Unseasonal rain over the past four days has affected around 25 per cent of the total vineyards in the country's wine capital.

The Maharashtra Rajya Draksha Bagayatdar Sangh (MRDBS), the state grape growers association, said the grapes affected were in the stages of flowering and harvest.

The state agriculture department has started assessing the damage due to unseasonal rain that hit the district in the past four days.

Speaking to TOI, Kailas Bhosale, Nashik divisional president, MRDBS, said, "The unseasonal rain across the district has hit around 25 per cent of the total vineyards. The vineyards in the district are in stages of flowering and harvesting. The rainwater has pierced flowering and developed cracks in the grapes in the stage of harvesting. The grapes in Baglan and Satana talukas were in stages of harvesting."

When contacted, an official from state agriculture department said, "We are in the process of assessing the damages to the crop caused due to unseasonal rain in the past three-four days in the district. The assessment is expected to be completed in a day or two."

The area under table grape cultivation is close to 1.6 lakh acre across the district. An estimated 25 per cent of the total area or vineyards on 40,000 acre have been damaged due to unseasonal rain in the district. Information pertaining to the exact losses will be available after the receipt of crop damage assessment report.

Last year too, the unseasonal rain accompanied by hailstorms had hit the crops and orchards across the district in the months of February and March. Around 4,280 hectares of the total 63,000 hectares of vineyards were affected due to hailstorms during this period. The proportion of losses to vineyards was low as compared with other crops and orchards.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/