Indian fresh produce exporter Deccan Produce says it is handling good volumes of excellent quality Indian grapes at the start of the season.
The firm has experienced no problems with pesticide residues, and packing had started as expected for Europe in early February, the company's Nagesh Shetty told Fruitnet.
A bout of cold weather in Indian grape growing regions was affecting sugar levels for some varieties, delaying harvesting in some regions, he added.
Prices on export markets were therefore remaining high into the second week of February, but are expected to stabilise as peak volumes come on-stream.
'Volumes overall are expected to be the same as last year,' said Shetty. 'It is too early to tell what impact overall the cold weather will have on the season.'
Shetty said Deccan is promoting a wider range of existing grape varieties on export markets this season. India's white seedless Sonaka grape is becoming more popular in Russia, he said. And shipments of Nana Purple, also known as Jumbo Seedless, are heading to East Asia.
'There is no radical change as yet in the grape varietal profile in India. Work on new varieties is slow,' said Shetty. 'In the meantime, we are using current varieties and promoting them.'
Shetty described market conditions in Asia in early February for Indian grapes as 'poor'. 'We haven't done much to East Asia so far, and I haven't as yet ascertained why demand isn't there,' he said speaking on 9 February.
'The European deal is just starting. The Russian market so far has been good, but it remains to be seen what will happen when peak volumes arrive.'
