Rawalpindi: Punjab Forest Department has launched a 5-year project to plant fruits and vegetables in the province’s vacant land areas, reported a news source. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide financial assistance for the project.
The programme falls in-line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to financially empower local communities. Fruit and vegetable farming at the household level, in the lands identified, will be carried out in all districts of Punjab. For this, landowners in 36 districts and 123 tehsils will be provided training on modern tunnel farming methods.
Tunnel farming accelerates the yield of non-seasonal fresh fruits. The method has already been successfully tested in Rawalpindi Division’s Kahuta, Chakwal, and Kallar Syedan districts. The produced items are fresh. Since they are grown off season, farmers’ profits increase due to their high market sales rates.
Project Director Feroze-ud-Din Ahmed said that shrubs to make Punjab green will also be planted under this programme. He mentioned that saplings of evergreen trees and flowering/fruit-bearing plants will be sown.
