A study on the import of exotic fruits and factors influencing its consumption

Exotic fruits which is unfamiliar and non-native fruits gaining popular among people. The objective of the study is to provides an investigation of the exotic fruits in the context of imports and consumption, seek to identify the factors which influence consumer to purchase exotic fruits for consumption. This study was conducted in Coimbatore city and an empirical survey was conducted in four retail stores through direct interviews with structured questionnaires from 120 exotic fruit consumers. The data regarding imports of fresh fruits was collected from news websites, official reports, articles, etc. The Garrett's ranking technique was adopted to examine the consumers purchase influencing factors. The finding of this study indicated surge in imports of fresh fruits in India from 2019 to 2022 in terms of both quantity and value. Health is a predominant factor driving the preference for exotic fruits consumption followed by Taste and family preference. Other factors which influenced the consumption were dietary habits and availability of a wide variety of fruits and in-store promotions/discounts. Overall, this article proposed valuable insights for businesses seeking to tap into India's growing exotic fruit market, emphasizing the importance of health, taste, and effective marketing in reaching a diverse and increasingly distinguishing consumer base.