CHANDIGARH: Vertical farming may prove to be a profitable deal for the
farmers of Haryana. Giving information about this, an official spokesperson
said that vertical farming was more beneficial in the case of vegetables. He said
that a provision has been made to provide grants under a special scheme by the
government to the farmers adopting this method.
While giving detailed information about vertical farming, the
spokesperson said that most vine vegetables can be grown with the bamboo-
wire method. This is a highly beneficial technique. By adopting this method, the
farmer can increase his income by producing vine vegetables like gourd,
zucchini, bitter gourd, cucumber, melon, watermelon, and tomato etc. He said
that these vegetables are usually planted directly in the field, and their
production decreases over time. Along with this the risk of diseases and pest
infestation also increases raising production costs.
The farmer spends about Rs. 60, 000 on bamboo-wire vertical farming for which
a grant of Rs. 31, 200 per acre is provided to the farmer.
He said that in addition to bamboo-wire, iron stacking is another method
in which the structure is made by replacing the bamboo-wire with an angle of
iron and vegetables are planted on it. He said that about Rs.1.42 lakh per acre is
spent on adopting this method, for which the Horticulture Department provides
a grant of Rs. 70, 500 per acre to the farmers. He said that in district Rohtak
alone, the bamboo-wire method of farming has become very popular and
farmers are producing vine vegetables in an area of about 250 hectares using
this method.
He said that farmers could earn more profits from this farming, and water
can also be saved by adopting this method. He appealed to the farmers that
during the upcoming Kharif season, instead of paddy, they should contribute
towards saving water by opting for vertical farming instead of sowing paddy.