Nature blesses us in millions of ways. We are the best ever fruit grown on nature’s evolutionary tree, in the garden of mother earth. Nature and mother earth kept showering on us their utmost love, affection, emotions and caring through their seasonal cycles.

This low gets poured down the heavens deep into the earth’s womb, wherein the seeds of natural flora sprout out of the surface. These seedlings are then nurtured, nourished, and grown into herbs, shrubs, bushes, plants, and trees, which then bear the fruits of mother earth’s natural love for us.

Although there is no exact count, there could be over two thousand kinds of edible, healthy, nutritious and yummy fruits available globally for us to eat, enjoy, and count upon to keep us fittest through all the changing seasons and times.

And for the last five decades, more than fifty varieties of premium exotic fruits have been made available to us, Indian consumers, by the Global Indian Fresh Fruits Leader of a Dealer IG International, a US$200 Million company dealing primarily in the export and import of fresh fruits.

IG International is one of the largest importers of fresh fruit in India. The imported fresh produce industry in India is growing at a fast pace. Today, under the exemplary leadership of Sanjay Arora, IG International has been renowned as the pioneer in this trade in India.

Sanjay is the Director of IG International and a second-generation member of the Arora family that founded the company over 50 years ago.

Young Leader Extending IGIs Legacy

A driving force behind IG’s foray into several high-growth and sunrise sectors of Agri tech services like Growing Fruits with CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture,) Plant Genetics and Bioscience, Plant Tissue Culture, Sanjay is also forming multiple joint ventures with top fruit growers and top Agri-tech businesses and start-ups in the world.

With these collaborations, IG today is a global brand well recognized in the industry. An MBA in Finance, Sanjay is endowed with smart business acumen that is providing a thrust to IG’S growth in vastly unexplored Agri sectors, Agri logistics, as he is channelising newer markets.

A forward-looking technocrat, he is making a conscious effort toward meeting the demand for food security arising out of the adverse effect of climate change by harnessing climate-smart solutions anchored in science, technology, and innovation (STI).

Under Sanjay’s stewardship— IG undertook an elaborate ESG assessment, appointing PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) to assist the company in the efficient incorporation of the programme.

Having seen the journey of IG over the last several decades, Sanjay understands the unique challenges of building a successful Fresh Produce business in India.

Besides understanding the unique challenges of building a successful Fresh Produce business in India, Sanjay has to his advantage business networks and top industry relationships that he nurtured over the years.

His portfolio businesses also benefit from the reputation and brand equity of the family name, thus making it smoother for businesses to forge new relationships with vendors and attract a competent workforce, besides encouraging investee businesses to collaborate and set up a mutually reinforcing ecosystem by sharing resources and best practices.

Delivering Fruitful Experience for 50+ Years

Sanjay states, “For more than 50 years, we have been importing premium club varieties of exotic fruits from the best growers and marketers from across the world— and marketing our products throughout India through an extensive chain of wholesalers and distributors— backed by a state-of-the-art cold chain logistics.”

IG Fruits come with the promise of quality and availability. With its robust and unbreakable supply chain, IG Fruits are available anywhere and everywhere in India and at any time of the year.

Sanjay shares, “With global warming and climate change, and its adverse impact on agriculture being a reality— we are adopting sustainability in our operations. In a step toward backward integration, we are growing licensed club variety imported fruits on Indian soil using Controlled Environment Agriculture CEA.

We are one of the first fresh fruitier to go online and our e-store ‘MyIG’ is one of the largest e-shops for fresh fruits in India for wholesalers, retailers and customers. We have achieved an outstanding order fulfilment record, as we deliver fresh fruit anywhere and everywhere in India.”

Nature’s freshness Delivered with Care

As consumers in India are becoming more health-conscious, IGI is offering them a healthy option to fulfil their nutritional needs. Its portfolio of fresh fruit is as premium as varied. Sanjay says, “We source our produce from the most reputed brands and marketers from more than 22 countries across the world, and with an annual import of more than 80,000 MT, we are by far the leader in our segment.”

