"The aquaponics management system is a key technology developed and demonstrated by Pakistani scientists for farmers to manage their farms. Farmers can also apply the system to existing fish and hydroponic farms for organic fish, vegetable, and fruit production," said Dr. Nosherwan Shoaib while talking to WealthPK about an aquaponics system. Nosherwan is an Associate Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
The web-based platform has been developed to assist farmers in creating, analyzing, monitoring, and controlling their aquaponic farms. A sensor-based dashboard displays real-time data about the harvest date and growth progress of plants and fish on an electronic progress chart. Dr. Nosherwan said the prototype of an aquaponics management system has been developed in the lab.
"Our team tested this system to grow tomatoes and bell peppers with fish at 120 sq ft and 400 sq ft outdoor aquaponics farms. This system has also been successfully deployed at other outdoor farms to grow leafy vegetables and fruits along with fish production, including cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, and lettuce," he said.
"We estimated the system's feasibility from a model farm perspective. A breakeven analysis has been carried out while considering the farm size of 10,000 sq ft to produce fish, bell peppers, strawberries, coriander, and lettuce. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that farmers can achieve the system's break even within two years with an initial investment of Rs6 million and reap a profit of Rs10 million (11,340 EUR) over five years due to an increase in production," he said.
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