Indian Grape Guide

Some wholesalers can be exporters themselves while others would have strong connections with exporters. Both small and big farmers are well experienced because grape management is more complex than any other fruit. This is because grapes are grown in bunches and aside from being kept intact in a bunch, all the grapes have to be in good shape. This is why farmers just focus on growing the fruit and stay away from exporting themselves. Only big exporters, conglomerate level, will contact farmers and make a contract before the season. Other small exporters would go to the farm and negotiate. For exports, there are packhouses specializing in packaging per destination. 99% of the farmers don't have their own packing facilities because packaging requires skilled packers and pre-cooling and cold storage coordination. There are specific facilities for given destinations thus, not all packing facilities can export to China and the EU. There are around 2,000 renowned packing facilities. 

The top destinations are the Middle East, EU, and ASEAN. EU is considered the most attractive market to the suppliers because it is stable and big. The price is high as well if the quality is guaranteed.

The harvest season is from January-April and the crop is mainly produced in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

According to the APEDA, (Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority in India), these are the twelve commercially grown types of grapes in India, ordered in four categories:

Coloured seeded - Bangalore Blue, Gulabi (Muscat)

Coloured seedless - Beauty Seedless and Sharad Seedless

White seeded - Anab-e-Shahi, Dilkhush (clone of Anab-e-Shahi)

White seedless - Perlette, Pusa Seedless, Thompson Seedless, and its clones Tas-A-Ganesh, Sonaka and Manik Chaman

According to the APEDA, (Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority in India), to export to the European Union, it’s necessary to monitor agro chemicals and other contaminants’ residues. It’s also necessary to grade the grapes according to the Agmark standards. The full process can be found in the APEDA. 

To export to China, the APEDA mentions it’s necessary that exporters and farmers enlist for official registry/renewal in the Indian Ministry of Agriculture (IMOA) since it is a requisite that the official list is forwarded to the Chinese authorities beforehand. It’s also necessary to follow the full Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements agreed upon the IMOA and the Chinese Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quality of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ), which can be found in full in the APEDA. 

The documents required to export Indian grapes are:

-Phytosanitary certificates

-Fumigation certificate

-Packhouse recognition certificate

-Certificate of Authorization issued by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI)

-Fumigation certificate for wooden packing material

-Agmark grading certificate

-Copy of the contract/LC

Government phytosanitary inspectors inspect the cutting process right from the farm and issue the certificates. From cutting the berries to loading, quality checks are done by randomly examining the color, crunchiness, and berry size. The inspector also checks the packaging process. The buyer can opt to hire a third party inspector, but this isn't done often as these have undergone three inspection processes by the government. The exporters are mainly responsible when there are quality-related problems.

According to the APEDA, (Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority in India), the typical packaging to export fresh grapes out of India consists in:

Board cartons of corrugated or solid fibre, with a protective pad at the bottom and a P.E. lining over.