BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jun. 3
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Hydroponics method of rice sowing will be applied in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region and if successful, it could change the way that the seeds are sown in the region, Trend reports with reference to the regional akimat (administrative center).
The report said that the pilot project has already been launched and if it works out, farmers will not be planting the seeds and the seedlings manually. Within the pilot project the crops will be grown in an artificial environment without soil.
Thanks to the new method the crops growing time is expected to triple. The method also allows to reach 100 percent of varietal seed purity.
“The new method also allows to save crops from pests and diseases. Hydroponics reduces the use of seeds by 4-5 times, and rice productivity increases from 46.6 percent to 127.9 percent. In addition, the old method of growing rice requires labor and material costs,” the report said.
The akimat also said that the new method was recognized as innovative, since it had not been used in the region before.
“This year, with the support of the regional akimat, the ‘hydroponic technique is being tested at the pilot site of the Karauli To Be Research Institute named after Y. Zakhaev,” the report said.
A total of 22.5 million ha of land were allocated for sowing this year in Kazakhstan, which is 238,000 more than in 2019. At the same time, special attention was paid to the diversification of the structure of sown areas in favor of highly profitable crops and crops for import substitution.
Areas for oilseeds were increased by 122,200 ha, for vegetables by 10,000 ha, for melons by 1,500 ha, for potatoes by 7,800 ha, for fodder crops by 308,600 ha, for sugar beets by 2,400 ha. All of this will allow to provide local market with agriculture goods and increase the volume of raw materials for processing ventures.
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