In strawberry land, fruit now costs Rs 500/kg
The Times of India: Mahabaleshwar’s pride – the luscious strawberry – is in short supply. The heavy rains that pounded the hill-station near Pune a few weeks back have washed out the strawberry crop over 2,000 hectares, pushing up the price of the fruit to a whopping Rs 500 a kilo.
Both Mahabaleshwar and neigbouring Panchagani, which draw tourists by the hordes, register a huge sale of strawberries between December and March. The fruit thrives in the cooler temperatures that the two hill-stations provide. Strawberries retail for around Rs 60 a kilo and are half that price when sold in bulk.
The high prices disappointed tourists who came visiting during the recent Diwali vacations. Ice-cream vendors in Mahabaleshwar were seen using frozen strawberries in their preparations, a virtual no-no in a place where the fruit is plucked fresh for immediate consumption.
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