India pushes for home-grown strawberries to cut reliance on imports
India is seeking to replace foreign strawberry varieties with locally bred cultivars and high-tech farming methods in Mahabaleshwar.
Around 85% of India's strawberry harvest comes from the high-altitude farms of Mahabaleshwar, where growers rely on imported mother plants that must undergo quarantine before being multiplied in specialized nurseries. To break this dependence, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth has partnered with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to use low-dose gamma irradiation for creating an indigenous, heat-tolerant cultivar, a process expected to take 10-15 years.
Meanwhile, innovators such as Nelson Sequeira run precision propagation using coco-peat substrates and drip-fog systems, and Berry Fresh Agrotech founder Ketan Yashwant Sodha pursues hydroponic production with strict water and nutrient controls, targeting a 200,000-plant facility. Farmer Krishan Bhilare’s producer organisation has installed AI-powered weather towers and vertical growing towers that increase plant density fivefold. Smallholders like Sheetal Danavle continue to face climate risks, turning to social media and agritourism to improve profitability.
Why it matters
Local strawberry breeding could lower costs, improve food security and raise farmer incomes in India.
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