Source: Indian Horticulture Database, 2006

There is sizeable increase in acreage and production of grapes in India. In acreage, there is an increase from 47.5 thousand ha in 2001-02 to 64.3 thousand ha in 2005-06.Similarly the production has increased from 1,184.2 thousand tons in 2001-02 to 1,630.7 thousand tons in 2005-06.The details are given in table 3.2.

Maximum grape production takes place in Maharashtra (1,275 thousand tons) state followed by southern states like Karnataka (193.2 thousand tons), Tamil Nadu (84.8 thousand tons) and Andhra Pradesh (40.3 thousand tons). In Punjab and Haryana it is grown to some extent i.e. 30.2 and 3.3 thousand tons respectively. The details are given below in table 3.3.

41.4

43.8

10.4

1,163.1

1,233.9

1,275.0

28.1

28.2

28.3

9.1

10.1

2.6

170.9

185.8

193.2

18.8

18.4

18.5

2.5

2.5

59.9

69.7

84.8

24.0

28.2

32.6

1.8

1.9

1.9

35.0

37.8

40.3

19.4

22.0

21.2

1.2

1.2

1.1

33.7

32.3

30.2

28.1

27.0

27.0

0.9

0.1

0.1

8.5

1.4

3.3

9.4

10.5

33.0

0.1

0.1

0.1

2.3

2.4

2.6

23.0

25.0

25.0

0.8

0.9

2.9

1.4

1.4

1.2

2.5

1.9

0.9

Thompson Seedless

Berries are oval to oblong in shape with
T.S.S.18-22o Brix, acidity 0.5 to 0.7%

16 mm to 18 mm

Sonaka

Berries are elongated, cylindrical and amber
coloured,T.S.S. around 22 o Brix,acidity 0.4-
0.7%

16 mm to 19 mm

Sharad Seedless

Berries are oblong to elliptical in shape and
bluish black in colour with T.S.S. 18-21 oBrix
and acidity 0.5-0.7%

18mm to 22 mm

Tas-e-Ganesh

Berries are ovoid shaped and green to amber in
colour with T.S.S. 20-22 o Brix and acidity 0.5-
0.65%

15 mm 20mm

• Selection of improved varieties for cultivation

• Identification of exact nature of problems in difficult soils and providing solutions.

• Adoption of suitable training system and high planting density and canopy management

• Integrated nutrient and water management of vineyards

• Treatment with chemical growth regulants for quality improvement

• Weed management

• Integrated pest and disease management practices

Harvest season of grapes is depicted below (for 12 months)

Maharashtra

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Punjab

Haryana

*The above graph showing harvest pattern in leading grape growing states.

Source: Indian Horticulture Database, 2006

Grapes start coming to the market in middle of January and peak time of availability is during Feburary-March.Availability season is extended further to April – May by keeping the produce in cold stores. The details are given below in table 3.5.

Maharashtra,Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh

Middle of December - May

February-March

Tamil Nadu**

Mid of December – Mid of
April

February – March

Punjab and Haryana

1st week of June to 3rd week
of June

Mid June

Maharashtra

Nasik,Sangli,Solapur,Pune,Ahmednagar,Satara,Osmanabad

Karnataka

Belgaum,Bijapur,Bagalkot, Kolar, Bangalore

Tamil Nadu

Theni,Coimbatore,Dindigul, Dharampuri

Punjab

Bhatinda,Ferozpur,Muktsar,Sangrur

Andhra Pradesh

Rangareddy,Mehboobnagar

Haryana

Fatehabad,Sirsa,Hisar

Solapur

Karmala,Barsi,Madha,Mohol,Mangalwedha,Sangole,Malsiras,Pand
harpur,Akalkot.

Nashik

Kalvan,Peint,Igatpuri,Sinnar,Niphad,Yeola,Nandgaon,
Satana,Furgana,Dindori,Melgaon,

Sangli

Atpadi,Khanapur,Islampur,Shirala,Valva,Tasgaon,Kavathe,
Mahankal,Jath, Miraj

Ahmednagar

Srirampur,Sangamner,Akola,Rahusi,Nevasa,Parner,Pathardi,
Srigonda,Karjat

Pune

Junnar,Ambegaon,Ghod,Rajgurunagar,Wadgaonsirur,Mulshi,
Welhe,Purandhar,Bhor,Baramati,Indapur,Daund,Saswad.

Satara

Mahabaleshwar,Khandala,Wai,Phaltan,Koregaon,Khata,Patan,
Karad,Vadug.

