A grape farmer inspects his vineyard in Shweda, located near Yamethin township in Mandalay Division.

TOMORROW’S wine connoisseurs could be savouring anyo, theechuin and shweni varietals as they now sip cabernet sauvignon, merlot and zinfandel, Myanmar grape growers hope.

Until lately, Shweda region near Mandalay Division’s Yamethin township was the home of the betel nut that was produced there in great numbers as shwedakwin (Shweda betel). But now the vine is taking over. Shweda is becoming wine country.

“Shweda region is the best place to grow grapes. The region has medium rainfall and good water resources. Heavy rain is bad for grapes,” said U Hla Myint, who has been a grape farmer in the Shweda region for many years.
The most popular grapes are anyo (brown), theechuin (slender shape) and shweni (gold red), he said.

“Most people prefer anyo. It’s easy to grow and production is good – it produces a lot of fruit per acre,” said U Hla Myint.

“Anyo class can produce about 900 vines per acre. Shweni and theechuin produce about 450 plants. Grapes can be reproduced from our own farms, or we can buy readymade plants. Grape plant prices are K50 for anyo class and K100 for shweni and theechuin,” he said.

It costs about K0.7 million or 0.8 million an acre to grow grapes, including the cost of the plants, fertiliser and associated chemicals, and labour.

Grape plantations can yield a harvest after four months of cultivation, and then produce four harvests a year. Production falls during the rainy season, which can also bring insects and pests. A single vine can produce 4 viss of fruit during a season (1 viss equals 1.6 kilograms or 3.6 pounds), and the yield per season per acre is 6000 viss.

The best growing time is the cold season, when the fruit also fetches the highest prices. The current price is K900 a viss for the anyo class, down from K1500 last year. Theechuin and shweni sell for K1700 a viss at present, down from K2300 last year, said U Hla Myint.

“We grew only betel before. We’ve tried to switch to grapes before but failed many times. It’s interesting growing grapes and learning from other grape farmers,” said grape farmer U Soe Min from Phayargone village.

Grapes from the region are sent to Yangon, Mandalay and other cities to be sold. Almost every village in the Shweda region earns money from grape farming, said U Soe Min.