By Vaibhav Vedak January 10, 2022
Nashik – One of the most ideal places in the country for agriculture and cultivation of fresh produce. There are several factors that make Nashik a hub for fresh fruits and vegetables. Its strategic location, fertile soil, abundant water from the river Godavari are some of the factors. Every trip to Nashik is new learning for me and is an experience in itself.
Every year January marks the commencement of Grapes season from India and Nashik being one of the most important Grapes cultivating areas of the country, a trip was inevitable. My recent visit to Nashik was a flag-off for our 1st Grapes container for this season. We did a container of Thompson variety from one of the best exporters of Grapes in Maharashtra. We ensured the best quality produce and packaging material, good size and high Brix. Whenever there is a new product to be exported, I personally visit the facility of the exporter. This way I leverage my previous QA experience and get to learn the nitty-gritty of trade. By being present at the facility during packing I kept an eye on size, Brix and defects such as spots, cracks and presence of water berries. There was a staff of more than 45 people working on both sides of the conveyor belt. They were looking after grading, sorting, packing and quality. The packing went on for a day and was followed by precooling for more than 8 hours at 0 deg C. Next day the palletised boxes were loaded into the container.
Like every other trip, I have done earlier this one too was a great learning experience. There are several factors that need to be considered for Grapes, namely size, Brix, defects, etc. Also, maintaining the right temperature after packing the produce into boxes is extremely crucial. We have ensured all these parameters were maintained during the shipment and hence hope that the product will reach Jebel Ali in an optimum condition.