Despite incurring expenditure of about Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh an acre, the yield has remained low. Much to his agony, the yield from an acre had fallen drastically to 3,000 kilos against its normal output of about 12 to 15 tonnes. This fruit crop also did not yield lucrative money as the procurement price fell sharply. Normally, a kilo of grapes fetched Rs 70 at farm gate, but it has dropped to Rs 32 a kilo, the aggrieved farmer said.

Another farmer from Odaipatti, P. Venkatesh, said the first crop of grape was actively cultivated at the right time in the Tamil month of Chithirai to Vaikasi this year, but since the weather was extremely hot in this summer, it caused flower-shedding, increasing the risk of crop damage.

Ultimately, many farmers were forced to go for the second crop. But, their hopes were also dashed as torrential rain pounded down. Since the downpour heavily damaged the vineyards, the affected grape growers hardly found any takers. As the demand has fallen, growers were forced to sell at throwaway price, which has plunged to a new low of Rs 8 per kilo.  But, one of his five acres that was protected under the ‘rain net’ technology offered him much solace, as the one-acre guarded grape farm yielded 12,500 kilos of ‘Super sona’, a seedless variety, the farmer said. When contacted, A. Arumugam, Deputy Director (in-charge) of Horticulture, Theni, told DT Next on Sunday that the farmers should prune grapes in a period conducive to cultivation in April to ensure a good crop.

More importantly, the farmers should earmark August as the peak harvest season to avoid any crop loss. Theni, the paradise of grape farming, covers a total of 1,874 hectares in Cumbum as a major block and Chinnamanur and Uthamapalayam blocks. However, he said though the annual rainfall had surpassed before the year ended in the district, crop damage could be minimal when compared to the losses last year. However, crop damage assessment is yet to be done. On the rainfall, Arumugam said the district has an annual average of 896 mm, but it has surpassed the average and experienced 940 mm. The maximum amount of rainfall occurred normally during October in the calendar year.