AFTER industrial parks and software parks, wine parks are obviously the latest in the minister’s bounty bag. Floated with the idea of providing Maharashtra grape-growers organised infrastructure for their enterprise, the wine parks have been designated at Sangdewadi in Palus taluka of Sangli district and at Vinchur, in Niphad taluka, Nashik district. Nothing wrong in the locales: Both are premier grape-growing districts, Sangdewadi is even part of the constituency of state Industries Minister Patangrao Kadam, who came up with the wine parks concept. The parks possess industrial status under the food processing industry. That’s where the good news ends. Of the 450 applications for plots at the 839-acre Vinchur Wine Park, 50 have been cleared. But at Sangdewadi, gloom is the dominant mood. Marginal farmers are complaining of losing their farmlands to roads and other developmental projects for paltry sums. ‘‘Eighty-one small farmers will soon lose their lands, and instead of alternative plots, the government is providing meagre compensations,’’ alleges Vibhushan Shinde, a farmer. Minimum investment Produces Cost price Selling price Rs 12 lakh per vineyard 20,000 litres of wine Rs 60 per bottle approx Rs 400 per bottle approx ‘‘Already 13 farmers have lost their farmlands to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for road construction and till today we have not received any compensation,’’ complains Dattu Shinde, one of the farmers. MIDC officials deny the charge, maintaining that they have paid appropriate compensation, and emphasise that the project is anyway for the benefit of farmers. The 338-acre Sangdewadi wine park 109 plots earmarked by the MIDC; 32 of them have been allotted already. ‘‘Work on basic infrastructure, including roads, water, street lights, pipelines and water tanks has been completed already. Other work, too, is in progress, says S M Mali, MIDC incumbent in Sangli. MIDC, too, is developing a vineyard here. The estimated minimum investment per farmer is Rs 12 lakh for a vineyard growing 250 quintals of grapes, required to produce 20,000 litres of wine. The production cost per bottle of 750 ml is slated between Rs 55 and Rs 60.
