India’s grapes export went up by 21 percent between April and October 2019, due to an increase in demand from European countries. This could take place after Indian exporters ensured quality and traceability with improvement in their farm practices.
Data compiled by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) under the Ministry of Commerce showed India’s fresh grapes exports stood at 43,622 tonnes for the period between April and October of 2019 in comparison with 36,180 tonnes of grapes export for the corresponding period in 2018. Exports of mango and other fresh fruits, including citrus and seasonal ones, have also risen by 12.3 percent and 37 percent in volume terms.
Overall export of fruits from India rose by 30 percent to 310,286 tonnes in the first seven months of FY20 as against 238,955 tonnes in the same period of FY19.
“There is a huge demand of Indian fruits in European countries. Exporters have joined farmers to adopt better farm practices which ensure quality as prescribed by importing countries. Farmers have developed skills for better post-harvest management of fruits by up-scaling storage facilities, transportation and market linkages. This has started yielding positive results,” said Sharad Bhalerao, managing director, Ajinkya Agro Exports, a fruit exporter from Nashik, Maharashtra.
Despite an increase in overall shipment, Indian exporters are worried about the availability of fruits due to reports of massive crop damage by unseasonal rainfalls this year. In Nashik, for example, experts predict 10-15 percent grape plants have been damaged during December rainfall.
