Grape season begins in Nashik

Though the arrival of grapes in Nashik, the grape capital of India, started early this season, the quantity of the fruit coming to the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has been low.

The wholesale price of the fruit, which began arriving on Monday, stood at Rs 650 per crate (15kg) or Rs 43 per kg at the Nashik APMC on Tuesday.

Om Vasudev Fruits Company, a fruit trader, bought around 90 crates (13.5 quintals) from the growers in the first two days at a wholsale rate of Rs 43 per kg.

This year, the grapes have arrived almost a month earlier to the Nashik APMC compared with the last year's arrival on November 20. The wholesale price was Rs 35 per kg at the start of the last season.

"Grapes have started arriving in the market, but at a rate of around 60 crates. Grapes are sweet and sour in taste and contain a low proportion of sugar. We bought grapes at Rs 650 per crate (15 kg per crate). The regular arrival of grapes is expected within a month," Ajaykumar Singh, the proprietor of Om Vasudev Fruits told Business Standard.

Nashik district, known for producing grapes, accounts for 55 per cent of the total export of grapes from the country, and 75 per cent of the total exports from the state.

In 2006-07, the total area under grape cultivation in Nashik district was 35,000 hectares.

Wine grape varieties were cultivated on around 600 hectares. More than 6 lakh mt of grapes were produced in the district and the productivity was 20 mt per hectare.