A new report by India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has revealed that India's grape exports to Europe have fallen 6 per cent this year to 38,688 tonnes, down from 41,139 tonnes in 2008.
The decline is due to lower demand in the region, according to APEDA director S. Dave, as a result of the current global economic slowdown.
Europe is India's key market for grape exports, traditionally taking on around 70 per cent of volumes shipped, with the rest going to Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as the Middle East.
On a more positive note, Mr Dave reported that there had been no rejections of grape shipments in Europe this year following the implementation of new software called Grape Net Traceability, which provides detailed information for sourcing countries.
'The importer can know where the grapes are grown, who the farmer is, what fertilisers and pesticides are used in the fruit's cultivation and many other aspects,' He said.
For 2007/08, the Netherlands (24,379 tonnes), the UK (11,639 tonnes) and Germany (2,162 tonnes) were the leading European importers of Indian grapes, with Bangladesh (37,994) heading the global list of importers.
