Wild gooseberries nutritional, commercially viable

Anantapur: Wild gooseberries, or Stachel Beeren are highly nutritional and have multiple health benefits and are in high demand not only locally but also in Bengaluru market, according to model farmer Anantha Ramudu who is raising gooseberry plantation on the city outskirts in the Anantha Lakshmi Engineering campus.

Speaking to The Hans India on the success of the plantation, Ramudu stated that the berries have four distinct properties. They are sweet, sour, acrid and bitter in taste. It is also a medicinal plant and is viewed as a panaceia for multiple ailments. For farmers it is profitable for growing as a commercial plantation.

The model farmer has raised berries in 25 acres of land and taking advantage of the drip irrigation and 90 per cent subsidy, the plantation has turned out to be commercially viable. Berries raised in his farm are being marketed in Tadipatri, Rayachoti, Putluru, Tirupati, Guntakal and Bengaluru. It is a plant with a 3 year gestation period.

From the 4th year, it starts bearing fruit with 20-50 kgs per tree and in the fifth year its production will be doubled and in the 6th year it produces 100 kgs per tree. It is purchased in the market from Rs 35 to 50 a kg. Ramudu says that he harvested 140 tonnes of berries and earned Rs.60 lakhs on his plantation this year. After excluding the expenditure the profit earned was Rs.52 lakhs of his 25 acre farm. He advises farmers to go for Goose Berries as a long term plantation.