1. INTRODUCTION
Strawberry (Fragaria
vesca) is an important fruit crop of India and its commercial production is
possible in temperate and sub-tropical areas of the country.
2. OBJECTIVE
The main objective of
this report is to present a bankable one-acre model for high quality commercial
cultivation of the crop.
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 Area & Production
Strawberry is cultivated
in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana,
Punjab and Rajasthan. Sub-tropical areas in Jammu have also the
potential to grow the crop under irrigated condition. Estimates of area
and production of the crop are not available.
3.2 Economic Importance
Strawberry is rich in
Vitamin C and iron. Some varieties viz. Olympus, Hood & Shuksan
having high flavour and bright red colour are suitable for ice-cream
making. Other varieties like Midway, Midland, Cardinal, Hood, Redchief
and Beauty are ideal for processing.
4. MARKET ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY
4.1 Export/Import Trends
India
exports strawberry mainly to Austria, Bangladesh, Germany, Jordan & U.S.A.
The
trend in export of strawberry from country-wise exports during 2000-02
in Table-1.
Table-1 : Country-wise export of fresh
strawberries from India during 2001-02.
Source : APEDA, New Delhi
|
4.2 Analysis and Future Strategy
Strawberry has
advantages of easy propogation, early maturity and high yield with 5-9%
sugar. To boost its production there is a need to develop
infra-structure facilities for transport of produce to primary markets as the
fruit is highly perishable. Processing facilities in the
major producing states have to be made for value addition.
5. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
5.1 Agro-climatic requirements
Strawberry grows well
under temperate climate. Some cultivars can be grown in sub-tropical climate.
Daylight period of 12 hrs. or less and moderate temperature are important for
flower-bud formation. Each cultivar has a different day length and temperature
requirement.
Sandy loam to loamy soil
with pH 5.7-6.5 is ideal for cultivation.
5.2 Varieties Cultivated
Important strawberry varieties cultivated in India are Chandler,
Tioga, Torrey, Selva, Belrubi, Fern and Pajaro. Other varieties
include Premier, Red cost, Local Jeolikot, Dilpasand, Bangalore, Florida 90,
Katrain Sweet, Pusa Early Dwarf & Blakemore.
5.3 Land Preparation
The soil is ploughed during summer with a soil
turning plough which is followed by repeated ploughing to make soil friable,
remove weeds and stubbles. Soil fumigation with a mixture of methyl bromide and
chloropicrin helps to increase root system, reduce fertilizer requirement and
control the weeds.
5.4 Planting
5.4.1 Planting Material
Strawberry is commercially propagated by runner
plants. For large scale propagation of virus free plants, tissue culture is
widely used.
5.4.2 Planting Season
The ideal time of planting runners or crowns in
hilly areas is September-October. If the planting is done too early, plants
lack vigour and result in low yield and quality of fruits. If planted very
late, runners develop in March and crops are light.
Runners are uprooted from nursery, made into
bundles and planted in the field. These can be kept in cold storage before
transplanting.
The soil should be frequently irrigated to
reduce water stress in the leaf. Defoliation suppresses the plant
growth, delays fruiting and reduces yield & quality.
5.4.3 Spacing
Planting distance varies according to variety
& type of land. A spacing of 30 cm. x 60 cm. is usually
followed. In the model scheme, a spacing of 30 cm. x 30 cm. with a
population of 22,000 plants per acre has been considered which was commonly
observed in areas covered during a field study.
5.5 Nutrition
A fertilizer dose of
25-50 tonnes farmyard manure, 75-100 kg. N, 40-120 kg. P2O5, 40-80 kg. K2O/ha.
may be applied according to soil type and variety planted.
5.6 Irrigation
Strawberry being a
shallow-rooted plant requires more frequent but less amount of water in each
irrigation. Excessive irrigation results in growth of leaves and
stolons at the expense of fruits & flowers and also increases the incidence
of Botrytis rot.
Irrigation is applied in furrows between the
rows. Trickle and sprinkler irrigation systems are becoming popular
nowadays. In case of trickle irrigation, 30% water and energy are
saved.
5.7 Training
Four different types of
training systems viz. matted row, spaced row, hill and plastic mulch are used
to train the strawberry plants. Usually matted row system is
followed in India.