Bijapur

Indi,Sindgi,Basavna Bagevadi,Muddebihal,Tikota.

Belgaum

Athni,Arkali,Chikodi,Mukeri,Bailhongal,Ramdurg,Khauapur.

Bagalkot

Jamkhandi,Mudhol,Hungund,Badami.

Kolar

Bagepalli,Gauribidanur,Gudibanda,ChikBallapur,Mulbagal,
Malur,Bangarapet

Bangalore

Amekal,Sonnenahalti,Kannur,Bagalur,Nagarur,Marangondahalli,Ha
ralur,Mantapa,Solurur,Chandapur.

Rangareddy

Marpali,Vikarabad,Tandur,Pargi,Ibranimpatan,Shahabad,
Doma,Maisaram,Miryan,Nancherla.

Mehbubnag
ar

Kollur,Keshampat,Mughalgidda,Karnul,Wanparti,Atmakur,Gadwall
,Alampur,Kolhapur,Achampet,Kondangol.

Theni

Periyakulam, Andipatti, Uttammapalayam, Bodimayakkanur,
Kamban, Megamali, Vadugapatti,

Coimbatore

Muttuppalaiyam,Avinashi,Tiruppur,Palladam,Udumallaippettai,
Pollachi,Valparai.

Dindigul

Palani,Kodaikkanal,Oddanchatran,Vedasandur,Naltam,
Nilakkotai,Palaiyan

Bhatinda

Rampura Phul,Talwani Sabo,Bhagra,Jalal,Nathana,
Bandi,Jaisinghwala,Shergarh,Sangat,Malkana,Lahri,Teona.

Ferozpur

Zira,Fazilla,Abohar,Jalalbad,Fatehgarh,Panjeke,Ladhuka,
Lakhawall,Ramsara,Wahabwala.

Muktsar

Kanianwali,Malaut,Baruwali,Sotha,Doda,Bhadar,AbulKharana,Bha
gu,Waring,Khera

Fatehabad

Ratiya,Tohana,Badalgarh,Bhattu,Sampla,Pirthala,Samiyana,Khariha
jan,Bhattukalan

Sirsa

Fatehpur,Dabwali,Ellenabad,Banwala,SalamKhera,Nathohar,Mangl
a,Jamal,Gushalyana.

Hisar

Bithmara,Adampur,Narnaund,Hansi,Budak,Mangal,
Umra,Sultanpur,Babal,Baria,Agroha,Kanoh,Khedar,Budak.

According to Agmark standards grapes are classified into following classes:

Extra class

Grapes must be of superior quality.
The bunches must be typical of
variety in shape, development and
coloring and have no defects.
Berries must be firm, firmly attached
to the stalk, evenly spaced along the
stalk and have their bloom virtually
intact.

As per table ‘A’

5% by weight of bunches
not satisfying the
requirements of the grade,
but meeting those of class
I grade or exceptionally
coming within the
tolerances of that grade.

Class I

Grapes must be of good quality. The
bunches must be typical of variety in
shape, development and coloring.
Berries must be firm, firmly attached
to the stalk and, as far as possible,
have their bloom intact. They may,
however, be less evenly spaced
along the stalk than in the extra
class. Following slight defects may
be there, providing these do not
affect the general appearance of the
produce and keeping quality of the
package.
- a slight defect in shape.
- a slight defect in coloring

-do-

10% by weight of bunches
not satisfying the
requirements of the grade,
but meeting those of class
II grade or exceptionally
coming within the
tolerance of that grade.

Class II

The bunches may show defects in
shape, development and coloring
provided these do not impair the
essential characteristics of the
variety. The berries must be
sufficiently firm and sufficiently
attached. They may be less evenly
spaced along the stalk than Class I
grade. Following defects may be
there, provided these do not affect
the general appearance of the
produce and keeping quality of the
package.

-do-

10% by weight of bunches
not satisfying the
requirements of the grade,
but meeting the minimum
requirements.

- defects in shape
- defects in coloring
- slight sun scorch affecting the
skin only,
- slight bruising,
- slight skin defects

Size is determined by the weight of bunches (in gms). The following minimum (in gms) requirements per bunch are laid down for large and small berries grapes.

Extra class

200

150

Class I

150

100

Class II

100

75

Extra Class, Class I, Class II: 10% by weight of bunches not satisfying the size requirements for the grade, but meeting the size requirements for the grade immediately below.

