Tunnel Farming Of Vegetables Stressed To Boost Production Amid Changing Climate, Flood Losses

The agriculture scientists have stressed the need to promote timely tunnel farming of vegetables for catering to burgeoning food requirements in the country especially in the wake of recent floods that caused huge damage to seasonal crops

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2025) The agriculture scientists have stressed the need to promote timely tunnel farming of vegetables for catering to burgeoning food requirements in the country especially in the wake of recent floods that caused huge damage to seasonal crops.

Chairing a meeting on the vegetable production plan at Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), Director General Adaptive Research & Farm Training Punjab Dr. Ishtiaq Hassan said that tunnel farming can substantially increase per-acre yield and provide farmers higher profits.

He urged the farmers to adopt modern technologies and utilize all available resources for cultivating summer vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, chili, capsicum, bottle gourd, pumpkin, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, melon, watermelon and round gourd under tunnels.

He said that tunnel farming would not only enhance vegetable output but also address food security challenges by ensuring the availability of balanced diets to rapidly growing population in the country.

He said that vegetables are rich in essential nutrients including fiber, vitamin-C, manganese and folic acid which make them vital for human health.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Javed Iqbal Assistant Director Adaptive Research Headquarters Lahore highlighted the urgent need to expand vegetable cultivation by using modern production technologies to meet demand and maximize profitability.

He said that tunnel farming allows the farmers to achieve higher yield from smaller landholdings by boosting both production and income.

The agri experts including Dr. Saeed Ahmad Shah Chishti, Dr. Waseem Abbas, Saadia Sardar and Atlas Amin also addressed the meeting and said that the vegetable sciences department of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute has introduced more than 85 varieties of vegetables since its inception which are widely popular among farmers.

They said that AARI department is committed to provide high-quality seeds with improved productivity potential through advanced research.

The meeting also reviewed and approved a draft production plan for tunnel farming of vegetables after incorporating necessary amendments.

The document included recommendations on disease management, pest control and strategies for improving profitability.

The scientists agreed that the promotion of tunnel farming could play a decisive role in strengthening Pakistan’s agricultural economy besides ensuring sustainable food supplies.