Nashik: The Nashik district is expecting a bumper grape production season — starting from January 2024 and ending in April. The vineyards are in better condition this year and pruning of around 80% of the total 2 lakh acre vineyards have been completed. The fruits are now in the growing stage and the harvest will begin from January next year. According to Maharashtra Rajya Draksha Bagayatdar Sangh, an association of grape growers, production in the district may touch the 20 lakh-tonne mark this season if the weather conditions continue to remain favourable.Weather is good and the vineyards are in fine shape. The fruit is now developing and if there are no unseasonal rains till harvest then there will be bumper production this year, Kailas Bhosle, vice-president of the MRDBS, said.During the last season, unseasonal rainfall had damaged around 30% ready-to-harvest vineyards in February and March. Due to this the grape production was affected and the overall harvest was around only 12 lakh tonnes.Usually, the yield is around eight to nine tonnes per acre, but the yield had dropped to around six tonnes per acre last season, Bhosle said while talking to TOI.He added that though there is a drought-like situation, its effects on the vineyards will be seen in the next season. The first pruning of vineyards takes place in April every year, which is called kharad pruning. This stage is crucial and requires adequate water supply for the vineyards, Bhosle said.Of the total 2 lakh acreage, around 80% of vineyards are in Dindori and Niphad talukas and the remaining 20% are located in Chandwad, Sinnar and other talukas of the district.We also published the following articles recentlyTree pruning: Forest dept to prescribe the right wayThe UT forest department in Chandigarh is planning to introduce a tree pruning policy to promote tree health and prevent tree falling during high winds. The policy will outline the standard operating procedure for the UT and MC engineering departments to follow while pruning trees. The aim is to ensure that pruning is done scientifically and during the appropriate season for each type of tree. The policy will be finalized after consultation with various stakeholders and is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.Chinese astronauts harvest tomatoes, lettuce in spaceChinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 16 mission have successfully grown fresh vegetables in the Tiangong space station as part of their plans for deep space exploration. The astronauts harvested lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and green onions in multiple batches. This cultivation is being done to aid long-term deep space exploration, including crewed lunar and Mars landing missions. China is also planning to build a moon base called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the next decade.Amid onion price rise, government sets export base price at $800 per tonneThe Indian government has imposed a minimum export price of $800 per tonne on onions until December 31st in an effort to control rising prices and increase availability in the domestic market. This comes after a 40% export duty failed to deter traders from shipping onions out of the country. The move is expected to make it nearly impossible for traders to export onions. The government has also announced the procurement of an additional two lakh tonnes of onions for the buffer.

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