Pune: Mahabaleshwar — India's strawberry capital — is witnessing its worst season in at least five to six years and growers are grappling with a worrisome combo of mild winter, an unusually early summer and water crisis. Day temperatures soaring past 30°C as early as March — coupled with dwindling water levels in the Venna Lake — have slashed yields, forcing many growers to abandon their fields. The Strawberry Growers' Association of India has estimated a yield drop of nearly 40% (5-6 tonnes per acre) this season.
The hill station typically supplies fresh strawberries to markets until mid-April. The place is reeling under the impact of erratic weather and poor fruit quality this season. Darshan Kadam, assistant professor (horticulture) at the Regional Wheat Rust Research Station in Mahabaleshwar, an institute that also studies strawberries, said, "This weather situation has hit production and quality hard.
Fruits are suffering from sunburn, with visible sunspots affecting their quality. Several farmers are abandoning fields because of low market prices triggered by these issues." The trouble began with a mild winter that failed to provide the low temperatures strawberries thrive on.
Ideal conditions for the fruit involve chilly nights and moderate days, but this year, the mercury has been soaring. Data from the weather monitoring station at the research facility — a collaboration between the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Skymet — shows daytime tempera.