Packaging is normally done in Corrugated or Solid Fibre board cartons. A layer of double pad or protective liner is placed at the bottom of the carton to protect the grapes from bruising and a polyethylene lining is placed over it. The detailed specifications are given below in table 3.10 and table 3.11.

Material for
construction

3-ply CFB

3-ply CFB

3-ply CFB

3-ply CFB

Grammage (g/m
sq.)(outer to
inner)

*230X140X140

*230X140X140

*230X140X140

*230X140X140

Bursting
strength kg/cm
sq.

Min. 6.00

Min. 6.00

Min. 6.00

Min. 6.00

Min.10.00

Min.10.00

Min.10.00

Min.10.00

Min.225

Min.225

Min.225

Min.225

Min.130

Min.130

Min.130

Min.130

Material for
construction

5-ply CFB

5-ply CFB

5-ply CFB

5-ply CFB

Grammage (g/m
sq.)(outer to inner)

*230X140
X140X140

*230X140
X140X140

*230X140
X140X140

*230X140
X140X140

Bursting strength
kg/cm sq.

Min. 10.00

Min. 10.00

Min..250

Min..250

Puncture resistance
inches/teat inch

Min..250

Min..250

Min..250

Min..250

Compression strength
Kg

Min.350

Min.350

Min.350

Min.350

Cobb (30 minutes
g/m sq.)

Max.130

Max.130

Max.130

Max.130

Source: Post- Harvest Manual for Export of Grapes, APEDA, New Delhi.

For domestic markets also, grapes are packed in Corrugated Fibre Board boxes.

• Grapes grown in different parts of country are transported to the big cities for marketing.

• The fruits produced in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu find market in Mumbai, Nagpur and Kolkata.

• The important whole sale markets of grapes in India are Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Pune and Ahmedabad. Grapes for these big arkets are usually collected at the central places in all grapes growing areas.

• From Mumbai port grapes are exported to the destination markets.

*The above graph showing the price ( in Rs./Qtl.) of grapes in major cities

Domestic strengths for exporting grapes are enumerated in following paragraphs:-

• Yields of grapes in India are highest in the world.

• Farmers of different regions have organized themselves by forming association/cooperatives and thus transfer of technology is easy.

• Grape growers in cooperation with MSAMB and APEDA have set up modern packhouses for handling and packing of grapes for exports.

• APEDA has already set up a residue analysis laboratory at Pune for grape growing area of Maharashtra in order to cater to phytosanitary requirements of mporting countries.

There is a phenomenal rise in export of grapes from India, as only 25,567 tons were exported during 2002-2003 which has increased to 85,562 tons in 2006-2007.(APEDA database). Increase has been observed mainly in the last 2-3 years, because of the fact that India has met the requirements of EU countries on minimization of pesticide residues (Table 3.12 & Fig. 6)

Table 3.12: Exports of grapes from India

Years	Quantity (tons)	Value (in Rs. Lakhs)
2002-2003	25567	10867.1
2003-2004	26469	10368.3
2004-2005	38898	12643.7
2005-2006	53908	21382.8
2006-2007	85562	30058.4

Source: APEDA Database, 2006-07

There is a tremendous potential of export of grapes from India. The detailed account of potential of exports is given below:

As per APEDA database, nearly, 9677 tons of grapes were exported to GCC countries. This is negligible compared to imports of 64,170 tons during 2006 (Comtrade database). India exported only 8140 tons to UAE against total import of 21,240 tons (2006). Again to Saudi Arabia, our exports were only 1115 tons compared to imports of 31,853 tons. Similarly our exports to other GCC countries were minimal.

Main competition of India is with South Africa and Chile. There is no reason why we cannot penetrate more in GCC countries especially in Saudi Arabia, when we have quality grapes, are meeting stringent quality control requirements of importing countries and are offering grapes at competitive prices. Moreover, India location wise is nearer to GCC countries. Thus, it should not be difficult to accelerate exports of grapes to the tune of 40,000 to 50,000 tons to GCC countries in next 4-5 years.

Exports of grapes from India are maximum to European Union during 2006-2007. As much as 34,186 tons were exported during the year. Largest importers were Netherlands (19,020 tons) and UK (13,579 tons). It must be noted that India produces grapes mainly during January to April months, where as countries like U.S.A, Argentina, Italy, Spain etc. produce grapes during September to December months.

