The vineyards going for the early grape harvest in October and November across the Satana belt of the district have reduced by 40% due to unseasonal rainfall and hail during the same period over the past two years. Usually, the harvest begins in January, but some small pockets in the district resort to early grape harvest around two months before the usual period.
The area for early grape harvest has dipped by 40% to 3,500 acres during the last three years, due to unseasonal rains and hail. While some of the grape farmers have shifted to vegetables, onions and pomegranate, a few farmers have planted new rain-resistant varieties on around 200 acres of land across the belt.
Khanderao Shevale, the former director and senior member of the Maharashtra Rajya Draksha Bagayatdar Sangh - a grape farmers’ association, said, “Farmers get better prices in October and November as compared to the prices during the usual grape harvest season between January and April. Some farmers also export early grapes to non-European countries like Russia, fetching more rates.”
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com