Can Adani do with apples what Mahindra did with grapes?

Can Adani do with apples what Mahindra did with grapes?

From Daybreak by The Ken

June 12, 2026 · 14 min · Episode 770

About this episode

The episode discusses Adani's strategy in the apple market and the implications of the India-New Zealand free trade agreement on Indian apple growers.

Adani started buying apples in Himachal Pradesh two decades ago. Not because it wanted to be in the fruit business — but because it wanted to own the cold chain that nobody else was building. Now the India-New Zealand free trade agreement is about to test Indian apple growers like never before. New Zealand yields 50 to 70 tonnes per hectare. Himachal Pradesh averages 7 to 8. Adani just expanded into cherries, plums, and peaches — fruits even more perishable than apples. The bet is the same as it always was: whoever controls refrigeration, controls the market. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

Topics covered

  • agriculture
  • business strategy
  • cold chain
  • trade agreements
  • fruit market

Keywords

  • Adani
  • Himachal Pradesh
  • New Zealand
  • apples
  • cold chain
  • trade agreement
  • Mahindra

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Adani, Mahindra

Products: apples, cherries, plums, peaches

Places: Himachal Pradesh, New Zealand

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