If you're looking for some tips on how to set up your own hydroponics farm, then you're at the right place!
With urbanization there has been a paradigm shift in how people live their lives. There has been increase in awareness about healthy lifestyle, mental wellness and improved quality of life. People have more purchasing power than ever and they are willing to pay premium for anything and everything that is free from chemicals and adulteration and are moving backwards to the good old traditional practices in be it food, clothes or elsewhere.
This changing mindset of people has led to increase in demand of fresh from farm vegetables and fruits which are free from excessive chemicals and adulterants. This has opened up a very big market for hydroponically grown crops which when grown with complete care and knowledge, do not require any chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
We have a gap in the market before us and as our marketing gurus say, tap it before it levels! We bring to you, some important tips to set up your very own commercial hydroponics farm below:
Tip #1 - Jot Down Your Business Idea
This is the first step for setting up any business, but in case of a hydroponics farm business, this step becomes even more important. Gather knowledge of different aspects of growing food or you can also hire a consultant who can guide you through the process. The first thing after that is to estimate your costs. Then, the next big thing is accessing your target market. Once, the target market and the market gaps have been thoroughly studied, start the legality of the matter by registering the firm, trademark, business logo etc.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of central and state government subsidy schemes for people opting for setting up a hydroponics farm. You can directly visit the respective state National Horticulture Mission (NHM) websites for state-level schemes and National Horticulture Board (NHB) website for central government schemes.
Tip #2 - Choose The Location Carefully
When it comes to a hydroponic farm, you may want to consider it setting up closer to cities and your target audience. Do not forget to keep an eye on the transportation costs, availability of raw material, water, electricity and labour.
Tip #3 - Decide What Crops You Want to Grow
Choosing the right crops is very crucial for the complete process. Access your target market and study your competition well. Based on these factors, see if you can offer a product that’s not only easy to grow but also will have demand amongst your audiences. Also, you should decide whether you want to grow just one crop in the polyhouse or you want to try out multiple crops for variety.
Tip #4 - Pick A Suitable Hydroponics Growing System
Look at the space you’re planning to have your hydroponics farm in and determine what kind of system will work best depending on the location and the crop. If you’re growing crops like lettuce or spinach, then an NFT setup will suffice because these crops grow fast and short, which allows for easy pickings. If you're growing vine crops like cucumbers and tomatoes, you can use cocopeat in growbags.
Don not forget to compare the prices for various hydroponics growing systems depending on the materials, crops, location, and setup.
Tip #5 - Finalizing the source of light
There are different light sources on can use when growing crops in a polyhouse using hydroponics. Lighting can be through natural resources like sun or artificially like LEDs, HID lamps, HPS Bulbs etc. Each lighting source has its pros and cons, and you’ll need to study each one to determine which option best suits your needs.
Start smart, grow smarter!
Hydroponics farming is the future of agriculture with endless growth opportunities if you are able to take the right steps at the right time and place. You can start yourself, hire agronomists or can hire a hydroponics consultant to start your own farms. We, at Poddar Farms, also provide training and consultation services for starting up a hydroponics farm. Drop your requirements here and we'll get back to you. Meanwhile do not forget to like and comment on the post!
Comments