By Priyanka Kaushal*
India is witnessing a pet care boom. Although, Indian pet care industry occupies only a fraction of the global industry, but according to Euromonitor, it is amongst the fastest growing markets with projected CAGR of ~17.0% (2018-2024) vis-a-vis global projected CAGR of 5.2% (2019-2025). Indian Government has taken some commendable initiatives in order to strengthen position of India in the international sphere. In the backdrop of Indian initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Vocal for Local’, Creature Companion and IIPTF team organized a webinar to discuss ways in which Indian manufacturers can build on their export capabilities. It was attended by various industry leaders and entrepreneurs and Mr. Binoy Sahee, Director – IIPTF, moderated the session.
Panelists of the day were as follows:
Sanjay Dighe, Director & Business Head Exports, Allana – established market leaders in manufacturing & exports of pet treats, pet chews, natural dog food, dried chews, bones and many more.
He has over 14 years of experience in handling all businesses of Allana and has travelled around the globe achieving excellence through effective leadership and focus.
Raghav Modi, Director, Avanti Overseas – a 4-decade old innovative manufacturing organization with a primary focus on exports.
He is a strong professional and an experienced Director skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Sales, Strategic Planning, and Business Development with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) focused in Economics from Southern Methodist University.
Our expert speakers discussed about the products of interest for International market and the potential countries that can be explored for exports. Top two categories they thought to have ample potential are the toys division and Neutraceuticals for dogs and countries that India can focus to accelerate its exports are Scandinavia – being less price sensitive, Europe as a whole and the U.S. Our panelists were of the view that in terms of exports, the two categories of pet products i.e. consumables and non-food have a different take. Consumables occupy a space less explored as compared to the non-food category, when it comes to exports.
Another important aspect dealt with was that how ‘Make in India’ & ‘Vocal for Local’ has helped Indian pet products manufacturers to be more self reliant and be able to export quality products. Our specialists observed that Indian market is still in its initial stage of growth and are hopeful that as it will grow, in future, more FDIs would introduce their products with innovative technology. Having said that, they feel that we lack in terms of infrastructure, so Indian pet products manufacturers need a push from that Government in this scenario, which would take them for forward to become efficient enough to compete with their competitive countries in place.
Highlight of the discussion was the most sought-after question that as exporters, how can we focus and become leaders in the areas where China and other countries are dominating. Our panelists were of the view that we can put our best foot forward by playing on our strengths. India has established its mark as a respectful and responsible contender in international market, so this fact can be utilized to further our growth in less explored areas. Another factor that works in its favour is its language. Based on our strengths, we can move ahead by differentiating ourselves in terms of design, innovation, product development, fabric development.
Along with this, our experts also dwelled upon the impact of Covid-19 on our export business and the good platforms to approach buyers in US and European markets.
When asked about their success factor,
Mr. Dighe stated, “Will to be there in the market is the key. ‘Exports’ is not a one day business; it takes its own time. You need to be patient and very centric at your strategies.”
However, Mr. Modi responded in his own way stating, “Consistency and transparency, I would say, would be the most fundamental factors on the top of my list.”
*Editor – Creature Companion Magazine
For highlights
“A solution oriented approach will always help in exports. We always talk of problems but when we talk of solutions, it becomes easier for exporter and importer to have a better understanding in their relationship.” – Sanjay Dighe
“Understanding the industry and focusing on that and designing and developing specific to that will give success.” – Raghav Modi
