Amazon Fresh India has recently opened its fourth fresh produce collection center in the country at Balag in Himachal Pradesh. This is the third state in India where Amazon Fresh is building its supply chain infrastructure.
The fresh produce collection center at Balag will help Amazon Fresh to integrate directly with farmers and FPOs for not only procuring fresh fruits & amp; vegetables but also in integrating a whole set of initiatives around supporting local farming communities to bring them on the Amazon platform for buying
and selling.
Amazon believes its long-term future customers will be with the farming communities across the nooks and corners of the country. The company wants to use its fresh fruits & vegetables buying as the starting point for this long-term engagement.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh K Prasad (Category Leader – Amazon Retail India) emphasized that farmers are at the core of its food retail plans. “Our first pilot was done in Maharashtra and after its huge success, Amazon is pushing to expand its fresh produce collection centers pan-India in a phased manner.”
He said that Phase II of the initiative is to expand to other states in west and north India. “The Balag opening is part of our plan of expanding into the hills for the first time. This initiative will enable Amazon to bring fresh fruits & vegetables to customer in Delhi-NCR. Customers look forward to ‘pahari sabji’ and apples and this initiative will support Amazon to bring fresh produce offerings to customers in north India. India is the first country where Amazon is directly reaching out to farmers as a key stakeholder. We are excited about this prospect and this initiative will serve as a blueprint for not only in India but for many more countries.”
Naresh Sharma, APMC Chairman, Himachal Pradesh, said: “Amazon has opened its first collection center in Balag and has come to Himachal Pradesh for the first time. Its entry will help farmers and growers get good prices. When these companies lift produce from the regular market, it helps get better prices
for the farmers.”
To continue its rapid retail expansion, Amazon provides 2-hour delivery of fresh grocery in 14 cities, which includes fresh fruits and vegetables. This program is the backbone of its future expansion plans. The grocery delivery space continues to heat up at scorching pace with even the latest blue-eyed public company ‘Zomato’ launching 30-45 mins grocery delivery. It is no wonder that Amazon is leading with building critical infrastructure, both with supply chain and technology
