Indian grapes have seen a drop in pesticide residue, a new report has found.

A residual monitoring programme at the National Research Centre for Grapes (NRCG) that began in 2003 has shown a drop in failed samples of grape exports, from 23 per cent in 2003-04, to just six per cent in 2006-07.

The initiative, sponsored by The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), has been coupled with the authority’s new export-tracking software GrapeNet to create a two-fold approach to controlling pesticide residue.

NRCG officials strictly monitored the residue levels found in the grapes before clearing them for exports, in a bid to gain importer confidence and boost sales.

They also conducted field visits to instruct farmers on the quantity of pesticides to be used and how to minimise the pesticide residue found in grapes for export.

Sales of Indian grapes have doubled from 26, 783 tonnes in 2003-05 to 54, 049t in 2005-06.

NRCG director PG Adsule said: “Before 2003, there was no mechanism to monitor grape exports for residues. As a result, our exporters lost money when samples contained more pesticide content than allowed by the stringent maximum pesticide level in other countries.”

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