Strawberry turnover to cross Rs 100-cr mark

SATARA: With the popularity of strawberry growing steadily in urban areas, the turnover in Panchgani in Satara district is set to cross the Rs 100 crore mark in the current season.
Balasaheb Bhilare, chairman of Strawberry Growers’ Association said, “The strawberry plantation has increased to 2,500 acres from 2,300 acres in 2009. In last ten years, not just the production but export as well as demand for strawberry in domestic market has steadily gone up.This is attracting more and more farmers to undertake strawberry cultivation.”
“As many as 34 villages and 1,350 farmers from Mahabaleshwar taluka are growing strawberry. Interestingly, in 2001, only 1,300 acre area was under strawberry cultivation. The other strawberry growing areas in the country include Bangalore, Ooty and Jammu. Talukas in Satara like Patan, Jawali and Koregaon are also into strawberry cultivation,” he added.
The hilly region of Mahabaleshwar is known for heavy rainfall and has proved suitable for strawberry. Today 87 per cent of the country’s strawberry production comes from farms in Panchgani. The area is located at the height of around 4,300 feet from the sea level.
The strawberry from Mahabaleshwar region was also awarded the Geographical identification status, which has protected the features of strawberries from this area.
Of the total production, 80 per cent strawberry is consumed as fresh fruit and remaining is used for making jams, jellies and other food items. “The association has also come up with fresh strawberry juice, made from local strawberries. At present, saplings of the fruit are imported from California University in the US, as they are suitable for Indian climatic conditions,” Bhilare stated.
He said, “With the increasing demand for strawberry abroad and domestic market, farmers are opting to increase areas under cultivation. Some 20,000 saplings are planted in one acre, where each sapling produces 500 gm to 700 gm of strawberries. A farmer generally invests around Rs 2.80 lakh per acre and can earn as high as Rs 3.80 lakh in the season. In 2006, some 600 tonne strawberry was exported to France and Belgium among other countries. With higher returns, the export of the fruit is going up.”