Prashant Thakkar, Partner and Manager, Aditya Corporation, Sangli, Maharashtra, explains that Raisins are dried grapes that are sweet, healthy, and enjoyed all over the world. They can be made by drying grapes naturally in the sun or with the help of machines. After drying, raisins are cleaned, sorted, and packed safely before reaching the market. While raisin production offers good income opportunities, farmers also face challenges in processing and meeting market demands.
Raisins are dried grapes, and when we dry 4 kgs of grapes, it will turn out to be one kg of raisins only. The excess moisture in the fruits gets dried, and the dried raisins are very high in sugar. Some of the important varieties used in India are Thompson seedless, Sonaka, Sarath seedless, and Manik Chaman. Thompson is the most widely used variety across the globe; there are also other varieties like Flame, Black Currant, and Moscatel, but these are not widely found in India.
It is the drying process that determines the quality of the raisins. The first one is the sulphur drying method, which is a very traditional method of drying raisins. The grapes are dried inside a bamboo hut covered with hay and sticks. The fumes of sulphur are sent to the raisins to hasten up the drying. After the process, the raisins turn bright yellow in colour. We have yet another method, which is sun drying. The grapes are dried directly under the sun, and they turn into raisins. These are usually very dark in colour. Countries like the USA, Turkey, and Iran follow this method and the vegetable oil dip method, where the grapes are dipped in the vegetable oil solution and dried on the nets. They are covered with black cloth so that the colour is retained.
We have many varieties of raisins. Golden raisins are very important; they are golden in colour. We have green raisins, brown raisins, black ones, and bakery raisins, which are multicoloured raisins or the residue after making golden, green, and brown raisins. The bakery raisins are not expensive and are widely used in the bakery industry. We have Sangili yellow raisins, sunrise raisins, also known as Haptavi raisins and Industrial raisins, which are the byproducts of whatever is left over after the processing. The yellow raisins, Sangili, and Nasik raisins are the ones dried by using the sulphur drying method. The Haptavi is sun-dried. The Yellow raisins, Sangili, and Nasik raisins obtained by using the sulphur drying method are known as golden raisins all over the world. In India, we do have golden raisins, which are more naturally dried using the veg oil dip method.
The processing of raisins begins with drying grapes meant for processing into raisins. Otherwise, grapes can be used for table consumption or wine preparation. The farmer has to decide what he should do with the product, and he will do the treatments at the farm at the time of harvesting. After drying, we have a post-drying process which involves some cleaning, colour sorting, packaging, and, in the present day, there is also a factory-level cleaning and repacking involved. After drying, the raisins are immediately transported to factories for cleaning and packing. Then the goods are sold or brought to the factory for further processing. February to May is the harvesting and drying period in India for raisins. In other countries, it is from August to October. 70% of the grapes are growing in the Sangili district and the Krishna river basin, and these are meant to be processed as raisins. In Nasik, the grapes produced are for table consumption and wine. Currently, Sangili has overtaken Nasik in all three formats. In Sangili, the weather is conducive for grape cultivation, with humidity less than 50% which is also helpful for drying the raisins.
Journey of raisin production
In the late 1980s, India was dependent on imports from Iran and Afghanistan for its requirements of raisins. During this period, cultivation started in India, but grapes were being used for table purposes. It was in Sangili that the grapes were being processed as raisins. The sulphur method was initially used for drying the raisins, and the first cold storage was set up in Sangili. Then came the veg oil dipping method. During the 90s, there was a rapid increase in raisin production. By 1995, the production went up to 5000 tons. The formation of APMC markets to help farmers sell their produce came up, and the number went up, with a capacity of 1200 MT up to 2500 MT. By 2007, the production of raisins had gone up to 120000 MT. The main raisin-producing countries include China, Greece, Chile, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Australia, and Argentina. What started with 500 tons in the 1980s, grew to 70000 tons by mid 90s, and touched more than 200000 tons in 2010. 2023 witnessed the highest production of 3 lakh tons. During 2007, there were unseasonal rains which turned the raisins brown and not the bright coloured ones consumed locally. So nearly 50% of the crop turned brown and was exported in 2007. The processing for all exports was done locally and manually.
Expanding global footprints
With regard to exports, India has exported up to 35 thousand tons. Of this, the majority is bakery raisins, the production of which is only 9%. For green and golden raisins, there is not a big export market, and it is restricted to the local market because Indians love good, bright coloured raisins, which are not preferred in other importing countries. In 2008, our company representatives had a tour across the world to see the processing of raisins, as the export market has a lot of potential. In 2010, we brought in the first automatic processing unit from Turkey and a laser sorter from the US. We are part of the Sangili Grape Growers Association, and we commissioned the processing plant in 2014. In 2016, we got our cold storage, which was robotic with a capacity of 1700 MT. Nobody can enter this storage, and only a robotic arm can go in and take the products. Now, 100% automatic processing is being done for export markets. The supply for the domestic market is also increasing. There are more than 20 processing lines in India that process raisins. There is a demand for standardisation of colours and other specifications. India is now able to deliver microbiologically compliant products and no heavy metal residue or sulphur, both domestically and abroad.
