Indian table grape exports have doubled in just three years as growers get pesticide residues under control and start to reap the rewards of greater attention to detail. Ashok Gaikwad, chairman of ND Wines in Nashik has been exporting table grapes for 15 years. He is also president of the Maharashtra Grape Growers Association. Referring to a drop off in exports three to four years ago he said: “We do not use banned chemicals anymore and do the chemical spraying at least 60 days before the harvesting. We also send the samples regularly for checks for MRL regularly to the lab. We have sorted out the quality complaints moving ahead with improving quality as well as quantity.”
Much of the credit for the acceptance of Indian grapes in the UK and other EU countries lies with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products' Export Development Authority (Apeda) and the development of its web-based software GrapeNet. It provides full traceability for all grapes exported to the EU from India.
Since its development GrapeNet has helped boost importer confidence by enabling the monitoring of pesticide residues and achieving product standardisation.
