Strawberry shaken

Around 1,400 farmers in Bhillar,a hamlet in Mahableshwar,and its surrounding areas produce nearly 80 per cent of the countrys strawberry. Nashik,Wai,Panchgani and Himachal Pradesh account for the rest.

The demand for the domestic market has risen by 20 per cent. Moreover,heavy rainfall along with the cyclone damaged the strawberries. In such a scenario,we will not be able to meet the demand of the international market, said Balasaheb Bhilare,president,All India Strawberry Growers Association AISGA.

The fruit is sown in September and October,and is harvested around May. It travels from Satara to Ken Agritech in Hubli,Karnataka,which routes it to the international market.

Farmers from Bhillar said that they cannot provide the fruit for export. The demand from companies like Mapro and Mala for jams and syrups,and retail chains like Reliance Fresh is huge. The domestic market has grown beyond Maharashtra to cities like Delhi,Hyderabad,Chennai and Goa, said farmer Baburao Bhilare.

Besides,the farmers find catering to the domestic market more feasible.

Since the shelf life of the fruit is around 48 hours,we suffer losses if any container for export is rejected. The risk factor for domestic market is minimum and,therefore,more practical, he said.

Managing director,Ken Agritech,Vivek Nayak agreed that exports will slump this year. We are still trying to work out a deal with the Bhillar farmers. India is making its mark in the international market and if we discontinue the export at this point of time,it will reflect badly on us, he said.

As the strawberry sale had picked up abroad,its cultivation too rose accordingly. From last years 1,600 acre,the fruit is now grown in 2,000 acre. The increase in acreage has increased the production by nearly 4,000 tonnes,leading to a record 20,000 tonne production this season, said Balasaheb Bhilare. Had Phyan not damaged the fruit,we would have been able to satisfy both domestic and international buyers, he said. Each acre under strawberry cultivation yields strawberries worth around Rs 5 lakh.

The gap in demand and supply has jacked up the price to around Rs 120 per kg. Farmers directly sell strawberry at Rs 25 per kg to wholesale buyers while for retailers the cost is Rs 50 upwards.

GI status for Mahabaleshwar strawberries

To avoid duplication of strawberries from Nashik,Panchgani and Wai,which are sold as branded berries from Mahableshwar,AIGSA has approached the Government of Indias Registry of Geographical Indications RGI in Chennai for a Geographical Indication GI status. By March this year,the certification should be granted as scientific analysis of the content of strawberry from Mahableshwar vis-à-vis other cities is under process.

Balasaheb Bhillare said the strawberries from Mahableshwar are different owing to the special climatic and soil conditions here. The sucrose content is the highest at 11 per cent,water at 80 per cent and acidic content at mere nine per cent. While the fruit from Wai,Nashik and other areas only have around six per cent of sugar and 40 per cent of water,the rest is acidic,which is why they taste sour, he said.