5.8 Intercultural Operations
The field is kept weed free
during the first season by harrowing & ploughing, applying herbicides or
plastic sheet. Inter-cultural practices are continued till the straw
mulch is applied.
5.9 Growth regulators
Application of GA3 (50
ppm.) sprayed four days after flowering and maleic hydrazide (0.1-0.3%) sprayed
after flowering increases the yield by 31-41%. Morphactin (@ 50 ppm.) improves
the fruit size.
5.10 Plant Protection Measures
5.10.1 Insect Pests
White grubs, cutworms
and hairy caterpillars attack the crop. Areas where strawberries are to
be planted should be free from white grubs and cutworms. Application of
endosulfan (0.05%) or malathion (0.05%) on appearance of caterpillars has been
found to be effective in most cases.
5.10.2 Diseases
Main diseases reported
are leaf spot and grey mould. Application of carbendazim /
thiophanate methyl has been found to be effective in most cases.
5.10.3 Disorders
Albinism (lack of fruit
colour during ripening) is a physiological disorder in strawberry. It
is probably caused by certain climatic conditions and extremes in
nutrition. Fruits remain irregularly pink or even totally white and
sometimes swollen. They have acid taste and become less
firm. Albino fruits are often damaged during harvesting and are
susceptible to Botrytis infection and decay during storage.
5.11 Harvesting and Yield
Strawberries are
generally harvested when half to three fourths of skin develops
colour. Depending on the weather conditions, picking is usually done
on every second or third day usually in the morning
hours. Strawberries are harvested in small trays or baskets. They
should be kept in a shady place to avoid damage due to excessive heat in the
open field.
Plants start bearing in
second year. An average yield of 45-100 q./ha. is obtained from a
strawberry orchard. However, an average yield of 175-300 q./ha. may
be taken from a well managed orchard.
6. POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT
6.1 Grading
Fruits are graded on the
basis of their weight, size and colour.
6.2 Storage
Fruits can be stored in
cold storage at 320C upto 10 days. For distant marketing,
strawberries should be pre-cooled at 40C within 2 hrs. of harvesting
and kept at the same temperature. After pre-cooling, they are
shipped in refrigerated vans.
6.3 Packing
Packing is done
according to the grades for long distance markets. Fruits of good
quality are packed in perforated cardboard cartons with paper cuttings as
cushioning material. Fruits of lower grades are packed in
baskets.
6.4 Transportation
Road transport by
trucks/lorries is the most convenient mode of transport due to easy approach
from orchards to the market.
6.5 Marketing
Majority of the growers
sell their produce either through trade agents at village level or commission
agents at the market.
7. ECONOMICS OF A ONE ACRE MODEL
7.1 High quality commercial cultivation of
crop by using high quality planting material and drip irrigation leads to
multiple benefits viz.
· Synchronized growth,
flowering and harvesting;
· Reduction
in variation of off-type and non-fruit plants;
· Improved
fruit quality;
Costs & Returns
7.2 A
one acre plantation of the crop is a viable proposition. Project
cost of the model, along with the basis for costing are exhibited in Annexures
I & II. A summary of the project cost is given in
the table below.
Cost Components of a One Acre Model Strawberry Plantation
(Amount
in Rs.)
Sl. No.
|
Component
|
Proposed
Expenditure
|
|
1.
|
Cultivation
Expenses
|
||
(i)
|
Cost of planting material
|
200000
|
|
(ii)
|
Fertilizers & Pestsicides
|
11000
|
|
(iii)
|
Mulching
|
12400
|
|
(iv)
|
Cost of Labour
|
14400
|
|
(v)
|
Others, if any, (Power)
|
3600
|
|
Sub
Total
|
241000
|
||
2.
|
Irrigation
|
||
(i)
|
Tube-well/submersible pump
|
50000
|
|
(ii)
|
Cost of Pipeline
|
-
|
|
(iii)
|
Others, if any
|
-
|
|
Sub
Total
|
50000
|
||
3.
|
Cost of
Drip (Turboline) with Fertigation
|
40000
|
|
4.
