Indian Strawberry Exports Uncertain .

Strawberries are the latest Indian crop to experience a price spike because of post monsoonal rains, which could affect exports of the fruit into Europe and the Middle East

Strong domestic prices for Indian strawberries, coupled with a decrease in production, could mean less of the country’s crop is exported to areas such as Europe and the Middle East this year.

According to a report in the Times of India there has been a significant decrease in the country’s crop due to inclement weather.

“Farmers were hoping to produce around 20,000 tonnes [of] strawberry this year but the output is expected to come down by at least 30 per cent due to damages caused by post-monsoon rains,” said Balasaheb Bhilare, chairman of the All India Strawberry Growers' Association.

The newspaper reported the daily production of strawberries in the Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani regions was around 12 tonnes, which was not sufficient to meet domestic demand for the fruit.

The decrease in production, combined with effective marketing, has pushed up prices in the country’s major cities.

"Strong marketing in metro cities helped us place the fruit in star hotels, attracting more customers,” he said. “The annual strawberry festivals attracted higher middle class people from Pune and Mumbai. This resulted in an increase in demand in the domestic market, which led to higher returns. So most of the farmers are focusing on marketing the fruit in local markets.

"Good quality strawberry is fetching a price of Rs120 per kg [US$2.60 per kg] in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune," he told the Times of India.

Nitin Bhilare, a farmer from Bhilar, said producing fruit for domestic consumption was desirable as growers saved on costs associated with complying with foreign market regulations.

"The returns from domestic markets are around Rs80,000 per acre [US$1,800], while exports would fetch us Rs1 lakh [Rs100,000]. But the process of exporting the fruit is annoying as one has to follow recommended processing methods and use only permitted pesticides and fertilisers. It also involves a lot of documentation, which is time-consuming. Hence, I prefer to sell my produce in [the] domestic market."

Source : fruitnet.com