With the export market for pomegranates picking up, farmers across Maharashtra are switching to the fruit, which is more remunerative than grapes. Around 30,000 to 40,000 hectares are now come under pomegranate cultivation as against 10,000-15,000 hectares last year, said Prabhakar Chandane, chairman, Maharashtra Pomegranate Growers Research Association.
Maharashtra contributes 90% of the country’s total pomegranate production.
Although there is no clear data available, there are reports of farmers making a shift to pomegranates since this fruit commands a better price in the market as opposed to grapes, he said.
Farmers get Rs 100-125 a kg for pomegranates as opposed to Rs 30-35 a kg for grapes and therefore this is being seen as a more remunerative crop, he explained.
Barring Vidarbha, farmers in Gadchiroli, Konkan and Marathwada are also shifting to pomegranates. In Satana, Deola and Malegaon areas, pomegranate farmers have changed their preference to grapes, while in grape areas such as Niphad, farmers are planting pomegranates. Around 9 lakh tonnes of pomegranate production is expected this year as against 8 lakh last year.
Exports have also picked up and Indian pomegranates are now going to Colombo, West Asia, Russia and Europe, Chandane said. The UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Kuwait are other important markets for pomegranates. This year around 40,000 tonnes of pomegranates are expected to be exported as against 30,000 tonnes last year. Last year, pomegranates fetched farmers a price of Rs 150 per kg in the international markets. On the other hand, grape exports were affected due to reports of residual content and export norms for grapes are very strict, he said.
Maharashtra has 85,000 hectares of pomegranate orchards with the largest being in Solapur with 28,000 hectares, followed by Nashik with 25,000 hectares. The second season of harvesting is to come up in the January-February period. The first season for the crop comes up in the July to September period.
New areas under pomegranate include Nagpur, Latur, Osmanabad and Washim. In addition to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, TN, Karnataka and AP have also begun growing pomegranates with the area under cultivation going up to 1,25,000 hectares in the last three years.