The Hindu Business Line : Cumbum farmers take up grape cultivation

Shifting lanes
Diseases in coconut palms along coupled with un-remunerative prices have prompted the shift.
The initial investment needed for raising a one-acre vineyard would come to Rs 1.75 lakh.
Currently, more than 80 per cent of the produce is used for table purposes.

Cumbum (Tamil Nadu) , Aug. 31

Farmers in the Cumbum Valley in Theni district of Tamil Nadu are slowly shifting towards grape cultivation following diseases in coconut palms.

Already an estimated 1,500 acres are under grape cultivation and there is an average increase of three per cent every year. The diseases in coconut coupled with un-remunerative prices have motivated the farmers to convert their coconut plantations into vineyards, Mr Arunan, a major grower here, told Business Line. Many people have taken up grape cultivation for the past five years, he said.

Raising a vineyard

The initial investment needed for raising a one-acre vineyard would come to Rs 1.75 lakh, excluding the cost of land and the gestation period is 15 months. Due to favourable weather conditions in the area "we can have three crops a year and a total production of 15,000 kg from an acre. The net income per acre would come to Rs 30,000 a year".

The produce, seeded black grapes, has a good demand and is marketed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Kolkata, he said. The yield may not be good for all the crops but the loss in one is often compensated by the other, he pointed out.

According to experts in this field, grape is cultivated on an area of over 45,000 hectares with an annual production of an estimated 1.5 million tonnes. Although, the returns per unit area of land are very high with grape cultivation, the area under cultivation is not expanding fast owing to the high initial cost of establishing the vineyards and high recurring cost of production, they said.

Diversifying uses

The risk of losing a crop due to unprecedented changes in weather is also very high. Since, the highest productivity in grapes has been achieved, efforts are needed to extend grape cultivation to newer areas. Soil and water salinity, and drought are the impediments in this direction, for which suitable rootstocks are to be identified.

There is a need to diversify the uses of grapes, the experts pointed out. Currently, more than 80 per cent of the produce is used for table purposes. The major bulk of the produce is harvested in March-April, but as cold storage facilities are currently inadequate there are frequent market gluts.

Diversification of uses, as wine/juice and export of table grapes can ease the marketing problems. Maintenance of quality of table grapes by crop regulation is the priority consideration to increase exports. For the survival of the grape industry in India, the produce should be of good quality and cost competitive. Future efforts are to be concentrated in this direction.

Better efforts

Grape is a deciduous fruit crop, growing extensively in temperate regions. Even five decades ago, grape cultivation was considered to be a non-viable proposition in the tropics.

However, now because of the extensive research efforts, the world's highest productivity (96 tonne/ha) has been recorded from the tropical region of the country and more than 90 per cent of the area under grapes in India is in this region, the experts said.

It is cultivated mainly in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, industry sources said.

According to them sustaining productivity and minimising risks in grape cultivation is possible because of the availability of a variety of agro-climatic regions suitable for grape cultivation for table, raisin and wine grapes.

Improving productivity

Besides, technologies to achieve high productivity are currently available. Scope for double cropping in certain regions and harvesting round the year in certain varieties is practically feasible. Technologies to produce export-quality grapes and quality raisins are available, they said.

About 280 acres of land was also identified at Nilakottai industrial park developed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu, but nothing so far has been heard thereafter, he said. Setting up of such a unit would have helped an estimated 5,000 growers of an assured market.

More Stories on : Horticulture/Fruits & Vegetables | Cultivation | Tamil Nadu

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