Grape growers across India can now get their residue reports online. This move by Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development (Apeda) is expected to help grape farmers and prevent their exploitation at the hands of the exporters of the fruit. Residue report gives details of plots and chemicals in a crop.

Apeda has created a separate link on its website wher a grower simply has to enter a registration number to login and get the residue report of his orchard. Apeda has made this facility available from the season of 2018-19, ending the long wait of growers.

For the past few years, farmers who wished to export grapes were not getting their reports on time which made exports difficult and therefore this has been a long-pending demand, industry people said.

According to Jagannath Khapre, president, All India Grape Exporters Association, this move will help bring in transparency and curb exploitation of growers at the hands of exporters.

Last season, 38,000 vineyards have been registered under GrapeNet. Feasibility reports were being prepared for other nations so that grapes from India do not face any residue-related issues. Grape exports touched 180,000 tons. Khapre said exports could be similar or around 200,000 tons this year.