Grape cultivation turns sour for Punjab farmers

With huge losses, including non-recovery of even input costs, grape growers are selling the costly infrastructure needed to grow grapes to junk dealers. Others are contemplating doing so, as the grape crop — the variety ‘Perlette’ that is grown in Punjab — now simply seems like a waste of land.

The infrastructure, which includes poles, pipes and wires, among other paraphernalia, costs Rs 1 lakh per acre, claim farmers.

“I have sold off the infrastructure on my 8 acres to a junk dealer for a paltry sum of Rs 28 thousand,” says Harpreet Singh of Burj village in this district. Harpreet, who had uprooted the grape cultivation infrastructure on 7 acres of land last season, decided to deal the final blow on what he had left after rains played havoc with the crop. “I am going for paddy on that land,” he says, ruing that the losses suffered due to grape cultivation were unbearable.

For farmers like Harvinder Singh, who have cultivated grapes for years, this elimination process has been phased out over a fairly long time period. “I switched over to kinnows on 30 acres of land over the last two years. With huge losses this time, I will not grow grapes on the remaining 15 acres either,” he says, adding that the Government’s indifference to the plight of grape growers has contributed to the problem.

“The Government should come up with policies like providing crop insurance to combat the losses due to natural calamities,” he says.

“It was not like this always,” reveals progressive farmer Sukhpal Bhullar of Ghuman Kalan village. “After the introduction of the Israeli technique in the ‘90s, grape cultivation had achieved a peak point. The farmers reaped a profit as high as Rs 1 lakh per acre at that time,” claims Bhullar.

In the Israeli technique, the grapes are brushed at the flowering stage and then dipped into a solution of Gibberellic Acid twice in a span of six days, resulting in improved quality and early maturity of the fruit.

“But, things have changed now. The weather has been becoming inclement over the years, there is a big labour problem and the Government has not given us any incentives to revive the crop and nor has it given any compensation to the affected farmers,” complains Bhullar, who has been cultivating grapes since 1989, only to quit last year in order to use his 5 acres to grow vegetables.

According to Bathinda Horticulture Development officer Dr Narinderjit Singh, in this region alone, grapes were cultivated on 635 hectares of the total 1,050 hectares in the entire state.

The arid climate here is best suited for the crop, but spells of incessant rain upset the balance.

“The climate change in the last three to four years has proved fatal for the crop,” says Punjab Horticulture Department director Dr Baldev Singh. “The proposal for giving compensation to the grape growers who suffered losses due to bad weather was under the consideration of state Government,” Dr Singh added. “Things like crop insurance are the prerogative of the farmers. They can always approach private players for that,” he suggested.

In the grapevine

•Experts believe that due to the arid climate in Bathinda region, there is a huge scope for the cultivation of varieties of grape other than Perlette, provided the Government plans an effective marketing strategy. They say that high-return varieties could be produced for wineries, if the Government takes steps to set up the same nearby to tap the potential of the region. However, these incentives will bear fruit only if the weather remains suitable.