About 50 tribal farmers from five villages located beneath Gujarat's only hill station Saputara have taken up the cultivation of this delicious fruit in 23 hectare of land with the active support of Gujarat government's horticulture department.
What makes Dang an ideal place for the production of strawberries is its moderate weather. This delicious fruit is being cultivated in the Dang for the last one-and-a-half-decade, but the quality of fruit did not match the fruits cultivated by farmers in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgini.
Now, the progressive tribal farmers have started using the tissue culture and modern farming techniques to produce quality strawberries. A progressive tribal farmer from Chirapada Gangaram Raut and his brother started strawberry cultivation from last year in their one hectare farm. Raut brothers are doing strawberry farming using drip irrigation, tissue culture and plastic mulching.
"Last year our farm yielded 50kg of strawberry per week. This time around, the quantity has reached more than 70kg per week," Raut said. Raut and other tribal farmers send their strawberries to Surat, Valsad, Bharuch and Maharashtra. The rest of the yield is sold on Saputara-Nashik highway by the vendors. A kg of strawberry is sold for Rs 150 to Rs 200 in the retail market.
Horticulture officer of Dang Tushar Gamit said, "This is first time that 50 farmers have started strawberry cultivation in the Dang.
The production of strawberry per week is pegged at close to 1,750kg. These farmers themselves sell the strawberries through their retailers and vendors in various cities of south Gujarat. The quality of strawberries cultivated in Dang is at par with fruits cultivated in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgini."
by via Surat News, Latest Surat News Headlines & Live Updates - Times of India
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