Challenges
There are many challenges in the process. Pesticide residue compliance is a major challenge. When we export a huge quantity, there is every possibility of other lots also getting mixed. So, controlling the pesticide residue is a major challenge. The next challenge is the reprocessing of processed goods, which involves additional cost. The farmers do the pre-cleaning, take it to the markets to be sold, and everything is mixed. So this involves cost. The next one is the sulphur fumigation. The European markets need sulphur-free raisins, and the levels should be 10 ppm. With low sulphur, the raisins turn brown and are not preferred. The brown raisins do not have an Indian market, and we have to depend on the export market only.
India is a key player with regard to the export of raisins and remains within the top five raisin producers in the world. We have a wide range of raisins: green, black, golden, and brown raisins. Because of the standardisation, we are unable to tap the entire market. There is a huge demand for snack companies and bakery companies, which is increasing every day.
Traditional methods for raisins
In export-dominated countries like the USA and Turkey, farmers used to dry the raisins under the sun and then take them to the processing centres. There were no processing centres in India, and the farmers had to do the sorting, cleaning, and colour grading in the farm itself. Since Indians have an affinity for bright yellow colour, such raisins were sold at a premium compared to brown raisins. With export markets concentrating more on the residue issues, the focus was more on the Indian markets. The processing at the farm level gets them a higher premium price as Indians prefer bright coloured resins like green, yellow, and golden coloured ones. The farmers get small lots and sell at a premium price. By following the traditional methods, farmers could supply only smaller lots. There is no standardisation. Every lot is different here, different colours and varieties. So, every lot has to be physically checked before trading. It has affected the growth of the trade and farmers. The cost increases here. They cannot cater to larger consumers by supplying small quantities, nor can they tap the export markets. The other issue is the non-standardisation.
Modernising raisin production
In terms of yield, the farmers can take the raisins to the processing units, clean and graded. They have more time and resources that can be applied to grow grapes to be dried. The processing units take up the responsibility of cleaning and sorting. They will get less yield but save more on the cost. The sorting and grading are taken care of at the processing unit. As far as the quality is concerned, India is short of resources to sort and clean and colour grade. The processing units can do the processing faster and more accurately clean the product, but sorting on the basis of colour requires human intervention. In the case of export markets, the processing unit is the only option. Compared to a few years ago, the colour sorters and sorting of the produce are highly equipped, but everything is based on the colours. The local market is the major consumer. With improved colour sorting techniques, the yield and production can increase at the farm level of the processing centre. The colour sorting technology has to improve much faster. It has become a highly profitable business, unlike cultivating sugarcane or other crops. The technology helps them grade and pre-cleaning faster, which increases their income.
There is a long way for the Indian farmers to accept the technology followed in Turkey and the USA. The machines that we have are efficient enough to do the cleaning, drying, and sulphurization, but colour sorting is a big challenge even for the farmers abroad. The problem is yet to be sorted out. In India, there are opportunities for technology giants to come forward to address this issue. But the latest technology has not helped much in this direction. It depends on the weather. Drying is not mechanised, and the sun is the most preferred way of drying raisins in the whole world. Technology has not met expectations in other aspects, except for processing, growing, and drying. APEDA has taken a big interest as the industry has a high potential, but they focus on the export side. They are coming up with a system called Grape Net and Raisin Net, where the traceability of pesticide residue is done at the farm level. A lot of interesting work is being done globally by companies like Bullard. They are doing laser and camera sorters. The Raisin Research Institute in Pune is also working jointly with farmers to enhance crop yields. Drying technology has more opportunities technically. Colour sorting, grading based on colour requires a lot of work to be done, but it is achievable. There are a lot of opportunities for technology companies to collaborate with farmers and enhance the production of raisins in India and abroad.
Earlier, it was labour-intensive, removing the sticks from the fruits, which was done manually. We have high-speed machines that do the job much faster and efficiently. There are many farmers who have their own production lines now, some of which are operated by the farmers themselves. At the farm level, drying is done using heat from the sun. Many methods have been tried, but they have not proved successful. Technology helps only in pesticide and pest management. Otherwise, it depends on the change in nature. Labour requirements will be there in the raisin industry. If Indians keep aside their love for colour and go for brown raisins, there is a lot of scope. With other coloured raisins, it will depend on the labour force in the farms.
