BENGALURU: The best of Karnataka’s grapes are finding their way to dozens of countries across the world in the form of raisins, owing to demand and commercial considerations.Grape farmers—most of whom are from the triangle region of Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts see more profits in the raisin business compared to the fruit and wine sector, according to horticulture department officials.
Currently, the area under grape cultivation in Karnataka is 26,600 hectares. Last year the grapes harvest was 5.24 lakh tonnes, KB Dundi, additional director for fruits and vegetables at the horticulture department told The New Indian Express.“Though money is a crucial factor, it is also because of temperatures and demand. A kilo of raisins fetches between Rs 250- 350 and has a round-the-year market. But grapes have demand only during season. The best quality of grapes are from the triangle region. Around 80 percent are dried to produce raisins.
The ones consumed in homes are grown in Chikkaballapur, Doddaballapur, Devanahalli and other areas on the outskirts of Bengaluru,” Dundi said.SV Hittalmani, retired additional director, horticulture and expert, said Karnataka last year produced 75,000 tonnes of raisins and Maharashtra one lakh tonnes. “These two states are the largest exporters of grapes and send to 75 countries, including Afghanistan and Iran, which were once the largest producers of raisins.
In the last 3-4 years farmers have started shifting to raisins, but this year the number is higher. At present over 10,000 farmers from the triangle region alone are growing grapes for raisins only. A raisin mandi has also come up in Vijayapura where buyers from across India gather to make purchases and make bookings,” he said.Hittalmani added that since the temperatures are very high in the triangle region, the grapes grown there are of good quality, high sweetness and idea to be dried and processed.
Around 1,000 tonnes of the Anab-e-Shahi seeded variety grown in Gouribidanur and Chikkaballapur is sent to Mumbai for making medicine annually. T Somu, Managing Director, Karnataka Wine Board said that while the existing farmers had switched over to raisin production, many farmers have begun grape cultivation and 2,050 acres is exclusively growing grapes for wine-making. The number of wine-making units in the state have also increased from two to 17 between 2007 and 2019.