Nashik: Inadequate rains have reduced the yield of vineyards by around 25% in the district.Usually the grape harvest season begins in the district by December end but harvesting of early grapes has begun in Satana and nearby areas. Grape growers have complained that the yield have reduced by 25% this year.“I have vineyards on four acres and take early grapes, which are harvested from the last week of September to November end. Last year, I had got a yield of 11 to 12 tonne per acre, but the situation is not so good this year due to inadequate rains. I got an yield of just 8 tonne per acre,” said Abhiman Deore, a farmer.The area under early grapes are only 2.5% of the total grape plantation in the district. Of total grape plantation of 2 lakh acre, 5,000 acre are early grapes.“The yield of early grapes is good. But inadequate rains has reduced the weight of the fruit. The yield has reduced to 8 tonne per acre,” said Manik Patil, senior office-bearer of the Maharashtra Rajya Draksha Bagayatdar Sangh, an association of grape growers.“The effect of inadequate rains will be seen on the yield from regular vineyards also in some areas of the district,” Patil said“There will be around 20% fall in yield in Niphad taluka, which is a major grape-growing region. But there will be not much effect in other areas,” Patil added.He further said that the area under grape plantation in the district has increased from 1.5 lakh acre to 2 lakh acre in the past two-three years. “Hence, there will be no scarcity of grapes even though yield reduced by around 20%,” he added.

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