NASHIK: With a shortage of grapes due to the drought in South Africa and with Chile’s harvest season slated to arrive in February, India grape exports have nearly doubled compared to last year.

Indian vineyard owners had grasped the situation in South Africa and shrewdly changed their harvest pattern by pruning the vines 15 days earlier.

Due to the pruning, the harvests were taken out a fortnight earlier and exported immediately to an expectant international market. Maharashtra Drakshya Bagiatdar Sangh, Nashik division president Manikrao Patil said that the grape position was very positive and exports would be nearly double compared to last year. India has 34,752 registered vineyards, which include 34,612 farms in Maharashtra.