10 hours ago
UNIDO training on chemical free vegetable farming starts at CSA Univ
Kanpur: The third batch of a three-day professional training programme, sponsored by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Japan, commenced at the vegetable section of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology on Sunday.
The programme was inaugurated by the university's vice-chancellor Anand Kumar Singh.
Singh, in his address emphasising the importance of chemical-free farming, stated that the excessive use of agrochemicals in agriculture is polluting the soil, air, and groundwater, adversely affecting the health of all living beings. Therefore, incorporating alternatives to agrochemicals along with low-input techniques into vegetable cultivation is the need of the hour.
Discussing the Japanese IMEC Film Farming hydroponic system, the vice-chancellor explained that it enables the successful production of high-quality cherry tomatoes using minimal water and fertilisers, and completely without agrochemicals. The Total Soluble Solids (TSS - sweetness) level in cherry tomatoes produced by this technique is nearly double that of conventionally grown tomatoes, he added. On this occasion, Hiroshi Yoshioka, chief executive officer of Mebiol Inc.
, Japan, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university for organising a meaningful and well-structured training programme. He said that using IMEC Film Farming technology in protected vegetable cultivation can fetch higher market prices, thereby helping to establish agriculture-based businesses.
Programme director PK. Singh, said that the objective of the training is to enhance women's participation in the agriculture sector and promote agriculture-based economies by developing their skills.
Programme coordinator Rajiv explained while conducting the programme that along with 12 lectures by scientists from various research institutions across the country, four practical exercises will also be conducted.
The event was attended by the dean of the faculty of community science, the director of extension, the dean of the horticulture faculty, along with 35 progressive farmers, young entrepreneurs, and research students from various districts of the state.