Our competition, therefore, is with countries like South Africa, Chile and Israel who supply grapes in the months when we supply. These countries have exported up to 3, 42,896 tons during 2006 to a select few European countries comprising U.K, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

Since India is meeting quality requirements including pesticide residues of all the importing countries in EU and supplying grapes at competitive prices, there is no reason why we cannot penetrate in the markets of Belgium, Germany, Spain and have larger share of imports in Netherlands and UK. Thus, it should not be difficult to meet the targets of export of 20 to 25 % of total imports of EU i.e. 3, 42,896 tons of grapes in this season in next 4-5 years.

Russian Federation imports as much as 3, 20,677 tons in addition to imports of Ukraine to the tune of 55,168 tons. Therefore, India must make concentrated efforts to accelerate export of grapes to these countries also.

ASEAN countries import grapes to the tune of 1,04,477 tons. The demand for grapes has increased by 50% from the year 2003. The main importers are ndonesia (26,366 tons), Philippines (14,748 tons), Singapore (12,166 tons) and Vietnam (11,025 tons).

Main competitors with India for export of grapes to these countries are U.S.A, Australia, China and South Africa. Out of total quantity of 1,04,477 tons, approx 40,000-50,000 tons are supplied by U.S.A , 17,000 to 20,000 tons by Australia and 10,000- 11,000 tons by China and South Africa each. However, supplies from U.S.A and China are during September to December months and thus India’s competition is with South Africa, Chile and Australia. India can easily compete with these countries, as India location wise is closer to ASEAN countries compared to South Africa and Chile. Moreover, India is supplying grapes at
competitive prices.

`At present, India has exported only 196 tons to Malaysia, 93 tons to Singapore, 78 tons to Thailand, 34 tons to Indonesia and 13 tons Vietnam during 2006. These export volumes are negligible compared to the potential that exists. Moreover because of free tradeagreements with Thailand and Singapore (likely to be signed very soon), exports of grapes are likely to accelerate, as even otherwise import duties of the order of 5-7% only are imposed by Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. Thus, in next 4-5 years time, target of export of 10,000- 15,000 is not difficult to meet as India is producing quality grapes and is able to meet quality
requirements. India must campaign aggressively and nurture these markets.

Hong Kong is a trade hub and imported up to 91,517 tons and exported up to 46,868 tons during 2006. However, India exported only 156 tons during 2006.There is excellent potential and also possibility of realizing higher prices in Hong Kong market. India must make aggressive campaign and nurture the market.

Pacific Rim countries comprising South Korea, Japan and Australia are also importing grapes to the extent of 17,921, 9949 and 4759 tons respectively. At resent India is not exporting any quantity of grapes to these countries.

It is expected that with the signing of Free Trade Agreement with South Korea, export of grapes should initiate. Similarly with China, grape export should be xplored as China has imported 46,021 tons of grapes during 2006. India and China are participants in Asia Pacific Trade Agreement.

Following measures need to be adopted for enhancing competitiveness for exporting grapes.

• Competition of India is with countries like Chile, South Africa and Israel, which produce quality grapes. Therefore, India must maintain superior quality free from pesticide residues etc. for keeping up momentum of exports.

Temperature : 0 ± 0.5o C

Relative Humidity : 93 ± 2 %

Storage period : 3-8 weeks

Freezing point : -1o C

14.	Documents required for exports

a) Invoice b) Packing List c) Certificate of origin

a) Mate Receipt b) Shipping Bill c) Bill of handing d) Airway Bill

a) Letter of Credit (L/C) b) Bill of Exchange

a) Phytosanitary Certificate b) GLOBALGAP Certification c) Health Certificate

- Certificate indicating material produce is based on organic farming.

f) Documents related to Foreign Exchange Regulations: -

GR Form: Documents required by RBI which assures to RBI that the exporter will realize

the proceeds of goods within 180 days from the date of Shipment.

Bank Realization Certification (BRC): This is the advice given by Foreign Exchange Bank after the realization of money from Importer.

European Union

USD/kg

1.26 to 2.35

INR/kg

57.0 to 105.76

*Price of grapes varies according to variety (coloured or white) and month of procurement

(b) Charges for testing, packing, transport, etc.(below in table):

Table 3.14: Charges for testing, packing, transport, etc.

s.no.	Particulars	Rs./kg
1.	Residue testing, harvesting and transport charges (plot to pack house)	2.00
2.	Pack house charges including labour, packing material, precooling, container loading, Agmark etc.	19.70
3.	Container Freight* (Junnar up to Mumbai), container forwarding and document charges	1.99
	Total	23.69