CHARIKAR (SW) – A number of gardeners in Parwan say that they are not familiar with modern methods of gardening and use traditional methods to carry out their work.
According to them, one of the traditional methods of gardening is pruning trees and other types of plants, which causes enough light to reach the trees. Gardeners in Parwan add that they need to use more modern methods to grow their crops better but so far, they have not been given professional training.
Abdul Khabir, a gardener in Saidkhel district of Parwan, says that he has a vineyard of about three acres of land and he prunes grape vines every year in summer and winter. He adds: “Its diseased and dried branches must be removed and some branches have grown in the opposite direction, which is why we prune them. We have learned pruning from our elders and no authority, institution or department of agriculture has not taught us.”
Gardeners in Parwan say that if tree pruning is done in a correct and standard way, they will give good results. They want the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to train gardeners in the field of modern horticulture.
Qadiree, another gardener in Parwan, says: “My father is old and I cannot do this myself. We hire people every year and they trim the vines and branches. The year they improve well, we get better income. If they correct the branches non-standardly and with a saw, the result will not be good.”
Seyed Ahmad Malekzad, a professor at Parvan University’s College of Agriculture and an expert in agriculture, says that pruning is done in two types: green or dense, which is done in summer and during the harvest and black pruning in winter. He adds: “Green pruning should be done before the fruit is ripe, so that all kinds of acidic compounds in the raw fruit, which cause their sourness, turn into carbohydrates and sugars when exposed to sunlight and make the fruit sweet.”
Agricultural experts say that gardeners in Parwan should be taught modern gardening methods to increase production and improve the quality of products.
However, the officials of the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Parwan say that 81 acres of land in this province have been allocated for the construction of dense and semi-dense gardens, and the correct methods of pruning have been taught to gardeners by partner organizations.
Mohammad Rahim Nomani, head of agriculture in Parwan, told Salam Watandar: “Dense and semi-dense gardens have been created in 81 acres of Parwan. The gardeners have been given technical training by the technical staff and gardener extension agents on the cultivation and pruning of the gardens.”
The officials of the Parwan Agriculture Department add that small and large metal tools, saws, fruit pickers and plastic baskets have been distributed to gardeners in this province.
It should be mentioned that most of the residents of Parwan are engaged in gardening and farming and in this way they provide their living expenses.
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