Contact details
Prashant Thakkar
Managing partner, Aditya Corporation, Sangili, Maharashtra
Mob: 9821240229
Email: prashant@samarthgroup.in
Raisins are dried grapes, and when we dry 4 kgs of grapes, it will turn out to be one kg of raisins only. The excess moisture in the fruits gets dried, and the dried raisins are very high in sugar. Some of the important varieties used in India are Thompson seedless, Sonaka, Sarath seedless, and Manik Chaman. Thompson is the most widely used variety across the globe; there are also other varieties like Flame, Black Currant, and Moscatel, but these are not widely found in India.
It is the drying process that determines the quality of the raisins. The first one is the sulphur drying method, which is a very traditional method of drying raisins. The grapes are dried inside a bamboo hut covered with hay and sticks. The fumes of sulphur are sent to the raisins to hasten up the drying. After the process, the raisins turn bright yellow in colour. We have yet another method, which is sun drying. The grapes are dried directly under the sun, and they turn into raisins. These are usually very dark in colour. Countries like the USA, Turkey, and Iran follow this method and the vegetable oil dip method, where the grapes are dipped in the vegetable oil solution and dried on the nets. They are covered with black cloth so that the colour is retained.
We have many varieties of raisins. Golden raisins are very important; they are golden in colour. We have green raisins, brown raisins, black ones, and bakery raisins, which are multicoloured raisins or the residue after making golden, green, and brown raisins. The bakery raisins are not expensive and are widely used in the bakery industry. We have Sangili yellow raisins, sunrise raisins, also known as Haptavi raisins and Industrial raisins, which are the byproducts of whatever is left over after the processing. The yellow raisins, Sangili, and Nasik raisins are the ones dried by using the sulphur drying method. The Haptavi is sun-dried. The Yellow raisins, Sangili, and Nasik raisins obtained by using the sulphur drying method are known as golden raisins all over the world. In India, we do have golden raisins, which are more naturally dried using the veg oil dip method.
The processing of raisins begins with drying grapes meant for processing into raisins. Otherwise, grapes can be used for table consumption or wine preparation. The farmer has to decide what he should do with the product, and he will do the treatments at the farm at the time of harvesting. After drying, we have a post-drying process which involves some cleaning, colour sorting, packaging, and, in the present day, there is also a factory-level cleaning and repacking involved. After drying, the raisins are immediately transported to factories for cleaning and packing. Then the goods are sold or brought to the factory for further processing. February to May is the harvesting and drying period in India for raisins. In other countries, it is from August to October. 70% of the grapes are growing in the Sangili district and the Krishna river basin, and these are meant to be processed as raisins. In Nasik, the grapes produced are for table consumption and wine. Currently, Sangili has overtaken Nasik in all three formats. In Sangili, the weather is conducive for grape cultivation, with humidity less than 50% which is also helpful for drying the raisins.
Journey of raisin production
In the late 1980s, India was dependent on imports from Iran and Afghanistan for its requirements of raisins. During this period, cultivation started in India, but grapes were being used for table purposes. It was in Sangili that the grapes were being processed as raisins. The sulphur method was initially used for drying the raisins, and the first cold storage was set up in Sangili. Then came the veg oil dipping method. During the 90s, there was a rapid increase in raisin production. By 1995, the production went up to 5000 tons. The formation of APMC markets to help farmers sell their produce came up, and the number went up, with a capacity of 1200 MT up to 2500 MT. By 2007, the production of raisins had gone up to 120000 MT. The main raisin-producing countries include China, Greece, Chile, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Australia, and Argentina. What started with 500 tons in the 1980s, grew to 70000 tons by mid 90s, and touched more than 200000 tons in 2010. 2023 witnessed the highest production of 3 lakh tons. During 2007, there were unseasonal rains which turned the raisins brown and not the bright coloured ones consumed locally. So nearly 50% of the crop turned brown and was exported in 2007. The processing for all exports was done locally and manually.
Expanding global footprints
With regard to exports, India has exported up to 35 thousand tons. Of this, the majority is bakery raisins, the production of which is only 9%. For green and golden raisins, there is not a big export market, and it is restricted to the local market because Indians love good, bright coloured raisins, which are not preferred in other importing countries. In 2008, our company representatives had a tour across the world to see the processing of raisins, as the export market has a lot of potential. In 2010, we brought in the first automatic processing unit from Turkey and a laser sorter from the US. We are part of the Sangili Grape Growers Association, and we commissioned the processing plant in 2014. In 2016, we got our cold storage, which was robotic with a capacity of 1700 MT. Nobody can enter this storage, and only a robotic arm can go in and take the products. Now, 100% automatic processing is being done for export markets. The supply for the domestic market is also increasing. There are more than 20 processing lines in India that process raisins. There is a demand for standardisation of colours and other specifications. India is now able to deliver microbiologically compliant products and no heavy metal residue or sulphur, both domestically and abroad.
