Strawberry fields forever

by NADEEM BADSHAH

SIKH FARMERS GROW SUMMER FRUIT

MEET the Paddas – the only Asian family in the UK running a strawberry farm.

Makhan Singh Padda worked in foundries, fields, markets and packing houses before turning to agri­culture after coming to the UK from India in 1966.

He bought Vicarage Nurseries in 1997 in the heart of the English countryside in Bretforton, Worcester­shire, and grows strawberries and raspberries.

And it is a busy period, with strawberries and cream being the treat of choice for tennis fans watching the likes of Roger Federer and Andy Mur­ray at Wimbledon, which starts on July 2.

Padda’s business has gone from a seven-acre site employing 40 seasonal workers to some 200-300 staff picking fields in two sites which span over 150 acres.

The 67-year-old wakes up at 5am every day to manage the farm and his properties in Birmingham, and joked that he is “retired”.

He told Eastern Eye: “I started it as a hobby. The farm is like my baby; I have three sons, a daughter, and the farm is my [other] child.

“I could say 50 per cent I am retired, but I cannot sit at home. As long as I can walk, I want to go the farm and see my business grow.

“In this country, it is very hard to set up a farm, and I did it. I drive every day 30-40 miles to go to the farm as I want to see it.”

His son Bal, 44, is the commercial director for the firm, which supplies the fruit to leading retailers in the UK.

Bal, who lives in Birmingham, said it is a regular battle with the elements after the horrendous wintry weather in February and March.

He told Eastern Eye: “In 2010, we had the worst snow. The year after was the driest, they said it would take two-and-a-half years to get the water level up.

“The year after, within two weeks we had the wa­ter level up, it was the wettest year. This year has been odd weather-wise.

“The recent snow slowed us down, we are three weeks behind. It makes it difficult to move around as it’s colder.

“Us British farmers always moan and groan about the weather – it’s either too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry,” he joked.

Bal added his faith keeps him going in the chal­lenges that the unpredictable British weather brings.

“Snow in March is bad as the plants are out. Imag­ine a kid with no hair when he goes out, how cold he’s going to be.

“If he had long hair, he would be protected. Our plants are developing hair, they haven’t got a full set to protect it from frost damage. We have had minus seven here. You have to have faith, God does things for different reasons.

“Last year we had some bad winds; it knocked out 50 per cent of our tunnel and we were not able to plant on time.

“If we had planted on time, we would have lost nearly 30 per cent of crop as we had the hottest weather and it would have literally cooked the strawberries. Because we were delayed, God gave us a blessing in disguise.”

A report by the British Summer Fruits (BSF) trade body in June said that strawberry and other soft fruit farmers are struggling to find enough people to work as pickers.

It said its members were 10-15 per cent short of la­bour and expect to be more than 30 per cent short by the autumn over Brexit fears and the government yet to agree on a seasonal agricultural workers scheme.

Nick Marston, the BSF chairman, has warned “the industry is now threatened by lack of government action with regard to seasonal labour”.

The seasonal pickers usually start working from April until November due to the late summers, start­ing their shift at 5am until around 1pm.

Hundreds of Indian and Pakistani migrants worked in farms after coming to the UK in the 1960s. The industry now relies on migrants from European countries including Bulgaria and Romania.

“We don’t know where the next generation of pickers is going to come from. We rely on Eastern Europeans,” Bal said.

“When I was growing up, it was the Asian com­munity in the field. You don’t see Asians doing this, they are doing professional roles.

“Everyone moves up a step on the ladder. They see agriculture as hard and difficult career. It is one of the hardest jobs. It is a skilled job.”

Vicarage Nurseries has sown the seeds of success by winning a string of prizes, including Soft Fruit Grower of the Year, the Most Ambitious Grower award and Most Improved Quality.

It has also made its name in the local community by forming charity Growers United, and holding charity events and football matches to bring growers from different farms together for the first time.

Bal said: “Part of our culture is to put back into the community. We get growers together, which has never happened.

“Growers don’t normally talk to each other, we do it through football and events. We raise money for charity. We give strawberries for free to local schools and churches for fetes.

“I want to carry on what my dad has done.”