MALKANGIRI: A variety of strawberry which was cultivated by the Bonda tribe farmers of Mudulipada village in Khairput on a pilot basis has proved to be immensely successful.
The initiative was undertaken by Bonda Development Agency (BDA). Project manager of Odisha PVTG Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP) Ajit Kumar Sahu said around `3.40 lakh was spent in carrying out the project.
“Taken up in the village situated at a height of around 3,000-4,000 feet above sea level, the experiment was aimed at finding whether strawberry, a temperate fruit, could be grown in a subtropical region like Bonda hills of Malkangiri. However, the results are quite encouraging and satisfactory,” he added.
Saplings of the winter dawn variety of strawberry were procured from Himachal Pradesh and cultivated by the two particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) farmers Laxman Muduli and Mangala Muduli on over 1 acre in November last year. “The farmers were elated on seeing their hardwork bear fruit and have decided to cultivate strawberries every year now,” Sahu said.
Meanwhile, Bonda Development Agency (BDA) sources said marketing facilities will be provided to farmers and the berries can be further sold at tribal fairs in Jeypore, Khairput and Malkangiri in Odisha and Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.