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Those facing scarcity of quality of soil for farming do not need to worry anymore. The soil-less mix, developed by the Ernakulam Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), can be used as an alternative to soil in farming, and is now ready for sale.
This mix is made of composted pressmud, a by-product from sugar mills along with coir-pith, powdered cow dung, neem cake and biocontrol agents.
The soil-less mix will be a boon for backyard farming where availability of quality soil is scarce , like in cities, says Shinoj Subramannian, Head of the KVK. As plants can be directly planted to the 10 kg bag of the mix, no separate grow bags are required. A bag of 10 kg is priced at Rs 125.
Scarcity of quality soil is one of the major challenges being faced by the organic farmers in cities. Normally, at least 150 kg of soil is required to grow plants in 30 grow bags, Shinoj said.
“We are also happy to transfer the technology to anybody interested in the product.”, he added.
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