It’s not the rain but a spell of woes for farmers that does not seem to end in Maharashtra. After heavy rainfall during past few days, farmers in Nashik and neighboring districts will have to suffer some more as light to moderate rain is expected to lash grape cultivating areas by 8th March till 10th March.
Grapes grown in Nashik are widely used for making Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling wines, white blends, and some rose wines in Netherlands and UK. However, the inclement weather in past few months has not only hit the domestic supply of grapes but grape exports too.
The hailstorm at the year end, followed by unseasonal rainfall during February and then the incessant rain in past few days have damaged the grape production by 50% in Nashik and other districts including, Satana, Sangli and Malegaon. There is a possibility of crops getting infected with pests that will affect the quality of grapes.
Around 10-15 per cent of Maharashtra’s grape crop is exported. However, the exports are likely to suffer as places such as Deola, Baglan, Kalwan and Malegaon in Nashik have witnessed almost 70% crop damage.
According to Apeda, Maharashtra exported over 1,50,000 tonnes of grapes. However, from November 2014 – till date the exports have only confined to 30,000 tonnes with a sharp decline in export value.
Erratic Weather to Follow
While the interaction of western disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir and cyclonic circulation over north Rajasthan leadto heavy ran over Maharashtra from 1st March – 3rd March, another western disturbance on 8th March is expected to impact the output of rabi crops in several parts of Maharashtra.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, though the state will witness light to moderate rainfall this time, day temperatures will observe significant drop. Currently, day or maximum temperature in Yeotmal, Nagpur, Amravati and Sangli are below normal by 5- 7°C. Just when the temperatures become normal, another spell of rain early next week is likely to push them to below normal level.
