APMC Dates Market Vashi (2025): Today’s Prices, Timings, Best Suppliers & Buyer Playbook
By Mohammad Abid Hurzuk • • Updated:
Everything you need to source dates at India’s most influential mandi—Vashi APMC. Learn how auctions work, where to find verified suppliers, what today’s indicative prices look like, and how to protect margins with the right packs, storage, and documentation.
Quick Answers (2025)
- Timings: Mon–Sat, ~10:00–20:00; Sunday closed. Go early for fresh arrivals and best bids.
- Who can buy: Retailers, resellers, HORECA, exporters; carry visiting card, GST (if registered), and ID.
- Indicative prices (₹/kg): Semi-dry Zahedi ₹130–₹150; Kimia (soft) ₹180–₹300. Premium Medjool/Ajwa are market-linked (grade, origin, season). Always confirm live lots.
- Best practices: Taste 3–5 pieces/lot, verify count/kg for Medjool grades, check seals and batch codes, and plan insulated or reefer transport for moist varieties.
Disclaimer: Ranges are indicative for 2025 and vary by day, lot quality, origin, packaging, and currency/freight. Treat them as planning guidance only.
- Why Vashi APMC dominates in 2025
- Location, entry & timings
- How auctions & pricing work
- Indicative prices & packs
- Top varieties & uses
- Quality checks that save money
- Finding reliable suppliers
- 2025 seasonality calendar
- GST, FSSAI & documentation
- Packaging, storage & logistics
- Buyer playbooks by segment
- Negotiation tactics
- Buyer FAQs
Why the APMC Dates Market in Vashi dominates in 2025
Vashi centralizes importers, packers, auctioneers, and logistics on a single campus, creating the fastest real-world price discovery for dates in India.
50+ global varieties—from premium Medjool & Ajwa to industrial Zahedi—across multiple grades and packs.
Open bidding aligns per-kg with quality, arrivals, and seasonality. Great for benchmarking your landed costs.
Cold rooms, warehousing, and loading bays reduce damage and improve dispatch speed.
Retail, gifting, HORECA, B2B e-commerce and exporters all source here—liquidity you won’t find elsewhere.
Tip: Use Vashi for spec-true sampling. Lock grades you can repeatedly buy; avoid one-off “unicorn” lots that won’t scale.
Location, entry & timings
Address: APMC Market, Sector 19, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400703 (Dates & Dry Fruit Section).
Hours: Mon–Sat, ~10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; closed Sunday.
Entry: Carry a visiting card, GST details (if registered), and a government ID. Some auctions may require a buyer slip from the yard office.
Best window: Mornings for fresh arrivals & sampling; late afternoon for end-of-day deals.
How auctions & pricing work
Consignments arrive, are opened and sampled, graded by size/moisture/defects, and auctioned per carton or per kg. Winning bids set a benchmark for the day’s trade in that grade.
- Price drivers: international arrivals, port clearance pace, festival demand (Ramadan/Diwali), grade integrity (e.g., Medjool count/kg), packaging, and moisture/defect %.
- Common packs: 500 g & 1 kg retail, 5 kg & 10 kg bulk cartons for semi-dry dates, and gift boxes for premium lines.
- Taxes: Many edible dates attract 12% GST—confirm HSN and slab on invoice with your supplier/consultant.
Indicative wholesale prices & packs (2025)
| Date type | Typical pack | Indicative range (₹/kg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-dry (Zahedi & similar) | 5–10 kg bulk cartons | ₹130–₹150 | Stable shelf life; ideal for re-packing value SKUs |
| Kimia (soft) | 500 g / 1 kg retail | ₹180–₹300 | Brand, gloss, moisture & handling affect price |
| Medjool (premium) | 1 kg / gift | Market-linked | Size counts (e.g., 16–18, 18–22) drive premiums |
| Ajwa / Sukkari / Mabroom | Retail & gift | Market-linked | Peak in Ramadan & wedding/corporate seasons |
Use these bands for planning only; confirm same-day lot rates, grade sheets, and pack photos before raising a PO.
Top varieties & how traders use them
| Variety | Origin | Profile | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medjool | Jordan/Israel/USA | Large, soft, caramel-sweet | Premium retail & corporate gifts |
| Ajwa | Saudi Arabia | Soft, dark, revered | High-prestige festive assortments |
| Sukkari | Saudi Arabia | Sweet, crisp-soft bite | Retail & celebration packs |
| Mazafati | Iran | Moist, melt-in-mouth | Cold-chain retail, desserts |
| Kimia | Iran | Soft, glossy, sweet | Mass retail, e-commerce combos |
| Zahedi | Iran/Iraq | Semi-dry, fibrous | Re-packed value lines, bakery |
| Mabroom | KSA/ME | Elongated, firm-soft | Gifting assortments |
| Safawi/Kalmi | KSA | Soft-chewy, dark | Retail blends, mixed boxes |
Moist varieties need temperature control. Use insulated vans for distance; avoid warm-to-cold shocks that cause condensation.
