https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Remote Corner in Odisha Set To Become a Strawberry Hub

Strawberry cultivation is being actively done in one of the remote areas of Odisha’s Koraput district Mission Strawberry was initially started by Koraput district administration in Doliamba village to boost the financial conditions of the local farmers The administration is now encouraging tribal women Self Help Groups (SHGs) to cultivate strawberries for sustainable livelihood
Indian Masterminds Stories

A remote area in Odisha’s Koraput district is now set to become the hub of strawberry cultivation in the state. How this came about is an inspiring story of foresightedness and good administration. It all started at Doliamba village in the Kotia region of Patangi block in Koraput district. This place was once one of the remotest areas of the state, located along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. But now, thanks to the district administration’s intervention, it is on its way to becoming the strawberry hub of the state. Indian Masterminds presents this inspiring success story with a difference.

RESEARCH AND TRAINING

Strawberry cultivation in this region was not an easy task. After a lot of research, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) officials found that Kotia soil is suitable for strawberry cultivation. Thereafter, the officials encouraged the local villagers and helped them in cultivation strawberries.

“Strawberries have a huge demand in the national and international markets and the cultivation will help the villagers become self-reliant,” said an ITDA official.

The officials had to convince about 50 families in the Doliamba village to take up the strawberry farming for higher returns. The ITDA officials held the first meeting with villagers on October 29 last year. When the villagers agreed, they purchased about 55,000 strawberry plants for Rs 30 each from a registered firm in Pune.

“Koraput district has the ideal climate for strawberry cultivation as it requires temperature between 15 degree and 25 degree, adequate sunlight and availability of water. In a bid to provide sustainable livelihood to Doliamba villagers, the plantation drive was started in January this year. So far, we have got 15 kg to 17 kg strawberries,” said Koraput ITDA’s Project Coordinator Kasi Prasad Nayak.

Villagers cultivating strawberries say that they have become acquainted with the process and will continue with it in the coming years.

Koraput Collector, IAS officer M. Abdaal Akhtar, said in an interaction with media: “The strawberry plantation is aimed at improving the livelihood of people in Doliamba village. Funds for the purpose have been arranged from ITDA, DMF and CSR wings of different companies.” 

EMPOWERING TRIBAL WOMEN

Kotia region is not only becoming a strawberry hub, but it is also providing empowerment to the women of the villages. The officials have undertaken the farming by involving three women self-help groups for sustainable livelihood. This new concept has provided the local tribal women a new hope for their livelihood avenues. Koraput administration has given them technical support and assured them about marketing of their strawberries.

CULTIVATION ON 5 ACRES LAND

The entire mission of strawberry cultivation was started to help and boost the locals financially and to make them self-reliant. The Koraput district administration has provided five acres of land to the farmers in Doliamba to cultivate strawberries.

This year, the villagers have harvested 15-16 kgs of the fruit which they are selling at the cost of Rs 400 per kg.

Collector Koraput said, “Fruit cultivation will make the villagers financially independent and help them earn a living to meet the expenses of their families.”

According to reports, these strawberries are 100 per cent organic as bio-fertilizers are being used to grow them. The strawberry saplings are planted at a distance of 1.5 feet. Each plant can give at least half a kg fruits and the administration is hoping for a yield of over 10 tonne by April or May. 

FINDING MARKETS

District Administration of Koraput is putting in all the efforts to help the farmers and locals to sell the fresh strawberries in and outside the state of Odisha. They are training the farmers on how to keep the strawberries free for a long time.

Apart from this, special packaging materials are being provided to the farmers to safely transport the produce. The produce will be sold in Jeypore and Koraput besides retail outlets in cities like Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Bhubaneswar.   

“Strawberry cultivation has been undertaken as part of the livelihood intensive action plan in the bordering villages. We are hopeful of its success,” said Collector Akhtar.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Tourism Cooperation
Tourism Cooperation Between Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh Gains Momentum with MoU: Focus on Heritage Tourism & Travel Infrastructure
UPSC Image
UPSC to Open Three-Day “Correction Window” for NDA & NA (II) and CDS (II) 2025 Applications
IRS Logo
IRS Manoj Kumar Given Addl Charge as Chief Vigilance Officer at Mumbai Port Authority
ONGC_resized
ONGC Finance Chief Yogish Nayak Takes Over as MRPL Executive Director (Finance)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT