Here is Kerala's biggest blackberry farm, a visit can be rejuvenating experience

The Snowline Farm, owned by Kochumannil K A Abraham, possibly grows the most diverse varieties of fruits among the numerous plantations in Kanthalloor, near Munnar, in Idukki district of Kerala. Abraham, who is fondly called Babu, settled in Kanthalloor around 50 years ago from his native Ranni, and now grows a wide variety of fruits, ranging from plum to pear, strawberry to blackberry and apple to orange. His farm also has trees of ‘sitaphal’ (custard apple) and guava. However, the highlight of the three-acre Snowline farm is blackberry.

Initially, Babu engaged in growing traditional crops and ‘theruva pullu' (lemon grass). However, 20 years ago, he developed an interest in fruits and started planting their saplings, for which he selected varieties suitable for Kanthalloor’s peculiar mountain climate. Within 10 years, Babu’s fruit garden was ready and started yielding harvests. “While I had no plans to engage in farm tourism, I ventured into it following persistent demand from visitors,” said Babu. Currently, queues of tourists are seen at the gate of Babu’s farm every day during the season, and entry is allowed with tickets priced at Rs 20 per person.

Speaking on his experiences at the farm, Babu said, “Overall, the yield of fruits has been good. But, plum trees haven’t been developing fruits over the last four years, and some of these trees have even dried up.”

Interestingly, when strawberry cultivation became popular in Kanthalloor, Babu opted for blackberry and his farm now has around 300 trees of the fruit. In fact, it is considered the best blackberry farm in the state. Blackberry trees have long stems with thorns, similar to rose plants, and grow to a height of around five feet. They develop fruits from February and could be harvested over the next four months.

Blackberries are tangier to taste than strawberries and are rich in antioxidants. Several tasty value-added products could be prepared from the blood red-coloured juice of blackberry. At the same time, even though it has many benefits, blackberry is not suitable for sales as it has a short shelf life, said Babu. Blackberry is sold at the gate of Babu’s farm only during the tourism season. At other times, the fruit is used to prepare products such as jam.

“The sales of fruits and other agricultural produce at the farms in Kanthalloor have increased after the transformation of the region into a tourism destination. However, the behaviour of some tourists harms the crops and adversely affects the income of farmers,” said Babu.
Babu could be contacted at 9496122086.