Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 5: Many of the farmers in Kashmir are busy in plucking of strawberries, season’s first crop in Kashmir, and are happy with the bumper production this year. The relatively new concept of strawberry farming has become quite popular among traditional paddy, maize and wheat farmers in the Valley since 2001.
The farmers believe that the crop is better than other traditional crops grown in the same plot of land earlier and due to its good demand in the local market they make good living out of it. But at the same time, they are optimistic to see opening of new markets outside State with the help of Government, which will further increase the revenue of thousands of farmers associated with this new trade.
Strawberry fruit is packaged in one and two kilograms of boxes and it’s per kilogram cost remains from Rs 60-120 depending up on the weather condition.
The concept of strawberry farming was brought by Abdul Ahad Mir, one of the local farmers from Gauso, Hazratbal, Srinagar in 2001, by planting its saplings on mere one Kanal of land. Within this short span of time, Mir started cultivating this cash crop on his whole plot of eight Kanals of land, thus created a niche among top agro-farming entrepreneurs of State.
Following his footsteps more than 400 Kanals of land in his village are under its cultivation and now thousands of people are attached with this trade. “The livelihood of most of the people in this village depends upon this fruit,” said Mir.
For his innovative farming concept to engage youth with latest demandable cash farming, his dedication and hard work has earned him three national awards in the agriculture world, among which Tarki Yafta Kissan Award in the year 2009, Chowdri Charan Singh Award by Union Agriculture Minister at New Delhi in 2010 and in 2011 he got State Award for number one progressive farmer.
“With the help of modern technology, fertilizers and support from horticulture, I almost produce 1500 kgs of Strawberry fruit per Kanal,” he said.
Mir said in Kashmir this is available in packs and boxes and is mostly consumed fresh, but strawberry is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in prepared foods such as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams and milk shakes all over the world.
Mir said that he now got four-hundred Kanals of land belonging to Karan Singh for strawberry cultivation at Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
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