Indian grape growers can rejoice, as exports of the fruit doubled from 30,741 tonnes from December to April 2014-15, to 61,909 metric tonnes exported by March 19 this year. The export season is expected to continue to the end of April with exports expected to touch 200,000 tonnes.
Sources from the agriculture department said, "The country exported 107,000 tonnes of grapes during the 2014-15 grape season, including 100,000 tonnes exported from Maharashtra. This year's grape season started from December 2015 and is in full swing right now. The export has almost doubled by March 19 in the current season as compared to the corresponding period last year."
Nashik is a major grape growing region in the country. Of the country's total exports, around 96% comes from Maharashtra. Nashik contributes around 90% of the state's total grape export.
Speaking to Times Of India, Jagannath Khapre, president, Grape Exporters' Association of India (GEAI), said, ''Unseasonal rain and hail during the last grape season in 2014-15 badly affected exports, which declined by 43% to 107,000 tonnes, against 190,000 tonnes of grape export during 2013-14."
The exported 61,839 tonnes from the country were sent to: 37,519 tonnes to the Netherlands, 12,169 metric tonnes to the UK, 4,906 tonnes to Germany, 1,295 tonnes to Finland, 1,104 tonnes to Belgium and 1,042 tonnes to Sweden.
