Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur) district in north Karnataka is one of the state’s leading grape-growing districts. With Sangli and Tasgaon across the border in Maharashtra, it forms the belt where most of India’s raisins (kishmish) are made.
Why raisins are made here
The region’s dry, sunny weather in the late winter and spring harvest season suits drying grapes into raisins. Most vineyards grow seedless green grapes of the Thompson Seedless family, which give the long and round green, yellow and golden raisins familiar in Indian markets.
How kishmish is dried
After harvest, bunches are usually dipped in a drying solution that speeds up drying, then spread on racks in open-sided, shaded drying sheds. Shade drying keeps raisins green or golden; drying in the sun darkens them to brown. Drying takes roughly two weeks, depending on the weather. The dried raisins are then cleaned, sorted and often kept in cold storage until they are sold.
The crop season
Fresh raisins usually reach the market from around March to May. Stocks held in cold storage are traded through the rest of the year, so availability of each variety and grade changes as the season goes on.
VISAVA in Vijayapura
VISAVA GROUP’s raisin factory is at 18/2B & 18/5, Solapur Road, NH13, Tidagundi 586119, in Vijayapura district. We buy raisins from the region, then sort, grade, clean and pack them for wholesale buyers across India and for importers abroad. Read more on our raisin manufacturer page.
- Wikipedia — Raisin
- The Hindu — raisin processing in Vijayapura, Karnataka
- For food-safety rules, follow FSSAI in India and your destination country’s import rules for export.