The grape season in India is starting and despite floods in some parts of the country, the grape growing regions did not experience many unseasonal rains this year. One exporter is expecting a solid crop of good quality, but the challenges will be on the logistical side of things.
According to Amit Kalya, CEO of Kaya Exports, the Indian weather has been good for the grape season: “The Indian grape season will start now with small volumes, as it looks we’ll start shipments to Russian market first. The Indian weather has been good for the grape cultivation in general, especially during the growing period and the fruits are expected to be of good quality this season. There haven’t been many unseasonal rains in the regions where the grapes are grown, so we’re expecting a good crop.”
Although Kalya is expecting a good season, he says there will definitely be issues with transport, as both prices and availability are troublesome at the moment. “There are quite a few logistical challenges this year. The rates of sea freight have increase drastically, which will definitely affect the volumes exported from India this year. There are also constraints in terms of space, as there aren’t enough containers available to go full steam for everyone. This means we have to pre-book for lots of loading. I do have hope this situation will improve as the season progresses.”
“We’re starting with the Russian market, as I mentioned earlier. Later, in December, we’ll start shipping Jumbo grapes to the Chinese and South East Asian markets. From January, we usually start shipping to European markets, including the United Kingdom. As the season is only just starting right now, there are still lots of challenges ahead of us this season. I hope we will be able to achieve what we have planned for the season, if the market and the conditions allows us.” Kalya concludes.
