Tunnel technology for vegetable production has gained popularity among small growers and farmers in Sialkot district. A large number of farmers has adopted tunnel farming technology on their own expenses and not taken any support from the Punjab government.
Sources in Agriculture Department told Business Recorder on Sunday that at present more than one thousand small farmers have adopted tunnel farm technology and more farmers are considering opting this technology keeping in view the economic benefits in four Tehsils of Sialkot district.
The agriculture department experts are extending full co-operation and assistance to farmers in this regard in the district. A large number of farmers has successfully installed walk-in and low tunnels in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur Tehsils of the district and cultivating off-season vegetables like cucumber, tomato, green chilly, paprika, pumpkin, bitter gourd, watermelon and melons etc.
The tunnel technology had paved the way for bringing revolutionary changes in agriculture sector not only enabling the growers to produce off-season vegetables but also for improving their economic condition.
Progressive farmers Ali Muhammad and Akhtar Chaudhry said, “We are successfully attaining the yield of off-season vegetables and gaining better return of crops,” adding that farmers community had installed “walk-in and low tunnels” without the finical support from the provincial government. The per-acre yield of vegetables cultivated under tunnel farming technology is much higher as compared to traditional farming and growers’ community had focussed on adopting this technology for getting better return of the crops, they said.
They foresee that tunnel farming technology would not only help improve the economic conditions of the grower community but also be supportive in brining revolutionary changes in agriculture sector while people would be able to get off-season vegetables round the year at local in the district.
It may be mentioned that under tunnel faming technology the crops are cultivate in a set temperature for attaining maximum output of the vegetables as a result of which the farmers could get maximum profit by selling the vegetable before season.
