- Unseasonal rains and other weather-related challenges have impacted the livelihoods of grape farmers in Nashik.
- Grapes are weather-sensitive and can be affected by high temperatures, cold waves, unseasonal rain and humidity.
- Several Nashik farmers have adopted crop covers for the fields which shield crops from hail and adverse conditions.
On November 26, 2023, Nashik district in Maharashtra faced severe unseasonal rain and hailstorm. The onslaught was so intense that a white blanket of hail covered fields, causing damage to crores of rupees worth of ready-to-harvest grape crops, a significant blow for thousands of farmers. However, many farmers managed to protect their yield as they had installed crop covers on their grape orchards. One such farmer was 38-year-old Deepak Shinde from Madhurpada village in the Malegaon taluka of Nashik district, about 275 km from Mumbai.
“Without these covers, the cultivation of early grapes in Malegaon would have come to a halt due to the substantial losses incurred,” says Shinde. He credits Digambar Ashok Kate, a 36-year-old progressive farmer from the same village, for introducing the concept of crop covers in the area.
Kate, exhausted from recurring weather-related challenges impacting crops, recalls the decision to adopt crop covers in 2012. “I covered my two-acre crop at a cost of Rs. 3.4 lakh. There was no unseasonal rain that year,” he laughs. “But, in 2013, unseasonal rain struck twice, causing massive losses in the area. My crop remained protected,” he adds. Witnessing Kate’s success, several farmers followed suit and adopted crop covers.
These covers, made from a special non-woven High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) fabric, also known as plastic net covers, are applied to crops using iron angles. They provide plants with essential air, moisture and sunlight while safeguarding them from extreme weather events like rain and hailstorms. Farmers and experts assert that crop covers prevent damage from breaking and discoloration, typically applied during the berry formation period.
Kate claims that farmers in approximately a dozen nearby villages now use crop covers on their grape orchards. Sopan Kanchan, President of the Grape Grower Association of India, echoes this sentiment, emphasising the benefits of crop covers in safeguarding grape yields against unpredictable weather conditions and pest attacks. The adoption of these covers is on the rise in Maharashtra, he tells Mongabay India.
Grapes, a delicate fruit facing weather’s fury
Maharashtra holds the top position in grape production in India and Nashik is the prominent grape producer district, contributing 80% to the total grapes exported from the state. From November to April 2022-23 grape season, the district exported 1.27 lakh tonnes of grapes. However, adverse weather conditions left their marks on the overall grape export estimates, as acknowledged by the government. Nashik’s grape farming industry has consistently been facing the impacts of extreme weather events over the past decades, affecting at least 10,000 farmers involved in grape cultivation.
The fruit is delicate and thrives in regions with a temperature range of 15-40 degrees Celsius and rainfall not exceeding 900 mm throughout the year and also well distributed. Farmers particularly fear rainfall during flowering and fruit ripening stages.
Speaking to Mongabay India, R.G. Somkunwar, Principal Scientist at ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes in Pune, elaborates on the weather’s impact on grape cultivation. Extreme changes in temperature and insufficient water significantly affect grape growth. A water shortage during fruit development can lead to underdeveloped berries, leading to smaller size and early sweetness, thus a quick harvesting process. Rain or hail during berry development can result in rotting and excessive cold may lead to berry cracking. Unseasonal rain during harvest can spoil the entire crop. Somkunwar notes, “During the formation of bunches in grapes, if the minimum temperature reaches 5-7 degrees Celsius or goes above 35 degrees Celsius, then the colour of the bunches turns pink, people do not like to eat such grapes. Due to poor quality of fruits, farmers do not get good prices for their produce.”
A 2018 report published by the National Committee for Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture (NCPAH) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notes that temperatures in the region have been steadily increasing each year, leading to a decline in the quality of produce. Focusing on the Nashik district, the report highlights the adverse impact of untimely rains and hailstorms, causing significant damage to the quality of produce and resulting in losses. Over the last 4 to 5 years, the report says there has been an observed pattern of untimely rains accompanied by hailstorms annually, leading to substantial damage to grapefruit bunches and a drastic reduction in the quantity of saleable produce.
