In a dialog with an engineer-turned-farmer and co-founder, Abhay Singh of Eeki Meals, what fascinated me probably the most was the evolution of farming. With no background within the discipline by any means,
In a dialog with an engineer-turned-farmer and co-founder, Abhay Singh of Eeki Meals, what fascinated me probably the most was the evolution of farming.
With no background within the discipline by any means, I solely had a layman’s data of how my meals was grown. After a affected person and lengthy clarification about how medium-less farming works, my query was, “So the roots simply dangle within the air?”
He smiled and mentioned sure.
This methodology of farming — hydroponics just isn’t solely efficient in saving water however has additionally been serving to farmers throughout the nation earn in lakhs. If you’re a farmer or somebody who needs to attempt the tactic however is uncertain the place to begin, we now have you lined.
The Higher India spoke to completely different farmers and curated an inventory that’s positive to depart you impressed.
1. Abhay Singh’s soil-less farming
IIT-Bombay graduates Amit Kumar and Abhay Singh based Eeki Meals, which makes use of medium-less farming to develop crops. The concept of the startup comes from Abhay’s ardour for locating a more healthy and extra sustainable means of rising meals.
Singh states, “We need to make farming sustainable and inexpensive for everybody.”
The startup makes use of hydroponics to develop greens on a big scale with out soil. Their method helps in saving 80% of water and rising the greens 75% quicker. This methodology entails climate-proof chambers the place plant roots dangle within the air and obtain vitamins by way of irrigation.
“We develop meals in an empty chamber in a managed atmosphere. Roots dangle within the air, irrigation occurs, and we now have our produce. We don’t use any soil or options like coco peat to develop our greens and fruits,” shares Amit.
Eeki Meals operates in Haryana and Rajasthan, aiming for sustainable and inexpensive farming.
2. Shailesh Modak’s experiment along with his jobs
Whereas Shailesh Modak was rising up, his household all the time taught him to have secure jobs with regular earnings. Nonetheless, he all the time felt that turning into an entrepreneur was his calling.
“So once I determined to give up my 13-year-long profession to develop into an entrepreneur, it felt like a life-altering determination,” Shailesh.
Whereas he tried his hand at doing various things, it was farming that he discovered his true calling in. Shailesh was capable of develop a plant like saffron in Pune utilizing hydroponics.
Investing Rs 10 lakh in analysis and setup, he created a way that makes use of 95% much less water and permits year-round cultivation. His first crop yielded 875g of saffron, incomes him Rs 5 lakh at Rs 500 per gram.
Shailesh goals to make saffron farming accessible to others, emphasising that anybody can undertake this managed atmosphere method. He states, “My objective is to simplify the method so anybody can do it.”
3. Ramesh Gera’s journey to income
Ramesh Gera’s foray into saffron cultivation started in 2017, pushed by a want to cut back India’s reliance on imported saffron, which constitutes 70% of the market because of restricted home manufacturing.
After a profitable engineering profession, he was impressed by superior farming methods which he discovered throughout a piece stint in South Korea. Ramesh invested Rs 6 lakh to arrange a 100-sq ft greenhouse in Noida’s Sector 63.
This funding lined building prices in addition to the price of procuring saffron seeds from Kashmir.
Regardless of an preliminary expenditure, Ramesh discovered saffron farming profitable. He reveals, “Saffron has a very good price available in the market. You may earn as much as Rs 2.5 lakh per kg in wholesale markets and Rs 3.5 lakh per kg in retail markets. You may as well earn as much as Rs 6 lakh per kg should you faucet into the export enterprise.”
The enterprise proved worthwhile, prompting Ramesh to ascertain the ‘Akarshak Saffron Institute’ in Noida, the place he has educated over 370 people in indoor saffron cultivation. Now the enterprise yields him a formidable month-to-month revenue of Rs 3.5 lakh.
4. Dheeraj’s probability introduction to hydroponics
Dheeraj Verma’s journey into hydroponic farming started with an opportunity encounter.
A tv programme highlighted Israel’s progressive farming strategies. Pissed off by the restrictions of conventional farming on his 10-acre farm in Barabanki, the place he struggled to promote his produce even domestically, Dheeraj was impressed to undertake hydroponics.
After intensive self-education by way of on-line sources and formal coaching in Madhya Pradesh, he invested Rs 12 lakh to arrange a 3,500 sq ft hydroponics system for cultivating strawberries.
Inside simply two months of implementation, Dheeraj harvested a formidable 5 tonnes of strawberries, incomes Rs 3 lakh in gross sales. Evaluating this to conventional farming, he famous a fivefold enhance in manufacturing effectivity.
5. Sandeep’s want to attach with nature
Sandeep Kannan’s journey into hydroponic farming began from a want to attach along with his farming roots and discover progressive agricultural methods.
Graduating amidst friends aiming for city careers or authorities jobs, Sandeep opted to delve into hydroponics after researching numerous farming strategies through the COVID-19 lockdown.
He began with small-scale experiments on his terrace, rising leafy greens and lettuce utilizing PVC pipes and nutrient-rich water, Sandeep rapidly noticed success. He determined to broaden and reached out to native markets. Sandeep step by step gained acceptance by supplying his merchandise to supermarkets and residential areas in Tirupati.
Regardless of preliminary challenges securing capital and convincing members of the family of the enterprise’s viability, Sandeep now earns Rs 54,000 month-to-month.
Be it Sandeep’s want to reconnect with nature or Abhay’s want to deliver innovation in farming, the tactic not solely helped them enhance their revenue but in addition use water successfully. With India’s satisfaction being the agricultural sector, adopting such strategies can present that trendy farming may be each environmentally pleasant and economically viable.
Edited by Padmashree Pande
