Lambasingi farmers taste sweet success in strawberry farming

Rajamahendravaram: DR YSR Horticulture University (Dr YSRHU), in addition to its original task, is helping the horticulture farmersin various ways and one among them is its recent achievement relating to strawberry growers.

Strawberry farmers Lambasingi in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam are all smiles this year due to the efforts of Dr YSRHU, which produced jam from strawberry fruits from its post-harvesting technology wing using the advanced technology. They extracted pulp from the fruits and mixed it with sugar before packing the same in the bottles from its bottling unit. Some fruits are packed neatly and kept ready for sale.

The yield of strawberry fruits per acre is 800kg and the farmers will get Rs 1.20 lakh per acre if they sell the fruits for Rs 150 per kg. The farmers also earn an income of Rs 3.54 lakh, if they sell the bottles at the rate of Rs 175 each.

About 545 kg of pulp is derived from 800kg of strawberry fruits and after processing 2,000 bottles each weighing 250g are made market ready.

Till last year, two farmers—PVDN Prasad and V Rajkuma—of Rajupaka village in Lambasingi agency area of Chintapalli mandal in Visakhapatnam district had been cultivating strawberry crop for the last three years. This year also they cultivated the crop in six acres and the total cultivation of strawberry is in 20 acres.

However, the Covid-19 hit the tourism industry hard with the number of tourists dwindling to Lambasingi area. Naturally, the duo found it difficult to market the produce as there was no one to purchase strawberry fruits. Usually they used to sell each kg of strawberry fruits anywhere between Rs 150 to Rs 250.

They purchased each strawberry sapling for Rs 15 each from Gujarat and planted 20,000 saplings per acre. From September first week to October first week is the season to plant the saplings and the crop is harvested between 60 days to 180 days.

Strawberry crop needs temperature between 15-25 degrees and in Lambasingi area the normal temperature records between 25-30 degrees Celsius up to March and because of changing climatic conditions, the temperature is increasing and strawberry fruits lose its storage qaulity.

Following the piling of fruit stock, the farmers approached Dr YSRHU in Venkatramannagudem in West Godavari district. Responding to their problem, the univerrsity Vice-Chancellor Dr Toleti Janaki Ram asked research wing director Dr RVSK Reddy and post-harvesting technology chief Dr DV Swamy to do the needful for the sake of the farmers.

Speaking to the Hans India, Dr Toleti Janaki Ram said the university is taking care of horticulture farmers and crops. From time to time, the university is upgrading the technology in various aspects. Manufacturing of jam from strawberry fruit is another achievement and it was made with high quality, he added.

Post-harvesting technology chief Dr DV Swamy said the quality test reports will come from the government in two days for the jam and after receiving it the university would label the bottles to be deployed in the market.