Cyclones in Western India affecting this season’s grape production

A recent cyclone has devastated the Western coastal regions of India, starting from Kerala up to Maharashtra and Gujarat. There have been heavy rains that affected the production of grapes.

Grape farmers across India have been having a terrible season. According to Pratik Mutha of Agrion Overseas Private Limited, “We could blame climate change for these devastating cyclones. This has caused a lot of damage to our early grapes which go to Europe. We’re experiencing a 50% decrease is for the early arrivals and this will cause a delay in the season."

The top export variety of India is the white seedless grape, although the country also exports smaller volumes of other colored grapes to Europe. The cyclone will leave a void in the market. “Competition from South Africa, which enjoys stable quantities and prices, will probably capture the shortage in the market. While Indian producers will have grapes whose quality will only be good enough for the domestic market." 

We are expecting a not so good season next year. The government has already issued warnings and forecasts of the possibility of rains in the coming months. “Farmers need to start taking precautions as early as now, to protect the quality of their produce," Mutha concludes.

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