Bangalore's own grape variety gets the blues

Growers of the sweet Bangalore Blues, a native variety of grape, are sour as their product is not moving to the market. About 4.5 lakh tonnes of grapes are produced in 45,000 hectares of land spread across the state which includes Bangalore, Hoskote, Kolar, Devanahalli, Chikkbalapur, Anekal and Malur. However, only 30% of the produce is going to the market and the rest is going waste.

"We are not getting a fair price. The government is ignoring this horticultural crop which is mainly grown by small- and medium-level farmers," said Narayanaswamy N, director of Karnataka State Grape Growers' Association.

Though Bangalore Blues is much appreciated in other parts of India, the encouragement from the state government has been negligible. The growers said that while the French variety of grapes grown received a subsidy of `20 to `30 per kilo through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, the local variety got no subsidy.

The French variety, cultivated in India, is suitable only for wine while Bangalore Blues, grown throughout the year, can be consumed as a fruit, juice, wine and spirit.Members of the Karnataka Grape Growers' Association at a protest on Wednesday —Mohan Kumar BN