|
Infrastructure
|
||
(i)
|
Store & Pump House
|
20000
|
|
(ii)
|
Labour room
|
10000
|
|
(iii)
|
Agriculture Equipments
& Implements
|
5000
|
|
(iii)
|
Others, if any, please specify
|
-
|
|
Sub
Total
|
35000
|
||
5.
|
Land
Development
|
||
(i)
|
Soil leveling
|
4000
|
|
(ii)
|
Digging
|
-
|
|
(iii)
|
Fencing
|
29600
|
|
(iv)
|
Others, if any, please specify
|
-
|
|
Sub
Total
|
33600
|
||
Grand
Total
|
4,00,000
|
||
N.B: Cost of land, if newly purchased, can be
included in the project. This will be limited to
10% of the total project cost.
7.3 The
major components of the model are:
· Land
Development: (Rs. 4.0 thousand): This is the labour cost
of shaping and dressing the land site.
· Fencing
(Rs. 29.6 thousand): It is necessary to safeguard the orchard
by a barbed wire fencing.
· Irrigation
Infra-structure (Rs. 50.0 thousand): For effective working
with drip irrigation system, it is necessary to install a tube-well with
diesel/electric pumpset and submersible motor. This is post cost of
tube-well for one acre.
· Drip
Irrigation (Rs. 40.0 thousand): This is average cost of one acre
drip system for the crop inclusive of the cost of fertigation
equipment. The actual cost will vary depending on location, plant
population and plot geometry.
· Implements
& Equipment (Rs. 5.0 thousand): For investment on improved
manually/power operated essential implements and equipment.
· Building
Infrastructure (Rs. 30.0 thousand): A one acre orchard would require
minimally a labour shed and a store-cum - pump house and a labour shed.
· Cost
of Cultivation (Rs.2.41 lakhs): Land preparation and planting
operations and cultural practices will involve 206 days of manual labour, the
cost of which will come to Rs.14.40 thousand. The cost of planting
material works out to Rs.2.00 lakhs for 25000 plants @ Rs.8 per plant.
7.4 Labour
cost has been put at an average of Rs.70 per man-day. The actual
cost will vary from location to location depending upon minimum wage levels or
prevailing wage levels for skilled and unskilled labour.
7.5 Recurring
Production Cost: Recurring
production costs are exhibited in Annexure III. The
main components are planting material, land preparation, inputs application
(FYM, fertilizers, micro-nutrients liming material, plant protection chemicals
etc.), power and labour on application of inputs, inter-cultural and other farm
operations.
7.6 Returns from the Project: The strawberry is short duration
crop. The crop planted in September-October starts going yield in
May-June. It continues to give yield upto 3rd year
thereafter it needs re-planted. Average yield of strawberry is 8
tonnes/acre with good management. The average sale rate is Rs.40,000
per tonne. Thus gross return works out to Rs.3.20 lakhs per
acre/annum. (Vide
Annexure-III).
Project Financing
7.7 Balance
Sheet: The
projected balance sheet of the model is given at Annexure IV. There
would be three sources of financing the project as below:
Source Rs.
Thousand
Farmer’s share
(50%) 200.00
Capital
subsidy (20%) 80.00
Term
loan (30%) 120.00
Total 400.00
7.8 Profit
& Loss Account: The cash flow statement may be seen in Annexure
V. Annexure VI projects the profit
and loss account of the model. Annual gross profit works out to
around Rs.184.70 per acre.
7.9 Repayment
of Term Loan: The term loan will be repaid in eleven
equated 6 monthly installments of Rs.10.91 thousand with a moratorium of 12
months. The rate of interest would have to be negotiated with the
financing bank. It has been put at 12% in the model (vide Annexures
VII & VII A).
7.10 Annexure
VIII gives depreciation calculations.
Project Viability:
7.11 IRR/BCR: The
viability of the project is assessed in Annexure IX. The
IRR works out to 45.07 and the BCR to 1.1.
7.12 The
Debt Service coverage ratio calculations are presented in Annexure
X. The average DSCR works out to 8.0.
7.13 Payback
Period: On the basis of costs and returns of the model, the pay
back period is estimated at 2.31 years (vide Annexure XI).
7.14 Break-even
Point: The break even point will be reached in the third
year. At this point fixed cost would work out to 51.3% of gross
sales (vide Annexure XII).
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