Maharashtra Leads India’s Pomegranate Exports with 78% Share, Boosting Farmer Success
Maharashtra Leads India's Pomegranate Exports with 78% Share, Boosting Farmer Success
Pune: Maharashtra tops in Pomegranate Exports. Farmers in Maharashtra have made a great comeback in growing pomegranates. Farmers were facing many weather challenges like droughts, heavy rains, and unseasonal storms. According to the Agriculture Department, the state has exported 22,360 tons of pomegranates in the last nine months. Which is almost 78% of the India’s total exports. This makes Maharashtra the top exporter of pomegranates in India.
Pomegranates in Maharashtra are grown on more than 1,15,000 hectares of land. The Agriculture Department has started several programs to help farmers export more. This program helped farmers to grow a good quality of pomegranates. This has led to higher demand from other countries. Pomegranates from Maharashtra are sent to countries like Europe, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Nepal, and Malaysia.
Farmers have kept the quality of their pomegranates high, by carefully taking care of their farms. Even though the weather is unpredictable, farmers maintained the high quality. Last year, Maharashtra exported 56,407 tons of pomegranates. However this year, in just nine months, they have already exported 22,360 tons. The more interest is coming from European and Gulf countries.
Farmers from states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh have been sending pomegranates to other countries. There are total 21,830 registered farmers across India, which are exporting. Out of 21,830, Maharashtra has 21,797 farmers, which shows that Maharashtra is a leader in this business.
Efforts to Improve Farming : Pomegranate Exports
The Agriculture Department has started a project called HORTSAP. You can read more about HORTSAP here. This project helps to manage pests and diseases in pomegranate farms. The project focuses on pests like thrips, fruit borers, and shot hole borers, as well as diseases like wilt. They will also set up 45 agricultural schools in 2024-25 to help farmers even more.
What Farmers Say about Pomegranate Exports
Vijay Margale, a pomegranate farmer from Tadawale in Atpadi Taluka, said, “Even though the weather is tough, we are still growing good-quality pomegranates. Export-grade pomegranates are selling for good prices, which is encouraging more farmers to export.”
Prabhakar Chandne, the President of the All India Pomegranate Association, said, “Right now, the domestic market is doing well, but we are unsure about exports this year. Still, Maharashtra’s farmers are showing a lot of strength.”
