Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, a variety of Strawberry grown in the hilly slopes of Mahabaleshwar – Panchgani belt in Maharashtra, accounts for about 85% of strawberry production in India.
Strawberry cultivation in Mahabaleshwar goes back to the British era. Mahabaleshwar was the perfect summer getaway for the Bombay province during the British Raj when some British officers introduced Strawberry in 1920. Since then local farmers have developed further on the cultivation of Strawberries over the years.
Red laterite soil in Mahabaleshwar is rich in Iron which increases the nutritional value of strawberries grown from this region. The red colour of Mahabaleshwar strawberries is maintained due to the exact amount of heat and sunlight available in Mahabaleshwar, whereas, the colour of other strawberries is reddish-brown due to inadequate heat and sunlight.
Strawberry is the only fruit which has seeds outside the fruit. The number of seeds in Mahabaleshwar strawberries is 200 which distinguishes it from others which normally have less than 150 seeds in them. Mahabaleshwar strawberry contains up to 80% water which makes it juicier than other strawberries which are fleshier. In Mahabaleshwar strawberry glucose level is up to 10% which makes it naturally sweeter whereas, in other strawberries glucose is less than 7%. It contains minimum % of fat calories, and maximum % of Vitamin C, fibre, potassium, and folic acid.
Varieties of Strawberry plants cultivated in Mahabaleshwar are Sweet Charlie, Camarosa, Selva, and winterdown, Festival, Chandler and K.P. Apart from being sold as fresh fruit, economically important products such as jams, jelly, sweet crush, pulp are also been produced from the strawberry.
Plantation of strawberry starts from September and the plant grows by October heat. Fruits start growing after 60 days of plantation. Fruits ripen in the month of May and June. The total cultivation cycle is normally 8 months.
GI Tag Registration Date : 03 September 2010
GI Tag Number : 154
Certificate Number : 131
Geographical Area : Maharashtra
Special Cover Release Date : 12 August 2021
Cancellation : Mahabaleshwar 412 806
Type : GI Tag Special Cover
Cover Identification Number : MH/16/2021
Enlarged View of Cancellation
A Mixed Sheetlet titled "Geographical Indications : Agricultural Products" was released by India Post which included Mahabaleshwar Strawberry. Image of the stamp extracted from this Sheetlet is given below.
Stamp from Mixed Sheetlet Issued on 13 February 2023
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