Driving Consumption: Developing India's Domestic Market
India has a population of over 1.5 billion people. At least 50% of the population is non-vegetarian and enjoys meat or fish at least once a week. If these 750 million people eat 500 grams of shrimp annually, they will consume 375,000 MT of shrimp annually, making India much less dependent on the export market. This rationale makes many believe that shrimp consumption promotion efforts in India should be high on the priority list. However, is the country ready for it? In this session, we will first listen to Shan Kadavil, the CEO of Fresh to Home, one of India's most innovative platforms. Fresh to Home has organized the supply chain to deliver fresh meat and fish to Indian consumers nationwide. Shan Kadavil will explain more about India's animal protein landscape and Fresh to Home's analysis of the potential size of India's domestic shrimp market. The company will also explain how it changes the fundamentals of India's fresh meat and fish supply chains and market delivery models. Manoj Sharma, one of India's most well-known farmers and the founder of Zhingalala, a shrimp specialty restaurant, will give a brief presentation. He will show us how he, as a farmer, has set up his restaurant chain and elaborate on the benefits he experiences from it. But what can India learn about developing its domestic shrimp market from other countries? We have invited the CEO of the Philippines-based FisherFarms, Imelda J. Madarang, to share her experience. The Philippines is a medium-sized shrimp producer, and unlike most shrimp producers, the majority of its production is sold domestically. FisherFarms is the Philippines' largest vertically integrated shrimp producer, and most of its produce is sold on the domestic market. In the closing panel, we will determine whether it is realistic to expect India's population to soon consume a significant part of its farmed shrimp production. The General Secretary of India's Prawn Farmers Federation will join the conversation to share a broader farmer's perspective.
