Bengaluru, Mar 2 (IANS): Flipkart on Tuesday said it has expanded its grocery services to more than 50 cities via Marketplace, and aims to reach over 70 cities in the next six months.

Flipkart's grocery business has witnessed 3 times growth in the last one year and the expansion will boost market linkages for food processing industry and farmers, the company said in a statement.

Grocery continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories, with the increase in demand for quality food and household supplies from users.

"We have witnessed increased demand for groceries from tier 2 cities in the past year, fuelled by customers increasing preference for contactless shopping, from the comforts of their home. It is a trend that we think will continue and will set the course of e-grocery space in India," said Manish Kumar, Senior Vice President - Grocery, General Merchandise and Furniture, Flipkart.

Grocery on Flipkart marketplace is now available in cities such as Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Mysore, among others

Flipkart Grocery has over 7,000 products available across more than 200 categories.

A recent report by Bengaluru-based consulting firm Redseer said that more than 50 per cent (close to $570 billion) grocery retail space in India is addressable by e-grocery platforms.

Of this, value-first households account for a significant 61 per cent portion, with metro and tier 1 markets covering more than 40 per cent of this opportunity.

The company has also launched ‘Flipkart Quick', its hyperlocal delivery model in Bengaluru that offers a 90-minute delivery promise.