Challenges
There are many challenges in the process. Pesticide residue compliance is a major challenge. When we export a huge quantity, there is every possibility of other lots also getting mixed. So, controlling the pesticide residue is a major challenge. The next challenge is the reprocessing of processed goods, which involves additional cost. The farmers do the pre-cleaning, take it to the markets to be sold, and everything is mixed. So this involves cost. The next one is the sulphur fumigation. The European markets need sulphur-free raisins, and the levels should be 10 ppm. With low sulphur, the raisins turn brown and are not preferred. The brown raisins do not have an Indian market, and we have to depend on the export market only.
India is a key player with regard to the export of raisins and remains within the top five raisin producers in the world. We have a wide range of raisins: green, black, golden, and brown raisins. Because of the standardisation, we are unable to tap the entire market. There is a huge demand for snack companies and bakery companies, which is increasing every day.
Traditional methods for raisins
In export-dominated countries like the USA and Turkey, farmers used to dry the raisins under the sun and then take them to the processing centres. There were no processing centres in India, and the farmers had to do the sorting, cleaning, and colour grading in the farm itself. Since Indians have an affinity for bright yellow colour, such raisins were sold at a premium compared to brown raisins. With export markets concentrating more on the residue issues, the focus was more on the Indian markets. The processing at the farm level gets them a higher premium price as Indians prefer bright coloured resins like green, yellow, and golden coloured ones. The farmers get small lots and sell at a premium price. By following the traditional methods, farmers could supply only smaller lots. There is no standardisation. Every lot is different here, different colours and varieties. So, every lot has to be physically checked before trading. It has affected the growth of the trade and farmers. The cost increases here. They cannot cater to larger consumers by supplying small quantities, nor can they tap the export markets. The other issue is the non-standardisation.
Modernising raisin production
In terms of yield, the farmers can take the raisins to the processing units, clean and graded. They have more time and resources that can be applied to grow grapes to be dried. The processing units take up the responsibility of cleaning and sorting. They will get less yield but save more on the cost. The sorting and grading are taken care of at the processing unit. As far as the quality is concerned, India is short of resources to sort and clean and colour grade. The processing units can do the processing faster and more accurately clean the product, but sorting on the basis of colour requires human intervention. In the case of export markets, the processing unit is the only option. Compared to a few years ago, the colour sorters and sorting of the produce are highly equipped, but everything is based on the colours. The local market is the major consumer. With improved colour sorting techniques, the yield and production can increase at the farm level of the processing centre. The colour sorting technology has to improve much faster. It has become a highly profitable business, unlike cultivating sugarcane or other crops. The technology helps them grade and pre-cleaning faster, which increases their income.
There is a long way for the Indian farmers to accept the technology followed in Turkey and the USA. The machines that we have are efficient enough to do the cleaning, drying, and sulphurization, but colour sorting is a big challenge even for the farmers abroad. The problem is yet to be sorted out. In India, there are opportunities for technology giants to come forward to address this issue. But the latest technology has not helped much in this direction. It depends on the weather. Drying is not mechanised, and the sun is the most preferred way of drying raisins in the whole world. Technology has not met expectations in other aspects, except for processing, growing, and drying. APEDA has taken a big interest as the industry has a high potential, but they focus on the export side. They are coming up with a system called Grape Net and Raisin Net, where the traceability of pesticide residue is done at the farm level. A lot of interesting work is being done globally by companies like Bullard. They are doing laser and camera sorters. The Raisin Research Institute in Pune is also working jointly with farmers to enhance crop yields. Drying technology has more opportunities technically. Colour sorting, grading based on colour requires a lot of work to be done, but it is achievable. There are a lot of opportunities for technology companies to collaborate with farmers and enhance the production of raisins in India and abroad.
Earlier, it was labour-intensive, removing the sticks from the fruits, which was done manually. We have high-speed machines that do the job much faster and efficiently. There are many farmers who have their own production lines now, some of which are operated by the farmers themselves. At the farm level, drying is done using heat from the sun. Many methods have been tried, but they have not proved successful. Technology helps only in pesticide and pest management. Otherwise, it depends on the change in nature. Labour requirements will be there in the raisin industry. If Indians keep aside their love for colour and go for brown raisins, there is a lot of scope. With other coloured raisins, it will depend on the labour force in the farms.
Contact details
Prashant Thakkar
Managing partner, Aditya Corporation, Sangili, Maharashtra
Mob: 9821240229
Email: prashant@samarthgroup.in
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