Summary:
The mandarin orange growing belt in Jhalawar is now successfully multi-cropping, not with dhania, wheat and soya, but strawberries, which was unthinkable, so far, in arid Rajasthan. After the crop was introduced to farmers a season ago, around 2.5 hectares of agricultural land is under strawberry cultivation in Jhalawar. But only one among them, the famous 'Winter Dawn' variety from Mahabaleshwar in Pune, took to the weather in Jhalawar," said Dr I B Maurya, professor, College of Horticulture & Forestry, Jhalawar. It took three years of research and evaluation of 16 varieties of strawberries for their adaptability. "The sole crop in the region is mandarin and farmers earn Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh per hectare..