Raisin producers in India hit hard by unseasonal rainfall

A recent spell of hailstorm and rains in some parts of Maharashtra over the last three days has hit raisin producers hard.
By: Nanda Kasabe | Pune | March 4, 2016 12:12 AM

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A recent spell of hailstorm and rains in some parts of Maharashtra over the last three days has hit raisin producers hard. Farmers in Sangli, one of the biggest raisin production centres in the state, are unhappy with the rains that have come at an inopportune time, when the raisins were in the process of being dried.
“This will definitely affect the overall quality of the raisins, which lose color due to the rains and as a result, the price gets affected as well,” Subhash Arve, president, Maharashtra State Grape Growers Association (MGGA), who looks after the Sangli region, said. Prices of raisins which were around Rs 200-250 per kg, have dropped almost 50% as the raisins are turning black, he said. Farmers are now getting just about Rs 70-80 per kg for their produce. Warehouses where the raisins were being dried have been damaged causing water to seep in, which reduces the sugar content of the product. Around 40,000 tonne of raisins were expected this season, but the impact will now have to be seen in the next few days, he said.

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