The current Indian grape season is a rather difficult one compared to the ones that came before it, says Amit Chopade, CEO of Indian fresh produce exporter Chopde Farms and Exports: "This time, the Indian grape season is much more challenging than the years we've had. Due to continuous rains after pruning, the grapevine didn't get enough sunlight. With this in mind, the overall yield and harvest will be a lot lower than usual. Thompson and other white varieties have suffered more from this issue compared to colored varieties."
With the lower harvest, prices have increased at the farmgate, as growers try to break even, Chopade explains. "Farmers are struggling to secure their input costs from what they've harvested. The grape harvest is delayed, leading to lower availability in the early season, especially compared to previous seasons. Farmers are expecting higher prices from exporters at the farm due to the lower volumes. This in itself has led to historically high prices at the farmgate, about 1.5 times the price we usually see. Exporters are worried about this price being sustainable, and as a result, they choose to reduce or delay their shipments to Europe in the early season. At the moment, we see that about 15% less volumes are shipped to Europe this year, so far."
According to Chopade, the Suez Canal is still not being utilized by shipping companies, which could reduce the transit time significantly: "In the European market, there are more fruits from other origins. However, demand for Indian grapes is good in Russia and the domestic market, a lot better compared to European markets this time around. Shipping lines are still following the same route, which means going through the Cape of Good Hope. That being said, some shipping lines may take the opportunity to go through the Suez Canal this time. This would reduce transit time by 10-12 days, but it's still uncertain as of now."
For more information:
Amit Chopade
Chopde Farms and Exports
Tel: +91 98 230 86 907
Email: [email protected]
