Jammu, Nov 22 (IANS): Ashwini Kumar, a farmer from Khod block in Jammu and Kashmir is setting new examples for fellow villagers with his strawberry farming in the border village Dowal. Not long ago, he adopted strawberry cultivation along with traditional farming and today, the agricultural yield has resulted in significant monetary gains for him.

Ashwini Kumar's father Prabhat Chand pursued traditional farming in his ancestral fields but he understood the changing times and demand and made a calculated transition to new-age technology-equipped agriculture. He started strawberry cultivation last year, which is now yielding astronomical returns.

In March this year, when his income from strawberry production more than doubled, he started cultivating it on a large scale. Now, this crop has not only become their main source of income in their fields, but it is also a part of their identity.

Ashwini says that modern technology and changes in farming are the need of the hour. Despite living in the border area, he has done many new experiments in strawberry cultivation and has got positive results. Seeing their success, many women and other farmers in the village are also taking steps in this direction.

The possibility of more profit in less time in strawberry cultivation has attracted everyone. He said that the Horticulture Department is also providing help to the farmers. The department has provided guidance and assistance to farmers regarding strawberry cultivation. Farmers are given information about which medicine is to be sprayed in which season and where the seeds can be taken.

Shrestha Kumari says that strawberry cultivation is very profitable from an economic point of view.

“Due to this, the income of us farmers has doubled and whenever we need anything related to farming, people from the department come and help us. We want more and more people to cultivate strawberries,” she said.

Amit Saraf, the HOD of the Horticulture Department, Khod told newsmen that the government has started many schemes to help the farmers even in border areas and they can take advantage of it to increase their income.