UPPER DIR: Farmers have been making handsome earnings from growing strawberry saplings in Upper Dir district. Such nurseries have been established in Usheri Darra belt and some parts of Nehag Darra in the district.

In 2014, they were given training for the first time to cultivate strawberry seedlings and prepare its saplings by Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) in Nehag Darra area. It was later experimentally germinated in Usheri Darra where it gave good results.

After noting a few farmers making handsome profits from strawberry cultivation other farmers of Usheri Darra also started establishing strawberry nurseries in their fields.

Medar Khan, a farmer at Usheri Darra, said that strawberry saplings were produced in the area successfully for the last few years. He said that up to 200 labourers worked in one nursery and there were many nurseries in the valley. He said that they were earning millions of rupees from the business of strawberry saplings.

Another farmer said that the saplings of Usheri Darra were famous throughout Pakistan and these were taken to Punjab and some districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that up to 20 million saplings of strawberry were taken to Punjab only from Palam, Jabar, Tarptar union councils of Usheri Darra. A farmer said that the fruit produced in their area was delicious and juicy and the plant gave fruit two times a year.

A farmer, Khurshaid Khan, said it was cultivated over 1,500 to 2,000 acres only in Usheri Darra.

Zahid Khurshaid, SRSP’s agricultural wing expert, said they had started searching for more suitable places for growing strawberry saplings. He said that their experiment in Nehag Darra could not fully succeed because of water shortage.

He, however, said that the soil of Usheri Darra was very fertile and suitable for growing strawberry saplings and enough water was available there. He said that SRSP had also imparted training to the farmers for its cultivation.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2019