Like any other village, wheat and paddy were popular crops among farmers in Kauni village of Sri Muktsar Saheb District of Punjab. However, in 2014, a young Jaskaran Singh sowed strawberry saplings on his 1-acre land, reaped good profits, and turned the trajectory for the youth of this village.
“It was very difficult to convince my parents, but once my hard work showed the results, they were happy,” he says. This farmer from the lands of Punjab started strawberry farming with his two friends who soon left him in the lurch, citing that farming the exotic fruit was a back-breaking way to make profits. Still, Jaskaran was determined to continue the process, and now he earns Rs 5 lakh per annum through its cultivation.
From the Homeland
Observing the trend of youth relocating abroad, Jaskaran wanted to make them realize the importance of agriculture. “My heart aches when I see young people from Punjab leaving the country. This is why I decided to employ the youth on my farms,” he says.
At present, the strawberry nursery of this farmer has employed over 50 laborers who make Rs 7,000-12,000 per month. Seeking inspiration from him, many others have started cultivating strawberries and other fruits on their farms.
A Step to Solve Water Crisis
Notably, Punjab is a water-scare state with a high contribution towards the agricultural sector. In a bid to resolve its water problem, planting fruits such as strawberries and melons is the way to go. “Around 1 kg of rice requires thousands of liters, while fruits require far less water using the drip irrigation method,” he says. With minimal usage of water, Jaskaran earns Rs 50-150 per kg of strawberries, depending on the quality of the fruits.
Making Money and More
With the experience of over 10 years in farming, Jaskaran says that the only hurdle that comes in the way of farmers is the huge investment involved in preparing the strawberry beds. As per him, around Rs 6 lakh are needed on one acre of land of strawberries. This includes the cost of saplings, labor costs, fertilizers, packaging, and storage. Moreover, sapling imports from California and Italy supersede other costs.
Despite all this, Jaskaran earns profits of Rs 4-5 lakh with a sale of Rs 10-12 lakh annually. The exotic crop is sown in September and harvested in December. Both, the fresh and frozen fruits are then sold till mid of April. Jaskaran's dream is to open a processing plant that can make strawberry by-products such as candies and jams.
To grow the agricultural sector, he opines, farmers should look for other options than wheat and paddy. Additionally, the Centre should hold farmers’ hands and give them more subsidies and loans on exotic crops to encourage them to try something new.
