Marketing and Export of Grapes from Maharashtra

The paper has studied trends in area, production and productivity of grapes in Maharashtra and also in India. It has investigated the marketing and export performance of grapes. The primary data related to production and marketing were collected for the year 2012–13 using specially designed questionnaire from the Sangli district. The study has found that of the total produce, more than 63 per cent was marked for export and the rest was used for domestic and raisin making purposes. The study has revealed that across different importers of Indian grapes, Russia, Netherlands and the UK are highly stable, while Saudi Arabia, UAE and Germany are less stable and Bangladesh and Belgium are highly unstable. The average price realized was 4938\q and 1938/q in export and domestic markets, respectively. High cost of packaging, lack of storage facilities, high commission charges, high transportation costs, and price fluctuations were the major problems faced by the grapes growers.