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Strawberry supply dwindles, cost shoots up tp Rs 250/kg
PUNE Supply of strawberries from Mahabaleshwar has dwindled due to a variety of factors and this has pushed the price of the berry to as high as 250 per kg currently
PUNE Supply of strawberries from Mahabaleshwar has dwindled due to a variety of factors and this has pushed the price of the berry to as high as 250 per kg currently
Normally, given the seasonal supply of the fruit from the neighbouring hill station, January is the time for the strawberry glut, in terms of availability.
However, this year, cue Covid-19 last year, it has not happened. Extended rainfall delayed cultivation and production.
Therefore, the price was high in the pick of the season November and December.
In the Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and Wai belt of Satara district, 4,000 farmers produce strawberries.
Balasaheb Bhilare, head of the Strawberry Growers Association of Maharashtra, said, “The rate of strawberry is Rs 250 per kg . The rate is high as compared to last year. Due to late cultivation, the fruit has come late into the market. The latest cloudy conditions affected fruit quality and size. Production is not up to the mark. Next month the price will drop as other seasonal fruits like grapes, apples, and watermelon will come into the market,” he said.
At least 80 per cent of the year’s strawberry crop in India comes from Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra); while rest comes from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Arvind More, a wholesaler of fruits in Market Yard said, “We sell strawberries in two-kg and one-kg boxes. Size and quality changes the rate. The top quality starts from Rs 200 per box to Rs 350 per box, per kg. There are three types of quality based on size - small, medium and jumbo.”
At present, Pune is receiving its maximum quantity of strawberries from Nashik, Bhor and Velha districts.
“Normally, the Pune market gets five to six tonnes of strawberries. Right now, we are getting only two tones of strawberries per day,” More added.
According to the Strawberry Growers Association of Maharashtra, farmers this year, cultivated only 60 per cent of their usual layout. “Of the total 4,000 acres of farming land, farmers cultivated strawberries only on 2,500 acres of land fearing market uncertainty, bad weather and losses thereof,” an association member said, requesting anonymity.
