Strawberry Cultivation: Farmers are earning a lot by cultivating this fruit
Strawberry Cultivation: Agricultural practices of Bihar are constantly evolving. Nowadays, more attention is being paid to the cultivation of cash crops instead of traditional crops. Fruit cultivation is becoming increasingly popular among farmers as a revenue crop. This is also affecting the Aurangabad district of Bihar. Hundreds of farmers cultivate strawberries on a large scale in different areas of Aurangabad region.
Farmers of Obra block of the district, which was once called ‘rice bowl’, are cultivating strawberries away from traditional farming. Farmers are also earning a lot of income from the production of this fruit.
Strawberry cultivation in fifteen bighas
Mithlesh Kumar, a farmer of Shankarpur village of Obra block, has been growing vegetables here for the last 20 years. But for the last five years, he is also growing strawberries here apart from vegetables. According to the farmer, he is growing strawberries in fifteen bighas. This gives him an income of about Rs 10 lakh every year. The farmer claims that the strawberry plant yields more than three times the fruits in a season, which gives three to four times more profit than the cost.
Strawberry cultivation technique
According to farmer Mithlesh, strawberry plants are ordered from Haryana, which cost four to five rupees. About 2,000 plants are planted together in one kattha. Let us tell you that sandy loam soil is used to grow strawberries. Strawberry ridges have been made and water pipelines have been laid there, so that the plant can get water occasionally. Strawberries ripen in December or January and are grown from September to October.
The yield is three times more than the cost incurred.
Let us tell you that when the farmer harvests strawberries from the plant, its lifespan is only 72 hours. The farmer harvests the strawberries, packs them and sends them to Patna, Banaras and Kolkata. According to farmer Mithlesh, the price of strawberries can be up to Rs 350 per kilogram, meaning the farmer earns more than he spends.
