India's grape export season is wrapping up roughly, with weather hitting quality and just 10-12% of export-grade fruit left unharvested, says Akshay Sangle, Director at Sangle Agro Fresh. "It's been challenging right from the start as European shipments dropped 20-25% versus last year. Total volumes across the EU and the UK would be 4,000-5,000 containers, with around 150-200 containers remaining overall, as production is way down now."
© Sangle Agro Processing Pvt. Ltd
Akshay highlights that the West Asia conflicts impacted the Middle East routes hard. "Freight rose to USD 7,000-7,500 per container, with major shipping lines like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd pulling out, and only local lines running. Containers stuck at ports and war surcharges hit even in-transit loads. So importers like us are dealing with real financial pressure. Although we pivoted to Europe as the main market, overall low production volumes mean most will stop packing next week."
Sangle Agro, with over 20 years of exporting, grows a mix of traditional seedless grapes like white Thompson and Sonaka, red Crimson and Flame, black Sharad and Jumbo, alongside newer licensed Bloom Fresh varieties like white seedless Timpson, red seedless Allison and Timco, planted two years ago. "Retailers in key markets abroad are keen on the new varieties as they deliver better taste, longer shelf life, and sharper looks. We've received strong feedback and see demand picking up fast in the domestic market too."
© Sangle Agro Processing Pvt. Ltd
"Even younger farmers nationwide are ramping up acreage with modern techniques and tighter farm management, which means higher productivity ahead. That positions India competitively and opens more doors for importers next season." For now, with the fruit getting scarce, Akshay's short-term outlook stays light. "Many exporters have already cut packing volumes and plan to wrap up within this week. While the harvest will linger until mid-April, total exports might top out at 300-400 containers," he predicts.
Looking ahead, Sangle Agro is driving a three-year digital farming initiative to sharpen operations. "We track spray records, pruning dates, farm locations, crop photos, harvest timing, and even weather forecasts, as this real-time data helps with quality control, traceability, and export compliance. It's our own initiative, envisioning a fully digitized grape ecosystem in Nashik with farmer participation growing each season," Akshay concludes.
For more information:
Akshay Sangle
Sangle Agro Processing Pvt. Ltd
Tel: +91 82755 07775
Email: a[email protected]
www.farmfreshexports.com
