Chikkaballapur, 15 July

Thieves allegedly stole nearly 2.5 tonnes of Red Globe grapes from a farm at Kolavanahalli village on Monday night, causing a loss of around Rs 3 lakh.

The victim, Basavaraj, said the grapes were ready for harvest. Basavaraj cultivated Red Globe grapes on two acres, and had reportedly invested nearly Rs 15 lakh, expecting a yield of around 30 metric tonnes, fetching nearly Rs 45 lakh at the market price of about Rs 150 per kg.

Raghavendra, Technical Officer in the Horticulture Department, said grapes are cultivated on nearly 1,900 hectares in Chikkaballapura district by more than 2,000 farmers. While Bengaluru Blue and Dilkhush remain dominant, several farmers are switching to the Red Globe variety due to better returns.