Away from onion gloom, blooms India’s new strawberry country

‘‘We see the plight of farmers in other regions and hear about their suicides. Each time we are glad we switched to strawberry farming,’’ says Sahibrao Gavit of Pohali village, which boasts of having the largest area under strawberry cultivation in the region. ‘‘While others struggle this season with failed crops and increasing debts, we are doing fine, even managing some profits.’’

It all began on a very nervous footing five years ago. Hiraman Raoji Bagul (58) and a few of his friends planted strawberries on a small part of their land after a team from Mahabaleshwar visited the region and sold them some saplings.

‘‘We were going through tough times with both onion and tomato prices fluctuating,’’ recalls Bagul. ‘‘We took a risk and planted strawberries on half an acre. The returns amazed us and seeing our success, others followed suit.’’

What began with just a couple of acres of experimental farming has now become the mainstay of this tribal economy.

Spurred by their initial success, every farmer now has a patch of strawberry besides their chilli plants. Conservative estimates indicate that over 250 acres are already under strawberry cultivation. Everyday, the area under traditional onion and tomato farming is reducing.

‘‘There are no records but I am sure we are producing more than Mahabaleshwar now,’’ says a confident Eknath Dhouli Dhadvi. ‘‘In fact, trucks from Mahabaleshwar come to take our produce and sometimes even saplings. We may sell them as Mahabaleshwar strawberries but they are the result of our sweat and toil.’’

Between November and May, everyday the tribal belt sends nearly 2,000 quintals of strawberry across the country. Initially, the produce went only to neighbouring Gujarat only. Today, farmers are calling Andhra Pradesh, exploring the market in Delhi and wondering if it is time to switch labels on the cartons and declare to the world: ‘‘Fresh Strawberries from Surgana.’’

‘‘The impact has been tremendous,’’ says senior clerk (tribal welfare) Hiraman Dalvi, standing amidst his strawberry patch in Sukapur village. ‘‘Three years ago, people didn’t have enough to eat here. And hundreds went to Pimpalgaon to work as labourers. Today, after the strawberry revolution, every home has sufficient food and nobody goes anywhere in search of work.’’

The enterprising farmers have organised air-conditioned trucks to transport their goods and are constantly looking for new deals. ‘‘We had never gone beyond Surat earlier,’’ says Bogul. ‘‘Today Ahmedabad seems just a few km away. And I am trying to break into the Andhra market.’’

As the sun sets over the Sahyadari hills, the Hiramans are ready with nearly 100 boxes of sweet strawberry. They pile them at the foothill of their home, waiting for the pick-up truck to take the produce to the market place. ‘‘We work very hard, but it is worth it,’’ says Anita, admitting that she still hasn’t got used to the sweet-sour taste of her strawberries.

The economics

On an average a farmer spends between Rs 25,000 and 30,000 on one acre of strawberry plantation. The sowing is done just after the rains, sometime in July. After Diwali, the harvesting begins and continues into the month of May. The prices can go well above Rs 100 per kilogram when demand peaks. But each farmer is assured of a return of at least Rs 5 lakh per acre each season.

anuradha.nagaraj@expressindia.com