Kiwi success may lead Aruchal to fruit wine production

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itagar,  May 15: After successful launch of Arun Kiwi Wine, a brand wine made from Kiwi fruits available in Aruchal Pradesh, experts have suggested the State government to venture into fruit wine production from various fruits, abundantly available in the state.

Aruchal, with the distinction of largest kiwi producing state in the country, on an average produces 30,945.2 MT of apples, 4,720.5 MT of kiwi, 1, 76, 707 MT citrus and 67,580 MT of pineapple annually. According to official data, Aruchal Pradesh has 18 lakh hectares of land available for horticultural activities out of which only 1.13 lakh hectares were brought under cultivation till date.  “Fruit wine could be a money spinner for the state. The state government could seriously think about its potential and go for wine manufacturing from various available fruits in the state,” commented Akalpit Prabhune, director of Pune-based Hill Crest Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd who was here recently to launch the Arun Kiwi Wine.

The Aruchal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing & Processing Board (APHPM&PB) had inked a MoU with Hill Crest Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd on December 2013 for producing kiwi wine.

Rhythm Winery, a part of the Hill Crest Foods & Beverages Pvt Ltd, is sourcing over 2.5 tonnes of kiwi fruits from Aruchal for brewing the wine.

According to the MoU, the revenues from the business would go to the APHPM&PB while Rhythm Winery is only a service provider working on project basis.

The state government had finced the full cost of the project amounting to Rs 18,84,000 as per project proposal submitted by Hill Crest.  Prabhune said that kiwi has high aroma and refreshing flavor with high acidic ture and sugar level similar to grapes.

“Kiwi has several health benefits as it is having very high percentage of anti-oxidants and Vitamin C,” he said adding, fruit wine as a processing industry could produce high end products at low costs. Prabhune has suggested the state government to frame a wine policy to help the farmers interested in setting up of wineries at individual level.

“Since the area and productions are increasing year after year, there is tremendous scope for establishment of food processing industries in Agri and allied sectors, especially in Horticulture,” Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Chow Mein pointed out. He said, the department’s officials have been directed to survey similar avenues for other fruits also in order to benefit the farmers and to encourage food processing industries in the State. “The Government is eager to support, promote and welcome such endeavors,” he said and invited investors to set up winery and other value-addition industries in the state as raw materials are available and would increase over the years. Orange winery could double the profits of orange growers by using small and discarded oranges to generate ‘wealth from waste’, observed Dr Raghuth W Khare, a consultant from Bangalore. Khare visited the state recently on invitation from the state government to provide consultancy on the prospects of fruit wine in the state. Highlighting on the benefits of wine industry, Khare disclosed that winery would protect the growers from vagaries of ture. If weather is bad and fruit quality suffers than large fruit sale may suffer but winery profit would never decrease. “Quality of wine can be adjusted even if fruit quality is poor. Even if fruit falls due to hail storm, it can be processed into an intermediate product which can be converted to wine later,” he pointed out. He said, wineries would generate employment for women and create opportunities to grow other fruits. “The concept of winery is to make high class wines and sell them at very reasoble rates so that selling effort is minimal,” he added.