ABSTRACT
Cultivated strawberries, are “man-made” and one of the most recently domesticated fruit crops in the world. They have witnessed unprecedented popularity, leading to a manifold increase in production and usage all over the world. The United States and China collectively contribute approximately two-thirds of the world’s total production. Other producers that contribute significantly to world strawberry production are Turkey, Spain, Egypt and Mexico. After bananas, apples, grapes and melons, strawberries rank high in world production. Its attractive fruits with a distinct flavour, rich in antioxidants and minerals, have made it a preferred fruit for human consumption from health benefit points of view. Its use both as fresh and processed and value-added products have firmly placed the strawberry sector as a global industry worth many billions of dollars. It is a source of employment to millions of households across the globe.