Quality checks that save money (do these at the shopfloor)
- Taste & texture: Sample 3–5 pieces per lot—assess bite, sweetness, aftertaste.
- Moisture & stickiness: Excess syruping increases dust/mold risk; look for clean gloss.
- Defects: Watch for skin lift, crystallization, insect damage, embedded sand, or fermentation smell.
- Size grading: For Medjool, verify the printed grade by random count/kg (e.g., 16–18, 18–22).
- Packaging: Check seal strength, laminate quality, inner liners, batch/traceability codes.
- Compliance: For retail packs, verify FSSAI, veg mark, MRP, net quantity, mfg/BBE; for imports, retain BoE/COO/test docs.
Finding reliable wholesale suppliers (and how to verify)
- Collect visiting card, GST, and FSSAI details.
- Ask for 2–3 recent trade references.
- Inspect current lots against catalog photos; request short videos if remote.
- Start with a pilot PO; track transit time & damages.
- Scale after two clean cycles with repeatable quality.
Supplier spotlight: Hurzuk Enterprise LLP
- Specialties: Medjool, Ajwa, Sukkari, Kimia, Zahedi; corporate hampers; private label.
- Facilities: Cold storage + fast dispatch around Vashi.
- Contact: dates.business · hurzuk.abid@gmail.com · WhatsApp: +91 88796 66906
More ways to shortlist
- Walk the Dates & Dry Fruit section and note stalls with active, fresh lots.
- Cross-check IndiaMART/TradeIndia pages for license numbers and years in trade.
- For OEM/private label, request a packaging SOP and print proof with FSSAI.
2025 seasonality & demand spikes
- Jan–Mar: Inventory balancing; good window for contract pricing.
- Ramadan lead-up: Premium Ajwa/Medjool/Sukkari tighten—pre-book early.
- Apr–Jun: Online gifting & fasting baskets lift soft varieties.
- Monsoon watch: Moist types need careful handling; plan cold storage and fast turns.
- Festive (Oct–Dec): Corporate hampers & weddings push premium assortments.
GST, FSSAI & documentation checklist
- GST: Many edible dates fall under 12% GST—confirm HSN and slab on invoice.
- Retail labels: Product name, net quantity, veg mark, nutrition (if declared), MRP, mfg/BBE, batch/lot, FSSAI license, packer/importer details.
- Imports: Keep BoE, COO, lab tests (if applicable) for brand assurance and audits.
Packaging, storage & logistics
- Soft/moist dates: Insulated or reefer for long routes; avoid direct sun at loading; don’t break cold chain.
- Carton strength: Choose higher BF corrugation; humidity softens walls.
- Warehousing: Cool, dry room (8–18 °C for moist varieties); maintain RH ≤60%; use pallets and FEFO rotation.
- E-commerce: Standardize SKUs, tamper seals, and include silica gel where relevant; optimize 500 g/1 kg for courier slabs.
Buyer playbooks (retailers, exporters, corporate)
Retailers & resellers
- Ladder your assortment: Zahedi (value) → Kimia (mid) → Medjool/Ajwa (premium).
- Bundle with nuts/spices to raise AOV and margins.
- Run festival pre-orders; collect advances to lock inventory.
Exporters
- Verify destination labeling rules, aflatoxin/pesticide limits where applicable.
- Use third-party inspection for high-value lots.
- Consolidate reefer to reduce per-kg freight.
Corporate gifting
- Freeze gift SKUs 6–8 weeks pre-event; approve print proofs and box strength.
- Offer sugar-free/vegan variants for wider acceptance.
- Keep 2–3% spares for last-minute headcount changes.
Negotiation tactics that actually work
- Share a realistic monthly run-rate; lock rolling quantities for better slabs.
- Accept mixed-grade pallets (within spec) to soften the per-kg price.
- Offer faster payments (UPI/NEFT) for a margin trim.
- Pick up ex-warehouse to save last-mile costs and packing time.
Buyer FAQs
Do I need a trade license or GST to buy at APMC Vashi?
For wholesale/resale, GST is recommended. Carry a visiting card, GST, and ID for smooth invoicing and gate entry where required.
Are digital payments accepted?
Yes—UPI/NEFT/RTGS are common. Confirm beneficiary name (as per GST) and keep proof of payment with PO reference.
What’s the best month to secure premium Medjool?
Before Ramadan and the festive quarter. Pre-booking ensures count/grade continuity and better slabs.
How do I test Kimia quickly?
Open a random box; look for clean gloss (not syrupy), taste 3–5 pieces, smell for fermentation, and check for skin lift.
Can small retailers buy directly?
Yes. Start with mixed cartons/half-pallets where available; many wholesalers support lower MOQs off-peak.
How should I transport moist varieties in monsoon?
Use insulated vehicles, avoid mid-day loading, go straight to cool storage, palletize, and keep RH low.
Comments
Post a Comment
We would Love to Hear From You!