Although the strawberries grown in Himachal Pradesh town are in demand in north Indian cities, and good weather has meant strong production this year, growers still want more help from the government. They believe tissue culture plants should be imported to strengthen the ailing strawberry industry and high-yield varieties should be cultivated to provide year-round production.
Growers say the strawberries grown in the hills command greater demand than those in the plains, owing to high quality and longer shelf life.
At least 250 growers in the state are farming strawberries on less than 60 hectares.
Production in the state was 500 tonnes last year and is expected this year to be 25 to 30 percent higher. The output was 466 tonnes in 2010-11.
The strawberry crop starts arriving in the market at the end of February and its harvesting continues until the first week of May.
“We are harvesting 200 to 300 trays of strawberry every day. We are getting good prices this year,” said grower Lekh Raj.
He said the price of a tray — each 250 gm – ranges between Rs.80 and Rs.90 in the wholesale market. The early varieties fetched Rs.100 to Rs.120 per tray.
Traders in Dehradun say the demand is high owing to the onset of the wedding season.
The hill state is known for growing late varieties like ‘Sweet Charlie’ and ‘Chandler’ that command much demand in the fruit processing industry.
Aggarwal said the state horticulture department has invested in developing facilities like tissue culture labs but failed to introduce high-yield varieties that can be grown round the year and should provide imported tissue culture plants to strengthen the ailing industry.
Earlier, he said, there were 55 to 60 growers in the Paonta Sahib area alone. Now they have been reduced to 35.
State Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes informed the assembly last week that the state will provide 50 percent subsidy or the maximum Rs.140,000 per hectare to the strawberry growers for drip irrigation and mulching.
She said there is also a plan to start cultivation of white strawberry and expand the existing area.
