Off-season vegetables and fruits: farmers to be trained in 'tunnel technology'

The Fruits and Vegetable Development Project, a Provincial Agriculture Department project, will start training farmers from next month how to grow off-season vegetables through 'tunnel technology' at the 45 Framers Field Schools (FFS) set up in different districts.
"Last year, under pilot project, 13 FFS were set up, and 25 farmers were provided training in each of these schools," department sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday. "Under this project, the framers are taught about the cultivation of cucumber, tomato, green chilli and capsicum during off-season," they said.
According to sources, in the three years of this project the department has targeted to educate over 3,300 farmers. The project has been operational in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Gujaranwala and Sheikhupura districts. And, by the next month, 45 new schools would start. Out of these, six each are in Lahore and Sheikhupura, 12 each in Kasur and Okara, and 9 in Gujaranwala districts, sources said.
About the criteria of selection of the farmers, the department conducted a survey of vegetable growing areas of these five districts, and established a school where farmers showed interest.
On commercial 'tunnel farming', sources said, the Punjab agriculture department has already made the feasibility studies for 5 acres to 15 acres of 'tunnel farming'. Under these feasibility studies the 'tunnel farming' has been differentiated into three categories, according to the height of the tunnel.
Objectives of these Farmers Field Schools is growing off-season vegetables through 'tunnel technology', growing seasonal open field vegetables, conducting agri-echo system analysis for identification of insect, pests, diseases, nutritional deficiencies, soil problems, integrated crop management techniques, capacity building of farmers for making their own decisions according to situation for better crop management.
These schools also minimise the use of pesticides in vegetable production, promoting use of safe pesticides, promoting use of biological control measures, conducting seminars, workshops, farmer days, field visits on vegetable production and marketing.