IGI has invested in building a state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure to handle this large volume. Its Cold chain logistics, which include transportation, warehousing, distribution etc. in India as well as in import countries, along with thorough know-how of cross-border movement of fresh produce—combined with its in-depth understanding of distribution dynamics and customer preferences in India, all contribute to making IG stand out and stay grounded in the face of competition.

Continuous investments in integrating technology across all IGI’s business operations, be it the market forecast, procurement, distribution, marketing, or production, give it an edge over others.

Sanjay reveals, “Our foray into new age ventures and growing licensed variety of imported premium fruits on Indian soil by adopting controlled environmental agriculture makes our products affordable at a very competitive price as against imports. We are growing Australian variety Blueberries in Madhya Pradesh for our domestic market as well as for export. We are also growing Apples in HP and Uttarakhand, Dragon fruit in Madhya Pradesh, Kiwi in Arunachal Pradesh, and Avocado in Telangana. We are bringing Bioscience to our farms that make our products world-class and overcome natural limitations— the peril of failed crops from climate, pests, etc., and yet grow sustainably, replenishing water and soil and giving controlled output that reduces waste.

And finally, the organizational value systems of IG, which are deeply ingrained in our business ethics, make us one of the most trustworthy and reliable business partners for all our customers.”

And of course, ultimately, it is the product, the quality, that makes IGI the most preferred brand in the mind of its millions of consumers all across the country.

IG Logistics: Quick and Reliable Hamesha

Sanjay adds, “At IG, we respect professionalism.” The IGI leadership has embedded this quality deep in the organization’s DNA, and everyone working under IG has to adhere to it strictly. Sanjay says, “Our commitments to our business associates are always honoured, without fail. At times it becomes challenging to stand on our commitments, especially when our supply chain extends thousands of kilometres across different continents and different geographics.” IGIs forebearers had foreseen such challenges and therefore invested heavily in building infrastructure, whose fruit the team is relishing today.

Sanjay recollects, “Even during the lockdowns, we could run our supply chain full throttle. We could deliver each and every order, big or small. The relationship we built with our partners over the years makes us conduct our business smoothly with all.”

Best Fruits Just A Few Clicks Away

Being an experienced leader, Sanjay shares his opinion on how the adoption of modern technologies like AI and ML impacts the fresh fruit industry and how IGI is adapting to the change. He says, “Technology is a boon to us. With advanced technology now available in Agriculture, we are able to give our customers all that which was unimaginable before. We can grow fruits irrespective of geographical and climate conditions.”

AI provides more efficient ways to produce, harvest and sell. And IGI can do it sustainably. “We can increase our yield exponentially with AI. AI is also the rescuer from climate threats. With AI, we stand a chance against food security. At IG, we are embracing technology in all our operations as it is the biggest enabler,” expresses Sanjay.

Protecting the Nature and the Mother Earth

When asked that considering the current industry scenario, what kind of challenges do IGI faces and how does he drive it forward to overcome them, Sanjay conveys that the climate change is creating challenges for the fresh produce industry globally, threatening the world’s food supply. He genuinely believes that unless we collectively act sustainably, we are doomed. At IG, sustainability is a top priority across all its operations.

“We have undertaken an elaborate ESG assessment to understand, learn and control and contain carbon emissions, setting up realistic and urgent climate goals. We are growing fruits locally to cut food miles, a significant contributor to global warming. By using CEA and AI, we are practising sustainable agriculture. We are converting our reefer fleets to EVs and even using the services of Railways in cutting vehicular emissions. We are using solar power to power our colds storages. As our livelihood is dependent on climate, we need to do all to save our earth,” feels Sanjay.

Sweet and Fresh Advice

Sanjay’s advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into your industry is sweet and fresh. He thinks, “Our fresh produce industry is growing, and there is space for all,” and suggests, “To the budding entrepreneurs, I’d say, be innovative and do things differently. And respect nature. All your decisions should include nature. “

Get Fresh Organic Fruits Forever

About the future, Sanjay says, “We have bigger plans up our sleeves that will unfold in the coming years. We would go a big way in AI as the future is going to be machine-led. Many more hectares will come under Controlled Environment Agriculture CEA, growing many more varieties of exotic fruits on our farms. we would collaborate with leaders of the industry to bring the best technology home.”