The first vintnery in north India will be set up in Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, the state excise department after the government granted permission to KD Solutions Pvt Ltd to set up a vintner, wine producing unit, with an annual capacity of 54,556 litres. Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay R Bhoosreddy said this will not be only the first-ever winery in Uttar Pradesh but also the first-ever winery in north India. The excise department said that with the establishment of a vintnery, the income of farmers will be increased as farmers will get a fair price for their fruits. Besides rural tourism, people will also get employed with the setting up of the vintnery, the government said. According to a statement released by the Excise Department, fruits are cultivated in 4.76 lakh hectares of Uttar Pradesh, and the annual fruit production is 105.41 lakh tonnes. “Out of this, 60 per cent fruits are utilised, while the remaining 40 per cent, which accounts for about 42.16 lakh tonnes, remain unutilised. In this way, the cost of fruits left over in the state is about Rs 4,216.40 crores. With the establishment of vintnery industry, the leftover fruits will be utilised, which will increase the income of the farmers, employment opportunities will be generated and at the same time revenue of the government will also increase,” the department claimed.
