Maharashtra leads in the country, both in export and production of pomegranates. Maharashtra leads in the country, both in export and production of pomegranates.

Pomegranate growers in Maharashtra have been hit hard with the recent minimum residue limit (MRL) regulation of the European Union (EU), which has put a question mark on the export viability of their produce. Increase in area as well as pest attacks have substantially hurt growers, who complain of lower realisation from both international and domestic markets.

Maharashtra, which has over 1.30 lakh hectares under pomegranate cultivation, is the leading state in the country both in terms of exports as well as production. Pune, Solapur and Ahmednagar are some of the major producers of pomegranate, which finds its way in varied markets such as the EU, Bangladesh, UAE and the Middle-East. On an average, the country exports over 2,000 tonnes of the fruit to the EU alone.

Prabhakar Chandane, president of the Pomegranate Growers’ Association of India, said the export season of 2017-18 saw exports of just 1,500 tonnes of the fruit to the EU. Last year, Chandane said it was 2,500-3,000 tonnes. “The EU had decided to the change the MRL for phosphoric acid to 2 mg/kg, which prevented exports,” he said.

But growers are uncertain about the origin of the acid, which is a common residue from the usage of commonly used fertilisers and pesticides. The MRL of the acid, for instance, is higher in grapes (75 mg/kg), which has confused many growers.

To add to their woes, Bangladesh had increased the import duty on Indian goods last year, which has resulted in lower exports to that country. Chandane said just 75 per cent of the scheduled exports to Bangladesh could occur due to the steep duty structure. At least 40,000 tonnes of the fruit had reached Bangladesh this year, compared to 51,000 tonnes last year.

Non-viable exports and higher rates of rejection had resulted in a glut of the fruit in the domestic market, which had pulled down the prices for growers. Also, the fruit has reported oily spots this year, which has reduced its price due to quality concerns.

Chandane said the problem of phosphoric acid is serious and can undermine the business. Growers have written to the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) to take up the matter with the concerned authorities for resolution. On their part, the growers, along with the National Research Centre for pomegranates in Solapur, are working to reduce the presence of the chemical in their produce, but the latter, Chandane admits, is not easy to achieve.

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