AUSTRALIA: Wineries eye Indian prospects

By Tony Baker | 29 March 2004

Australian wine producers have been told there are favourable prospects for becoming the predominant supplier to India and simultaneously given a daunting catalogue of the obstacles in the way of success.

"Major impediments to realising the market potential include extremely high tariffs (about 250%), bootleggers, parallel distribution and counterfeit products, off-premise restrictions in some states and a complex state bureaucracy," said the Australian Wine Export Council.

Even the exact consumption, put at 400,000 cases with between 50-60,000 imports, are not known because of smuggling and counterfeit wines, put at 20% of the total.

For those with a taste for the bold initiative AWEC's marketing manager David Dean identified Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore as the best prospects.

Sectors: Wine