DHUBRI, Feb 26 - Strawberries, which are hardly seen in any market of Dhubri district, are now growing in hundreds in one of the farms in Rabontari village under Sapatgram PS of the district.
Pranab Kalita, a youth is not only producing strawberries that usually grow in hill stations, but is also making a good profit out of it. Pranab, started planting strawberries in November, 2017 and by February this year his strawberry garden has flourished in such a way that it has become a centre of attraction for people from far-off areas.
Moreover, people are buying the fruit from him not only because it is rare but also because it is fully organic. Enthusiastic farmers from many parts of the State have also been visiting him to learn his techniques.
�As strawberry is a fruit of hill stations, all I do is to control the intensity of sunlight by 60% or less by using a low cost special green cover effect,� said Kalita, who is a graduate in Arts. He opted for farming a few years back.
He also added that he has not used any chemical fertilizer to grow them but has used only the traditional manure in a scientific way. �I am still doing research on the plants so that I can generate maximum fruits. Hopefully next season I will cultivate them in more areas,� said Kalita while adding that from November to March these plants grow with the exotic fruit but he started planting them in November only last year. Therefore, he was late in getting the fruits.
He informed that demand of his strawberries have grown so much that he is selling them at a rate of Rs 600 to Rs 1000 per kg. And if someone can�t afford this price, he is selling them at Rs 10 to Rs 20 per piece.
While taking to this correspondent, senior scientist and head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dr Chandan Kumar Deka said that such farmers are an example for other cultivators who try to do something new. �As per our reports, he is the only one who has grown strawberries in the district. This is a high-value crop that can yield a lot of fruits in a little area of land,� said Deka who also added that for cultivating the crop, hard labour is not required and it could be grown along with other crops. Krishi Vigyan Kendra had arranged 300 saplings of the plant from Pune for Kalita.
The administration concerned is very pleased with the success story of strawberries in the backward district. �This plant can be a game-changer for the agriculture sector of the State. Through the Agriculture department, we are all set to help all such farmers who have shows interest in new ideas of farming,� said Bikash Sharma, DIPRO, who also added, �We will also arrange loans for such farmers through Kisan Credit Card.