India Sends First Sea Shipment of Pomegranates to USA

On 19th April 2025, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) successfully completed its first commercial sea shipment of pomegranates from Maharashtra to the United States, marking a major step in expanding fresh fruit exports.

APEDA facilitated the inaugural sea shipment of the Bhagwa variety of pomegranates to the U.S. East Coast.
A total of 4,620 boxes, weighing around 14 tons, arrived in the U.S. within five weeks of departure, demonstrating India’s capacity for long-distance fresh fruit logistics.
This achievement follows the U.S. granting market access to Indian pomegranates in 2023, which laid the groundwork for regular exports.
Prior to this, APEDA, in collaboration with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, India’s National Plant Protection Organization, and the National Research Centre for Pomegranate, Solapur, conducted successful air shipment trials.
Static trials conducted by APEDA and ICAR-NRCP showed that pomegranates could maintain shelf life for up to 60 days, enabling the feasibility of long-duration sea transport.