Chittorgarh. The cultivation of strawberries, which is considered limited to select states of the country, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and West Bengal, is now writing a new history in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.
Local farmers here have not only started successful production of strawberries but have also created a different identity by the name of ‘Mewari Strawberry’. This story of change is not the result of any coincidence, but a direct impact of the Samriddhi programme being run by the MP Birla Group under its social responsibility, which has led farmers to a miraculous increase in their income by turning them towards modern farming.
Samriddhi Programme driving modern farming
Pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intention to double the income of farmers, the MP Birla Group had launched the Samriddhi programme in the year 2019. The main objective of the programme is to connect small farmers with new technology, better resources and advanced market-forming farming.
Under the direction of the company’s general manager Sibu Prasad Jaina and the human resource head of the Chittorgarh unit, Pradeep Singh Baghel, this scheme continued to expand and today a total of 995 farmers are benefitting under its umbrella. The rapid increase in farmers’ income after strawberries were made part of the programme created a new atmosphere of enthusiasm in the entire region.
Strawberry culture made 42 farmers millionaires
Pushpanjali Yadav, CSR Head of MP Birla Group Chittorgarh Chanderia Unit, says that the first demo of strawberry cultivation was started with some small farmers in 2021. The farmers were provided with drip machines, advanced agricultural equipment and technical training for cultivation. The initial effort was so successful that the farmers earned a net profit of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 thousand after extracting the cost.
After this success, in 2023, 1000 strawberry saplings were ordered from Maharashtra and 10 farmers of Nagri and Semalpura Gram Panchayat were associated with this project. Surprisingly, in just three months of cultivation, each farmer earned a direct profit of Rs one lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh. Subsequently, fifteen new farmers joined the scheme in 2024 and seventeen in 2025. In a few years, the profit from strawberry cultivation years has strengthened the economic condition of the farmers and today the situation is that 42 such farmers associated with the Samriddhi program have become millionaires.
Hand of farmers on the path of development
A big reason behind the rapid growth of locally grown strawberries is also its quality. Strawberries imported from outside are suspected of the presence of pesticides, while their freshness is also reduced due to long-distance transportation. On the contrary, under the Samriddhi programme, 1000 saplings are provided free of cost to local farmers every year through the MP Birla Group. In addition to providing phased training to farmers for farming, technical support is given in laying drip lines for irrigation, and efforts are made to connect farmers with government schemes to get them maximum benefits.
The most important aspect here is that the strawberries are being produced in a completely organic way using Jeevamrit and compost fertiliser, which keeps the soil fertility and delivers chemical-free, fresh and high-quality strawberries to the consumers. This is the reason why the demand for ‘Mewari Strawberries’ is now growing rapidly in the local markets and farmers are also dedicating a large part of their fields to strawberry cultivation.
MP Birla Group changed the lives of farmers
Rajendra Kumar Keer, a farmer from Nagri village, says that the Samriddhi programme has brought extraordinary changes in his life. In the year 2021, he had taken a demo production of strawberries for the first time, in which he received a net profit of about Rs 20,000 by taking the expenditure. In the next two crops, he also earned up to Rs one lakh each time. This year he has again cultivated strawberries and is hoping that this time he will get a profit of more than Rs 3 lakh. Rajendra says that the production of their crop will start in the next ten days.
This success of strawberry production in Chittorgarh is not just an agricultural experiment, but a living testimony to the positive change that can come in the lives of small farmers with modern technology, scientific thinking and right guidance. ‘Mewari Strawberry’ is now not only becoming the new identity of Rajasthan, but also proving that if the opportunities and resources are put in the right direction, then the farmers can also touch new heights of economic prosperity.
