Strawberry farming making waves in tribal heartland of Odisha
The HinduThe rugged Sunabeda plateau, 3,000 feet above sea level, along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, has always been difficult terrain to traverse, but for Yuvraj Chhatria, it is just a part of his journey. The strawberry harvest has triggered a celebration in the houses of 10 farmers who live in one of the 56 villages in the tropical deciduous forest of the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary. The government supplied saplings and gave us financial assistance to dig a borewell,” says Mr. Chhatria, adding that each family has been given 10 acres, and 20,000 saplings planted on each acre. Kailash Dandapat, who works with Jagruti, a not-for-profit organisation in the environment, food, and farming space, says, “The exotic fruit was introduced in Daringbadi in two acres of land in the winter of 2022. Mr. Dandapat predicts that strawberries will get wider acceptance among tribal farmers, but is worried about the lack of robust marketing linkages, which could puncture ballooning hopes in the long run.
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