juices over carbonated drinks. This can be partly attributed to a negative publicity campaign against soft drink manufacturers regarding the ingredients found in their products. While non-packaged fruit juices are already popular in India, it is the packaged fruit juice segment that has witnessed tremendous growth of late. People consider packaged fruit juices to be more hygienic than non-packaged ones as the former are available in sealed packs. While it is a fact that packaged fruit juices are costlier than non-packaged ones, this is unlikely to pose a major challenge for the juice manufacturers, given that the disposable income in the hands of Indian consumers has almost doubled since 1985. Some of the major challenges faced by juice manufacturers in India include the reluctant attitude displayed by local farmers towards fruit farming, current volatility in prices of fruits and the lack of storage facilities for fruit based products.
The emerging concept of juice bars and the recent trend of health awareness among the population have together contributed towards making the consumption of juices much more popular than before in India. Every company is trying to introduce new and unique flavors in the market and they are also working on different strategies to make their products more popular. A number of companies are trying to capture the untapped segment of the market aimed at children. The rural market in India has huge growth potential in this regard. With the availability of a wide range of options, Indian consumers have become much more brand conscious these days. Consequently, the domestic juice market has also witnessed the emergence of a number of branded players. Private label juice brands are also expected to grab a larger share of the market, with the government announcing FDI in multi-brand retail. Current trends suggest that the domestic players are competing well with the multinational companies. Entry of smaller brands is also a very good sign for the overall juice market in India.