"We are sending grapes to two destinations, UK and Europe. For UK, the specifications we normally follow are size, which should be above 17 mm, and sugar levels should be balanced and the colour should be milky white. For Europe destination, the size should be at least 16 mm, and the colour should be light amber," he said. Earlier the Indian grapes were granted food safety assurance certificate by the European Retail Parties Good Agricultural Practices (EUREGAP). The certificate was recently granted by the American Quality Assessors, a EUREGAP accredited agency in India that carries out the inspection.
Besides the strict standards on fruit size and content, the export obligations include rigid minimum standards of exposure to chemicals and fertilisers. Local grape growers have advocated lower prices in the domestic markets prompted them to look for opportunities in the export market. In local markets, grapes sell anywhere around 15 to 20 rupees a kilogram. Almost 90 percent of India's exports of grapes are from Maharashtra, followed by seven percent from Andhra Pradesh and three percent from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Out of 370 million tonnes of fruit production in the world, India accounts for 30 million tonnes. India's share of the global fruit trade is eight percent.
