Yearly, tonnes of unique fruits together with blueberries and raspberries are imported for city Indian customers owing to their wide selection of well being advantages. Knowledge reveals that raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and cranberry imports into India skyrocketed to 870 tonnes in 2022 – indicating a surge of 148 p.c in comparison with 2021.
In accordance with the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), the imports of blueberries in contemporary and dried types grew from virtually zero in 2009 to 1,900 tonnes in 2020, making India one of many world’s prime importers of blueberries. This commerce between the US and India is rising at a price of round 30 p.c per yr.
Whereas these numbers are rising yearly, Maharashtra’s Keya Salot has stepped as much as convey these numbers right down to some extent. “In 2021-22, India was importing $2.2 billion of unique fruits and greens. That’s probably not a great quantity. I wished to get into the sector to domesticate these unique varieties domestically. By doing this, it might additionally make them inexpensive for customers past metros,” she tells The Higher India.
In 2021, Keya arrange Farm2Fam to domesticate these unique berries. At present, she has scaled up the manufacturing on 20 acres of land and estimates a manufacturing of at the least 135 tonnes of berries this yr.
In dialog with The Higher India, she sheds mild on the progressive strategies that helped her domesticate berries within the harsh climate circumstances of the nation.
Stop legislation to turn out to be a farmer
Born and introduced up in Mumbai, Keya was a lawyer by career. After pursuing legislation from Mumbai’s Authorities Regulation School, she continued her follow with legislation companies for practically 4 years till she understood her calling.
“I had all the time wished to turn out to be a farmer. For me, the concept of pursuing legislation was all the time to later concentrate on entrepreneurship. However earlier than that, I wished to get good entry to the authorized framework to construct a profitable enterprise. I wished to work in an impactful sector to create a really purpose-driven entrepreneurship programme which might not solely profit me personally however would additionally profit the society,” says the 32-year-old.
In 2018, she took a break from work to know the nitty-gritties of farming as she didn’t have any agricultural background. To start with, Keya began rising about 30 styles of microgreens in a vertical set-up made on the terrace. Quickly, she began supplying them to eating places, and inside six months, she on-boarded 50 shoppers. This boosted her confidence and allowed her to ascertain retail connections.
“Throughout this transition, I began researching on the sorts of crops grown in different nations that had gained a variety of traction in agriculture. In comparison with nations in South and Central America, India has not graduated past rising main primary crops like paddy, sugarcane, and wheat,” she shares.
“Even at this time, regardless of a good portion of the financial system and the inhabitants being depending on agriculture, we aren’t in a position to produce high-value crops. We wanted to decide on crops that can get a barely longer cycle however will give definitive returns,” she provides.
After a yr of analysis, Keya zeroed right down to cultivating the crop of blueberries and raspberries – cultivated largely in the US, Russia, Mexico, Serbia, and Poland.
Making international crops adaptable with progressive strategies
Keya shares the most important problem in cultivating these unique varieties was to make them adaptable to the Indian climate circumstances. “Whereas blueberries require chilly winters and average to excessive rainfall all through its rising season, raspberries are additionally suited to temperate areas with cool summers and delicate winters,” she provides.
By late 2019, Keya alongside together with her husband, Vimal Salot, visited Mexico and Europe which had related geometric circumstances to Maharashtra. In 2020, she imported the primary set of saplings adaptable to Indian climate circumstances and harvested the primary industrial yield in 2021.
So as to domesticate them within the tropical local weather of Maharashtra, Keya opted for the tunnel technique of cultivation that overcame the drawbacks of maximum climate circumstances.
“We’re required to guard crops like raspberries and blueberries from excessive temperatures. Presently, India solely has poly homes as an infrastructure for protected cultivation, and in geographical climates like Maharashtra, we’d like safety from harsh circumstances slightly than including warmth,” she shares.
“So, we developed our personal low-cost tunnel constructions for rising these berries the place we will add or take away the plastic cowl as per the climate necessities and keep splendid temperature circumstances for the expansion of crops. With this, we will now present a hotter local weather throughout the winter nights and cooler circumstances for progress throughout the summer time days, along with defending the crops from rain. This method has its origin within the European nations the place they use the construction to guard the warmth,” she provides.
Keya put in low-cost tunnels in about 80 p.c of her farm and is cultivating at the least seven styles of unique berries. “Rising blueberries beneath excessive tunnels protects them from extremes of temperature, requires much less water, and yields extra fruit. This technique additionally helps blueberries ripen earlier. As an alternative of the same old harvest interval that lasts just for a couple of weeks, we will harvest yields for 4 to 5 months with this technique,” she informs.
Highlighting one of many different challenges she confronted in organising the farm enterprise in Talegaon, Pune, Keya says, “Gaining access to land was extraordinarily tough for us because it was very tough to persuade a farmer to lease their land to a metropolis dweller. As you should not have a base in a village, it invitations a variety of aversion. However after 3 to 4 months of making an attempt our palms, we obtained our first piece of land. It took a while to construct belief among the many farmers.”
At present, she has expanded the manufacturing on 20 acres of land and expects a bountiful harvest of at the least 135 tonnes of berries this season. As of now, she has collaborated with supply companions like Swiggy and Zepto, and supermarkets like Star Bazaar, KisanKonnect, Reliance Retail, and Nature’s Basket to ship the produce.
Speaking about her transition from being a lawyer to an progressive farmer, Keya says, “It’s a notion that agriculture just isn’t a worthwhile enterprise. On the similar time, an enormous portion of our financial system rests on it. It’s the duty of individuals with publicity to vary this notion slightly than concern it.”
“I really feel if I had solely practiced legislation, the sort of influence that I’d have had would have been a lot smaller than what I’m having at this time when it comes to cultivating new sorts of crops by utilizing progressive strategies,” she provides.
Edited by Padmashree Pande; All pictures: Keya Salot.
