FAISALABAD – The country can increase vegetables and fruit production by 20times by adopting modern agricultural technique ‘hydroponic’.
This was stated by agricultural experts at the inauguration of hydroponicgreenhouse, arranged by the Water Management Research Centre, University ofAgriculture Faisalabad (UAF) here Friday.
UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf inaugurated the hydroponic. He wasflanked by DG Water Management Punjab Dr Muhammad Akram, Water ManagementResearch Center UAF Director Dr Muhammad Irsahd, Dr Ahmad Waqas and othernotables also attended.
The VC said that it had become need of the hour to shun traditional farmingand to promote high-efficient irrigation agriculture for a better tomorrow.He said that hydroponic would help the country increase the vegetable andfruit production manifold with low water usage. He said that in China,every farmer had adopted the hydroponic which is disease and pest freeagriculture. H
e said that the production under hydroponic is totally safe for health andmeet the international standards so that we can earn even heavy foreignexchange by exporting it after meeting our demand.
He said that by traditional way of farming, the agricultural produces isunsafe for health due to excessive pesticides and other factors. He saidthat hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by usingmineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.
He said that flood watering had become outdated and we have to take themeasures to replace it with other ones. He said that at the time ofinception of the country, per capita water availability was 5,000 cubicmeter which has not declined to 900 cubic meter.
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Water Management Research Centre UAF Director Dr Muhammad Irsahd said thatwith the passage of time, per capita water availability was decreasing. “Wehave to adopt modern agricultural trend keeping in view various issues likehealth, decreasing agriculture land and food security,” he said.
DG Water Management Punjab Dr Muhammad Akram said that the modernagricultural practices would pave the way for the development of thecountry. He said that there are 26,000 villages in the province in which12,000 laser levelers had been provided and 10,000 more laser levelers wereon the cards.
Dr Ahmad Waqas said that university had developed indigenous hydroponicsystem which will cost the farmers Rs 150 per square feet.
He said that hydroponics is an important growing technique in green housesin many developed countries.
