Fruit wine can boost Arunachal economy: Experts

Itanagar:  After the successful launch of a drink made from kiwi fruits grown in Arunachal Pradesh, experts have suggested that the state government venture into making fruit wine from the various fruits which are abundant in the northeastern state. Arunachal, which enjoys the distinction of being the largest kiwi producing state in the country, annually produces an average of 30,945.2 MT of apples, 4,720.5 MT of kiwi, 1,76,707 MT citrus and 67,580 MT of pineapples. According to official data, the state has 18 lakh hectares of land available for horticulture of which only 1.13 lakh hectares have till date been brought under cultivation. “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,” said Akalpit Prabhune, director of Pune-based Hill Crest Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd, who was here on May 6 to launch Arun Kiwi Wine.  “Kiwi has several health benefits as it has a high percentage of anti-oxidants and Vitamin C,” he said, adding that fruit wine as a processing industry could produce high end products at low cost.
Prabhune has suggested that the state government frame a wine policy to help the farmers who are interested in setting up wineries. “Since the area and production is increasing year after year, there is tremendous scope for establishment of food processing industries in the agri and allied sectors, especially in horticulture,” pointed out Arunachal Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Chowna Mein.  Orange wineries could double the profits for orange growers as they could use small and discarded oranges to generate “wealth from waste”, observed Raghunath W Khare, a consultant from Bengaluru.
Wineries would also generate employment for women and create opportunities for the cultivation of other fruits, he said. “The concept here is to make high-class wines and sell them at very reasonable rates so that minimum effort is needed for selling it,” he added. (PTI)