Italian strawberries to be grown under hydroponics project in Rohtak village

Sunit Dhawan

Kahnaur (Rohtak), Dec 23

Growing soft and juicy strawberries on a large scale is a tedious task, but modern scientific techniques coupled with traditional expertise have made it compact and smooth. A hydroponics shade-net farming project launched to grow Italian strawberries in Kahnaur village of Rohtak is attracting visitors.

Shade net farming

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• A hydroponics shade net farming project launched to grow Italian strawberries in Kahnaur village of Rohtak is attracting visitors
• Agripreneurs have offered to help local farmers, who wish to produce these residue-free strawberries, by providing first-generation strawberry babies for quality produce

“A large number of crops can be grown in a limited space using hydroponics farming. Through this technique, nutrient-rich produce is grown in a controlled environment and it requires less water by preventing its evaporation,” says Anuj Batra, a lawyer-turned entrepreneur, who has launched the project.

The young agriculturist said the substrate used in hydroponics does not allow the roots to search for nutrients and water. “Therefore, instead of going deeper in search of water and nutrients as in traditional farming, the roots spread horizontally and imbibe maximum nutrients and water from the substrate,” he said. The grower asserts that select strawberry varieties such as Nabila Murano and Vivara have been imported from Italy in order to ensure quality produce.

“Only organic pesticides and fungicides are being used to grow the strawberries,” said Rajat, who is also actively engaged in the project. The agripreneurs have offered to help local farmers by providing first-generation strawberry babies for quality produce.