Cultivation of seedless citrus on the rise in Punjab

Farmers are developing new orchards to improve their financial standing

MULTAN:

Cultivation of seedless citrus or kinnow having fewer seeds was on the rise in southern Punjab where farmers were developing new orchards to improve their financial standing.

This was stated by agriculture experts and officials at a one-day training workshop organized by the regional agriculture economic development centre in Vehari and department of pest warning and quality control of pesticides at Fatehpur in district Layyah on Friday, said an official on Friday.

 Former director Citrus Research Institute Chaudhry Niaz Ahmad said that the development of new citrus orchards was on the rise in south Punjab with seedless or citrus having fewer seeds getting the major share.

 The orchards are mostly being developed on uneven tracts of land with water being supplied through the drip irrigation system.

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 Pest Warning Deputy Director Dr Ghulam Abbas said the Punjab government was taking different initiatives to promote the cultivation of seedless kinnow that has enormous demand in the international lucrative markets.

He said that increase in the export of seedless kinnow with low number of seed can not only fetch much needed foreign exchange but also strengthen the national economy.

 Experts imparted training to the farmers on various aspects of citrus orchards development and care including branch trimming, protection of plants, irrigation, fertilizers application, and protection against diseases and pests.

Dr Niaz advised farmers to obtain good quality saplings from those nurseries which use genuine root stock and sign.

“To develop new orchards, farmers should dig ditches and keep these open for fifteen days. Then they should fill it with animal waste fertilizers, silt from canals and soil to plant kinnow saplings.