Tezpur, Feb. 19: After Meghalaya, strawberry cultivation has found its first foothold in Assam at Jorpukhuri in Sonitpur district where farmers have successfully cultivated their first crop.

The seven farmers, under the banner of a self-help group (SHG) popularly known in the area as Bithorai, led by a local youth, Atul Mochahari, have taken up commercial cultivation of strawberry in a big way.

At a time when most unemployed youths and school dropouts from the greater Jorpukhuri area, due to various reasons, either go outside the state seeking employment or join militant groups, the group has paved the way for a new way of livelihood.

The newly elected Dhekiajuli MLA Ashok Kumar Singhal has taken up the initiative of strawberry cultivation in the area. The head of the self-help group, Atul Mochahari and Bhaskar Bora, who has lent a helping hand for the successful growth of the venture on a three bigha plot about 30km from Dhekiajuli town and 70km from here, have toiled hard to reap the harvest.

Talking to this correspondent, Bora said a good number of scattered farmers, mostly engaged in traditional cultivation, including paddy, are nowadays focusing on strawberry cultivation because if its commercial viability.

He said the farmers, who have come together under Bithorai, were supplied with 12,000 saplings of strawberry under the Assam government's scheme - Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States.

"The first year's harvest of a sizeable quantity of strawberries has ended. Not only in the Jorpukhuri area, farmers from various corners of the Dhekiajuli Assembly constituency - Sirajuli, Rowmari, Thelamara and Panchnoi - have also taken up strawberry cultivation in a collective way for the last few years. If the trend continues, there is a probability of a shift to strawberry cultivation," Bora said.

The farmers of the area had taken up commercial cultivation of strawberries following an initiative by Singhal to show commercial viability of the fruit, Bora added.

The farmers said they had sold strawberries at Rs 500 per kg while the cost of production is only between Rs 150 and Rs 200 a kg.

Singhal said the demand and commercial viability of strawberry cultivation in the area had helped the youths.

The MLA added that the genus Fragaria, collectively known as strawberries, cultivated worldwide, is widely appreciated for its unique characteristics such as fragrance, bright red colour, juicy texture and sweetness.

Singhal, who is also working in the field of entrepreneurship among the poor people of the constituency, said strawberry is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in processed food, juice, pies, ice creams, milkshake and chocolates making it one of the most commercially-consumed fruit.

He said the packaged marketing of strawberry is done mostly in Guwahati.