Using modern and sophisticated methods in agriculture such as horticulture and aquaponics and other new techniques have helped local farmers to increase the quality and quantity of local farm production, a number of experts in the field have pointed out.
They told local Arabic daily Arrayahthat a square metre of land produces around 4-6 kg of tomatoes using the traditional agriculture methods. However, the same space produces around 40kg of tomatoes using the modern sophisticated methods. They further pointed out that even though these modern methods cost more, they produce more quantity and better quality crops.
Eng Hani Awad, a local farm manager, said that agriculture production through using these sophisticated methods often secure considerable development in the local productions of vegetables and other plants. He pointed out that vertical farming techniques imported from China considerably increases the production of plants compared to the space used. However, the only shortcoming of this method is the very high cost of running it at the start. Yet, this cost could be covered within a year or a year and a half of good production.
Eng Najib Abdulkareem, farm manager, said that his farm has a new inclination to allocate a part of it to the agriculture of medical and aromatic plants to make these products available at the local market. He said that currently the farm follows three methods in farming; open land farming, farming inside greenhouses, and farming using covering nets. He said that farming through cooled greenhouses involves very high cost, which would certainly raise the price of the final product. So, this method is currently avoided.
Eng Nizar al-Atwanah, manager of an agriculture investment company, stressed potential investors in the field of agriculture should be well-acquainted with the nature of the climate and soil of the country before starting any business. He said that the best solutions to overcome such natural challenges are to adopt modern sophisticated methods of farming and specify the suitable types of plants that could endure the climate of the country.
