The strawberry has been found to flourish in many parts of the Sudan, a matter that can open avenues for its export to provide greatly need foreign cash. In some farms, an acre of strawberries has produced between 10-15 tons of strawberry fruits.
Although strawberry cultivation is a relatively new practice in Sudan, nevertheless, it was found to adapt to the country’s hot weather.
The first person to have grown strawberries in Sudan is believed to be former Foreign Minister Mansour Khalid in his farm in Soba neighborhood here in the early 1980s. The late Khalid’s experiment was considered a success. The fruits he had grown were described to be suitable for both local consumption and export.
There were some other individual experiments that succeeded in growing and exporting strawberries One of these was made by Ms. Renad Hisham Abukshwa, a dental medicine student at the Almada’en University. “I have loved farming as a young girl, having been born in a farming family,” she told Sudanow. She said she has faith in farming and is convinced that agricultural production is Sudan’s only way out of its economic problems. “There is no need for us to import frozen strawberries instead of growing them here. As you can see, I have a successful farming project here.
Strawberries can be grown in all types of soil, but they flourish better in sandy soil, preferably with no salinity. The soil should also have good drainage and should be free from weeds. There are different strawberry varieties. But the best that can flourish in Sudan is the heat-resistant variety known as ‘Festival California’. This variety is special in that its fruits are big, very sweet and suitable for exportation.