Hailing from Dharwad in Karnataka, Shashidhar Chikkappa, cultivates strawberries on his one acre of land. Shashidhar is growing four to five fruits including strawberries on an acre of land, producing more than 30 tonnes of strawberries. He is also going to hit the online market soon. About 20 people work with Shashidhar, 14 of them are women.
46-year-old Shashidhar has studied up to 10th standard. Worked in Maharashtra for nearly 9 years and then set a milestone in farming.
Shasidhar recalls, “Earlier I was working in a construction company in Maharashtra’s Mahabaleshwar, which is also famous for strawberry cultivation. I thought to start cultivating it too.
There was no idea about farming beforehand, so it was necessary to learn first. For a year after that I took training in strawberry farming. I completed training at a Mahabaleshwar farm for a year and learned how to grow organic strawberries. With the help of an agent, I procured about 250 mother plants of strawberry from California and began cultivation in September 2019, in Karnataka.”
The local people had told him that he won’t be able to grow strawberries in a hot district like Dharwad. But Shashidhar did not change his mind.
Shattering that myth, not only did he cultivate strawberries in a hot area like Dharwad, but also established himself as a successful farmer.
Today Shashidhar have more than 30 thousand strawberry plants. He cultivate four different varieties. He has also started cultivation of raspberries and mulberries. Apart from this, Shasidhar has also started processing strawberries. He prepare jelly, jam and chocolate and supply it in the market. Shashidhar is also selling saplings of strawberries. Each plant costs Rs 10.
Shasidhar explains that initially he used to go to the market himself. He used to supply the product by going to different retailers. Today many big food super markets and companies have made advance bookings with him. He is also going to hit the online market soon. About 20 people work with Shashidhar. 14 of them are women.
How to cultivate strawberries
Shashidhar says that strawberry cultivation is not very difficult. Climate does matter for this. The cultivation season begins post-monsoon and ends around February. The first set of plants are planted in August and second set in November and accordingly the harvest is plucked. Plants have to be cleaned regularly every day. Dry leaves have to be removed. So that there is no problem during harvesting. To keep the plants cool and moist, drip irrigation can also be used.
Things to be remembered before planting the strawberry plant
“The soil should be good enough for the growth of the sapling. Water the plant once in a day. You may also put food waste as manure. Clean the area where the plant is placed and also remove dry leaves in the plant. Nothing else is required. After 1.5 months, you will get fresh strawberries from the plant,” explained Shashidhar.
“Strawberries are very tasty as well as they are full of nutritional properties. Consuming strawberries increases your immunity level and also protects against many diseases. Strawberries are rich in vitamins and fiber,” he added.
If everything goes good then Sashidhar is planning to open a training institute for berry farming.