Sustainable Economic Feasibility Approach towards Cultivation of Strawberry in Jammu Region of J&K UT

The present study was conducted in Jammu region of J&K UT. Three districts from the
Jammu region were chosen purposively based on having highest cultivated area under
strawberry crop in Jammu division.The list of strawberry growers of various selected districts
was prepared with the help of Directorate of Horticulture, Jammu. The proportionate allocation
method was used for selection of the respondents using random sampling techniques to make a
total sample size of 100 respondents.Both primary and secondary data were collected to
accomplish the objectives. Primary data was obtained by interviewing the respondents through a
well prepared schedule cum questionnaire. The required secondary data were collected from
various published sources/ agencies such as Economic Survey, Digest of Statistics, National
Horticulture Board, Annual reports and other relevant government publications etc. CACP Cost
concepts were used to find out the desired outcomes. The findings of the study revealed that the
overall average cost of cultivation for strawberry was calculated atRs.187693.90 per acre for
Jammu region which includes the largest average share of runners (49.96%). The overall average
yield and the gross returns were found out to be 2741.72kg/acre and Rs.438675.00 per acre
respectively for the Jammu region. Thus the net return obtained was Rs.250981.10 per acre and
the cost-benefit was found to be 1:2.34 which means strawberry cultivation is very beneficial to
the farmers as if they invest one rupee, then they will get 2.34 rupees as net benefit. Strawberry
farming faces challenges such as reliance on chemical inputs, water scarcity and soil erosion.
This study offers valuable insights into mitigation strategies, promoting practices like integrated
pest management and drip irrigation. These approaches can help farmers adopt more sustainable
methods while maintaining crop yield and quality.Also various sustainable cultivating practices
must be employed to mitigate the negative environmental impact of this horticultural crop.