Farmers from the Indian state of Maharashtra are exploring a market in the Middle East and Europe for pomegranates, and finding good demand, reports The Times of India.
The fledgling pomegranate crop began last year in the Pune, Sangli and Solapur districts when a small number of farmers decided to explore the crop, and their success has prompted other growers to pursue the fruit.
The export season runs from July to September, and 72 tonnes of pomegranates have been shipped to the Middle East and Europe already, according to Santosh Patil, the deputy general manager of the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board.
“Farmers are getting rates ranging from Rs35 to Rs52 per kg. The next season is from November to March when farmers are likely to get up to Rs75 per kg. Most of the farmers use ‘Bhagva’ variety of pomegranate,” he said.
Last year, 12 pomegranate growers in Maharashtra attained the GlobalGAP agricultural standard, and this year another 54 growers gained the certification. The government subsidises 50 per cent of the certification cost to encourage farmers to reach it.
