Sanganagouda Bidnur has cultivated grape on his four-acre plot. Under normal conditions, he would have sold at least 40 % of the grape in the market for direct consumption, while using the remainder for conversion into raisin.
But the ongoing lockdown has forced him to convert over 90% of the produce, as the sale of table grape has declined sharply. In a way, the grape farmers of the district are happy that they at least have the option of using the crop in an alternative way, saving them from heavy losses.
“This is definitely nature’s gift to grape farmers. Other horticultural crops are perishing owing to lack of transportation and buyers,” said Abhaykumar Nandrekar, State president of Karnataka Grape Growers’ Association.
He told The Hindu that after the lockdown, the grape farmers of Vijayapura — the largest raisin-cultivating district in the State — decided convesion was the best option left. “Usually, about 40% of the total produce goes into direct consumption. This time, more than 90% of the grape has been used to be converted into raisin,” he said.
Mr. Nandrekar said that the since not all grape growers have racks in their farms for conversion into raisin, many have taken racks on rent and got the work done.
Santosh Inamdar, Deputy Director of Horticulture, said this year over 80,000 tonnes of grape is expected, of which the majority will bes converted into raisin.
He, however, admitted that the total cold storage capacity in the district was around 22,000 tonnes. “Since all the raisins cannot be stored in cold storage till the end of the lockdown, the government has given transport permission to raisin traders to sell their produce in parts of Maharashtra. Even during lockdown, the traders, after obtaining permission, can transport raisin to the other State,” he said.