Daily Times

LARKANA: Strawberries are known as fruit of cold areas, but now it is being grown in parts of Sindh, especially in Larkana district, which is famous of sizzling summer temperature.

In recent years, this wonderful fruit is being grown in in the riverine areas of Larkana, Sukkur & Khairpur districts which have now become very famous for strawberry crop growing districts over the years.

Traditionally the farmers of these areas used to grow tomato, wheat, sugarcane and chilies but their turning to this new variety has proved a profitable business for them.

Strawberry can be harvested within four to six months after sowing and the fields visited by this scribe on Thursday showed that tillers were in their lands along with their women and kids and all of them were busy in sorting out the fruit from the plants. Hazoor Bux Dayo of Bahaaro village, one of the labourers said that this crop is sown after October 10 which continues giving fruit till April. He said that 70,000 saplings are sown in an acre out of which 14000 to 16000 packs are produced. At the very outset each pack is sold at Rs. 400 and in the end it is given at Rs.30.

The grower further said that they keep on spraying various pesticides to keep the crop safe otherwise it is damaged due to which they undergo huge losses because most of the farmers have hired the lands on Rs.16000 per acre on annual contract basis. Another grower Ghulam Wasim said that last year the saplings were costly & product was sold on cheaper rates hence he did not sow the Strawberry this year but he added he has sown tomato which has given him better results & earnings. Another grower Habibullah Shaikh said that he used to sow paddy but he changed to this new crop which has given him better yields & result adding he will continue to plant strawberry in future as well. He said “10 to 12 year ago this crop was unknown to the farmers of this area but one landlord Syed Mahboob Shah introduced it here”.

He said he brought peasants of Bheel community from Badin who trained us and since then we are using it as a cash crop. He further said that sowing of strawberry was first started in France in the year 1364 when the King ordered sowing of 1200 plants in his huge Shahi garden. Then it reached to Swat during 1880 and it became gradually famous in Pakistan, he added. It is also learnt that 60 to 70 million plants are annually sown in Mingora near Swat where it is sold on cheaper rates. Cakes, juices, ice creams, milk shake, chocolate, chip-sticks and perfumes are also made from this fruit or using its fragrance. It was further told that there are 11 kinds of strawberry but only three have become very famous in Pakistan which include Chandler, Crona and Tufs.

This fruit is fruitful for treating various diseases as well which include Asthma, heatstroke. Hakim Ghulam Hussain Khatiyan said that during heatwave usage of strawberry juice reduces heat. It also cleans & produces fresh blood and prevent heart attacks, he added. He said that using its juice every second day reduces the chances of heart attack. He further said that it is also fruitful for hypertension patients and aches of bones and bone-joints. Hakim Khatiyan even claimed that this fruit is very fruitful for cancer patients, teeth, provides 100% relief to the people who are suffering from depression, it increases hunger and eyesight and controls cough too.