Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Storage Technology has been proven a sophisticated technology for storage and distribution of crops, as it has a unique provision to promote storage life and a big help in maintaining high quality level of crops.
Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), said this while addressing the participants of meeting held here at his chamber on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Iqrar urged the growers to grow and store apples, pears, banana, kiwi, cabbage vars, potato, mango, citrus fruits, and grapes as CA technology has a great ability to preserve the commodities up to 8-10 months with their natural tests. He stressed the need for expansion of CA technology network to every railway station, airport, dry port and fruit and vegetable market.
He said that State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had issued a circular to ask commercials banks and investors to facilitate the desirous person so as establish such stores at every village in order to minimise the 40 percent post harvest loses. Though the technology was evolved in UK in early 1930s but the facilities provided in advanced version of CA technology are unique in many ways.
Moreover, he said that Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Laboratory has been established at Institute of Horticultural Sciences, UAF with the help of Van Amerongen Holand. He lauded the efforts and interest of Dr Aman Ullah Malik to bring this technology at UAF and to produce a well-groomed elite of young scientists with special emphasis on CA technology.