NASHIK: Even though cooler temperatures aided vineyards to bloom this year and farmers hoped to produce good quality grapes in huge quantities, the unseasonal rains and changing weather conditions have created severe problems for them. The adverse weather conditions lead to the rotting of grapes bunches in some orchards and increase the risk of fungal diseases in crops.
For the third year in a row, the grape growers are likely to face huge losses. The rising cost of spraying disinfectants, needed to help the vineyards survive this year, has created another problem for the farmers.
For the past two years, Covid-19 and lockdown affected the farmers, and now, the unseasonal rains have led to an increase in the cost of spraying. The cost of production is increasing day by day and the farmers are suffering through losses for the past three years.
The farmers are struggling to save their crops by indulging in various practices like spraying disinfectants, protecting the vineyards from any potential harm, and others. The rising costs of disinfectants have made the situation worse for farmers.
Due to the increasing costs of pesticides and insecticides, the production cost of grapes has doubled this year. Covid-19, lockdown, and unseasonal rains have made farmers’ survival difficult in recent times.
