Acting on the directives of the Centre, States such as Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana are ready with their annual plans to boost horticulture production.
Scientists at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) here have developed three varieties of high-value grapes having ability to mature before the monsoon season.
The recent introduction and evaluation of the varieties under the fruit and vegetable development programme has discovered that
Viticulture is growing at a rate of knots in India, and the country's largest winery is leading by environmental example. Nestling just 200km from the bustling metropolis of Mumbai lies Nasik, an area of natural beauty, rich spiritual heritage and home to one of India's newest and burgeoning industries: wine.
Jayant Barve used to market chemical fertilisers and pesticides and practise chemical agriculture himself. In 1988, he switched to sustainable agriculture, and has never looked back since. In this interview he emphasises that despite much lower input costs, organic farming does give the same yield as chemical agriculture, sometimes even more. An interview by Claude Alvares.
The European Union (EU) has stopped grape imports from India saying it has found excessive chemicals in them.
Around 40,000 tonnes grapes worth Rs 300 crore shipped to various European countries were halted as they exceeded the maximum residue level of a chemical contaminant.
Nashik: Last October, Kailas Pingle, a grape farmer from Matori village near Nashik, started working on his five-acre plot, raising grapes. Pingle has been a grape farmer for many years, and took a loan and developed a new vineyard two years ago.
DNA
Fragile support: Kailas Pingle tries to erect the fallen vines
Nashik: A sudden hour-long hailstorm on Sunday destroyed grape crop worth Rs60 crore across 5,000 acres in the northeastern parts of the state's vine district of Nashik. The hail also damaged wheat and vegetables.
