Aiming to promote the manufacture of wine in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government is mulling a proposal to set the ball rolling for the growth of wine industry.

Taking a cue from the Nashik model of wine manufacturing, senior officials of the Excise department recently met the wine manufacturers’ association to discuss ways of establishing and developing a wine industry in Uttar Pradesh.

Nasik in Maharashtra has emerged as a centre of Indian wine production. Uttar Pradesh now boasts of surplus produce of sub-tropical fruits which are now increasingly being used in wine making. The state, which has a policy for wine manufacturing, does not have a single unit so far.

Additional Chief Secretary (Excise) Sanjay Bhoosreddy said, "Several sub-tropical fruits like mango, jamun, jackfruit, guava, grapes, litchi, amla and papaya are grown in the state and the huge quantities produced are not even fully utilised. A lot of the produce gets wasted due to lack of proper storage facilities. If wineries are set up here, then the industry will get a boost through incentives, farmers will get the right price for their produce, all the fruits will be put to good use and the state will earn revenue through sale of wine in the process."

Bhoosreddy briefed  representatives from other states about the provisions made for the promotion of wine production units in the Excise Policy 2021-22. For optimum utilisation of the large quantity of fruits like mango, berries, peach etc. produced in the state, provisions have been made for the establishment of wineries in the Excise Policy for 2021-22 .

He also said that wine made from fruits produced in UP had been kept free from consideration fee and additional consideration fee for the next five years. Provision has also been made for grant of licence to vintneries for retail sale of wine in their premises at a licence fee of Rs 50,000 only.

Excise Commissioner Senthil Pandiyan C. said, "Under the One-District, One Product scheme, the Excise department will identify districts where fruit cultivation is high, and the produce is not used fully so that wineries can be established in such areas. At present there are a total 12,700 outlets of foreign liquor, beer, model shops, premium retail vendors in the state from where different brands of India- made and imported wines can be sold.”

All India Wine Producers Association president Jagdish Holkar has assured the Uttar Pradesh government that he would apprise potential investors about the government incentives being offered for setting up wineries in the state.