Amidst this challenging scenario of extreme weather events, farmers find themselves helpless. In 2015, as temperatures plummeted, farmers resorted to various measures, including arranging bonfires on farms to keep the ground warm and increase temperatures. Deepak Shinde says, “We had learned everything about grape farming apart from fighting the weather and marketing our product.”
Grape cultivation can make or break farmers’ economy
In 2023, having experienced success with grape farming, Digambar Kate expanded cultivation to six acres. He had crop covers on a majority of his crops. This precautionary measure proved highly effective in shielding his yield from the unexpected hailstorm that struck Nashik district last November, causing extensive damage to crops across the region. Describing the climate of Malegaon as suitable for early grapes, Kate emphasises the crucial harvest period from October to December, noting, “At the time when the crop is being prepared, if rain or hail falls, the entire crop gets ruined.” Drawing a parallel with insurance, he asserts, “If the orchard is covered, you will get a good harvest.”
Kate highlights that the expense of installing crop covers in one acre of the vineyard ranges from Rs. 2.5 to 3.5 lakh, including the fibre, iron structure, supporting wire and related components. He elaborates, “The cost of cultivating one acre of the vineyard totals around Rs. 4 lakhs, encompassing expenses on pesticide, fungicide, fertiliser, diesel and labour.” Under normal conditions, the yield ranges from 6-8 tonnes, fetching a revenue of approximately Rs. 9 to 10 lakh. Farmers dread bad weather because of the substantial amounts involved in both expenditure and income.
In Maharashtra, cultivated grape varieties include Thompson Seedless, Sonaka, Sharad Seedless and Tas-e-Ganesh. Farmers in the Malegaon area cultivate Sharad seedless varieties of grapes. They say these black-coloured grapes come first in the market and farmers also get good rates for them.
Shinde says that this is an area of black soil. There is no such water crisis due to the Girna Dam constructed in 1969. The climate here is gifted for grape cultivation. He reflects, “Since the year 2000, early cultivation of Sharad Seedless grapes has thrived in 20-25 villages of Malegaon, covering approximately 600-700 hectares in our area. Profits were promising, but after 2010-12, recurring losses due to untimely rains led some farmers to abandon grape cultivation, resorting to alternative crops or non-agricultural jobs.”
In a conversation with Mongabay India, Somkunwar, the ICAR Principal Scientist, further emphasises the crucial role of crop covers, stating, “Crop covers are very beneficial for farmers in extreme weather events.”
A call for government intervention
While acknowledging the benefits of crop covers, their high cost has posed a significant challenge for farmers. Several farmers, associations and political leaders have persistently called for government intervention to subsidise the agricultural investment.
In 2015, a farmers’ group made a plea, urging the state government to provide an 80% subsidy for plastic covers. Digambar Kate also claims that they met the local MLA Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse some four years ago, who was also the state’s agriculture minister. They urged the government to step in and support the struggling farmers. In 2023, Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), urged the government to proactively announce a substantial 50% subsidy on crop covers specifically for grape orchards. Somkunwar of the ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes also claims that the institute has written letters to the government recommending the same.
The Maharashtra state government eventually decided to extend support to farmers. Shivaji Panwar, President of the Maharashtra Grapes Grower Association, says that after persistent demands from farmers, the government announced a subsidy of around 50% of the total cost incurred on crop covers in 2023. This subsidy was confined to a total of 400 acres of land determined through a lottery system.
While talking to Mongabay India, Panwar advocates for broader coverage, asserting, “This subsidy should be expanded because the impact of changes in weather and unseasonal rains is the same for all farmers and the benefits should be made available to every farmer.”
There is another challenge for farmers who have the current subsidy. The government estimates the cost at Rs. 4.81 lakh per acre, with only half of the amount provided as a subsidy. This leaves farmers to cover the remaining Rs. 2.4 lakh, negating the intended advantage of the subsidy. In essence, farmers can procure the entire infrastructure for the same amount in the open market, says Shinde.
Banner image: Farmer Digambar Ashok Kate from Nashik district protects his grape orchard using plastic covers. Photo by Arvind Shukla.
