Against the backdrop of the harmful impact of the indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides in growing vegetables, the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) organised a Workshop on Rooftop Kitchen Gardening on Saturday morning at its premises in Red Hill in the city.
The workshop's primary objective was to raise awareness about the significance of cultivating one's food organically and to provide a platform to help enthusiasts grasp the fundamentals of Rooftop Kitchen Gardening.
Welcoming the gathering Ravi Kumar, Vice President of FTCCI said, rooftop kitchen gardening reduces urban heat, and pollution and contributes to the clean air
Chandra Mohan Siram, Chairman of the Agro & Food Processing Committee, said that thirty or forty years ago, before the green revolution, pesticides and insecticide usage never existed. Now, a single farmer uses 50 to 60 bags of pesticides depending on the cultivable land. Further to increase productivity, every vegetable crop is subjected to many types of sprays. Pesticides or insecticides are sprayed before harvesting, to improve the colour and freshness. This is leading to cancer diseases. Thirty years ago we had not heard of a specialisation called Oncology. Now, in every nook and corner of the city, we have an Oncologist. Today the situation is we are putting zinc into the soil and we are eating it as well. In the past, we used to consume zinc from horticultural products. But now things have changed.
A small country Israel which does not have much land and water resources is doing wonders in terms of horticultural production and also exporting. So also Kenya. We can emulate these countries, said Chandra Moha Siram. We must encourage Rooftop Kitchen Gardening in our city.
Speaking to the gathering of about 100 Rooftop Kitchen Gardeners as well as enthusiasts of this concept, Smt. K. Sridevi, Assistant Director of Horticulture (Urban Farming), Government of Telangana, said the information is just a click away and is abundantly available online. Don't get into Rooftop Kitchen Gardening because of peer pressure. Get into it for sheer pleasure, to produce pure vegetables, for happiness and the good health of the family.
Her colleague Smt. B. Manga and Smt. K. Synitha Rose, both the officers in Urban farming spoke about the importance of urban farming, its steps, cultural practices to be adopted and organic ways of controlling pests and diseases. Hyderabad which was once a garden city is now turned into a concrete jungle. And the only spaces left are balconies and rooftops. You must make effective use of the same, they said.
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