Covid-19 hits Maharashtra’s grape exports

Maharashtra’s grape growers are in a tight location with the export of about 35,000 tonnes caught owing to the coronavirus distribute.

This thirty day period, as of Friday, March twenty, Maharashtra has exported about seventy four,000 tonnes of grapes to different international locations, as opposed to 89,000 tonnes in March 2019. The utmost number of grape consignments have gone to the Netherlands (48,000 tonnes) followed by the United kingdom (nine,800 tonnes) and Germany (eight,835 tonnes). In 2018-19 the Netherlands, Russia, the United kingdom, Bangladesh and Germany have been main grape export destinations.

“Almost 30 for every cent of the grapes are even now in the fields. This would total to about twenty five,000-30,000 tonnes of export-top quality grapes. We are intently observing developments and hope that the coronavirus distribute will not have an impact on grape exports,” mentioned Vilas Shinde, Chairman and Running Director of the Nashik-dependent Sahyadri Farms. Sahyadri is 1 of the main exporters of grapes. Lockdowns and depleting need for grapes abroad is also a result in for concern for farmers. The need in supermarkets in the United kingdom and Germany has gone down substantially, in accordance to exporters.

Adding to their problems, hailstorms and hefty downpours in areas of Marathwada, western and north Maharashtra, where grape cultivation is concentrated, have by now ruined grapes.

No. one producer

Maharashtra ranks initially in India in terms of generation, accounting for a lot more than 81 for every cent of full output. Other main grape-growing States contain Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Per data on the APEDA website, Karnataka has exported ninety one.260 mt.

In India, grapes are cultivated on one,23,000 hectares, occupying 2.01 for every cent of the full location in the state. India is also a main exporter of fresh grapes. The state has exported 2,forty six,133.seventy nine tonnes of grapes valued at ₹2,335.24 crore in 2018-19, for every the APEDA data.