Sula announces grape price hike for 2016 harvest

India’s biggest producer has said it will increase the purchasing rates of grapes by 10% for the 2016 harvest to encourage a growth in farming.

Sula Vineyards in Nashik, Maharashtra

The move comes as a way of rewarding and incentvising the farmers whose yields fit in the parameters set by Sula, reported BusinessWorld.

Grape farming is essential for fueling Nashik’s economy which producers over 80 per cent of India’s domestic wine. Sula plans to pay Rs35-Rs65 (US$0.55-US$1) per kilo with the required brix (percentage of sucrose) which, according to the company will enable the farmers to earn 2.5 to 3 lakh per acre.

As a response to India’s growing thirst for wine, Sula is also trying to move farmers away from cultivating table grapes and towards wine grapes which are more resistant to Nashik’s unpredictable weather. This would also benefit the farmers who have suffered losses due to recent unseasonable rains and erratic temperatures, said the company.

India’s wine industry is growing at the rate of 18 per cent a year and Sula is looking to capitalise on this by adding an additional 500 acres to its existing 3,000 acre vineyard, the producer added.