PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2019

EDITOUR PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 09/19 www.petpla.net 14 plus growing health awareness. PET packaging’s biggest market in terms of penetration is in one-litre bottles, with around 42% market share in 2018, followed by 0.5 and 0.25 litre bottles. The consumer swears by still water. Carbonated water is a long way behind and has only a niche pres- ence. The major bottled water brands operating in India are Bisleri, Kinley (Coca-Cola) and Aquafina (PepsiCo). With an estimated market share of around 60% in the branded category (according to their own figures), water giant Bisleri is clearly in the lead and is well-positioned nationwide with a total of 51 bottling companies. The extent to which the Indians have integrated Bisleri into their daily lives is demonstrated by the fact that well over 90% of Indians have heard of the company; “Bisleri” is often used as a synonym for water in restaurants and shops, regardless of where you are in the country. The brand is one of the products that is genuinely available everywhere. Apart from Bisleri, Coca- Cola and Pepsi the rest of the water market is accounted for lower sales volumes from big brands (e.g. UB Group, Danone, IRCTC or Tata Bever- ages), or smaller, local brands. Until a few years ago, the well- known soft drinks from the multina- tional brands hardly made a profit, according to industry figures. Sales in these areas are now increasing strongly, due both to growing per- sonal income and to ‘fashion’ - and Coca-Cola leads in all of them. A strong characteristic of the Indian market is the strong focus on local tastes and market preferences, even by the multinational major play- ers like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, who are prepared to adjust their product portfolio and recipes to suit estab- lished regional and even state-based consumer tastes, demands and pref- erences. The conurbations in which the majority of the population with disposable income lives, are catering for a gradual turnaround in the rates of beverage consumption. In addi- tion to regular soft drinks and water, and driven by a growing awareness for health and well-being, beverages with functional additives and juices are now widely available as well. With the request made by the government in the year 2014 for the inclusion of a fruit content of at least 5% from local fruit farmers in the production of bev- tion remains widespread, although efforts are under way to bring this to an end, if the government is to be believed. The energy supply and its network are frequently unable to cope with the soaring demand, lead- ing to frequent power cuts. The road network, especially in the cities, is completely overloaded and often in a terrible state. Just half of the road network is asphalted. Metro systems, such as those in Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, only relieve the traffic situ- ation to a limited extent. On the other hand, India is highly technologically developed, especially in terms of com- munications networks and, according to the CIA World Factbook, ranked second behind China in 2016, with 89 mobile phones per 100 inhabitants. The market for beverages, milk and cooking oil Over 5,500 different water brands demonstrate that India is clearly a Mecca for water. In West Bengal alone, in the region surrounding Cal- cutta, there are some 1,500 bottlers; there are over 1,000 water brands in Tamil Nadu. According to a report by market research company Netscribes, the bottled water market in India could reach US$5.6 billion by the end of 2023, from a current value of US$2.2 billion. This equates to annual growth of more than 20%; volume is also forecast to grow, by more than 18%, to nearly 35.53 billion litres in 2023. Reasons for a steady growth are often a lack of clean drinking water,