Want To Start a Hydroponics Business? Expert Shares 5 Tips To Ensure Success

With hydroponics farming gaining popularity, several people are wondering how to grow vegetables, herbs and plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. This method is not only environmentally friendly but also organic. However, getting into the hydroponics market isn’t as simple as starting a terrace garden.

To help you get started, Dr Praveen Singh, a PhD holder in Agronomy with over two decades of experience in the hydroponics and urban gardening sector is offering five simple tips.

He has worked as the Joint Director of the National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation and developed hydroponic farms for an Indian multinational consumer goods company. In 2017, he launched his startup — Prayag Policy Research and Innovation Institute. Through this, he consults several hydroponics projects in India, Africa and Bangladesh.

Till date, Dr Praveen has been associated with more than 3,000 hydroponics practitioners and ensured success in their ventures. He also uploads lectures on his YouTube channel and conducts online classes.

Here are five tips to keep in mind before starting your hydroponics venture.

1.Select the right crop:
Depending on the season and after studying market demands, the farm owners must decide to grow suitable crops. This includes analysing nearby market demands, the economic value of the crops and their resistance to climatic changes.

2. Identify the infrastructure:
To start a hydroponics farm, one requires a greenhouse, growing systems, nutrients and a microclimate controller to grow the crops. These aspects must be well thought out, depending on the size of the farm and the budget.

3. Convert produce to commodity:
While starting a farm it is important not to focus only on selling the produce directly in bulk to consumers. Instead, they should also think of innovative marketing methods. For example, instead of selling lettuce by the kilo, it can be value-added by selling it as a salad mix along with other vegetables.

4. Have essential skills to manage the farm:
Managing a hydroponics farm is sometimes a complicated task. Depending on the size of the farm, it is also essential to have one or two persons to maintain cleanliness and other processes.

5. Be patient
The process of launching a hydroponics business may seem long but it is important to stay patient. Dr Praveen says, “The initial months are the gestation period before the venture becomes profitable.”

Pro tip: Dr Praveen advises those who wish to start a hydroponics business to test the desired crops and grow them as a pilot project. Once the crops show a success rate in a small set up, the owner can expand into a commercial cropping set up.

If you wish to acquire the techniques to become a hydroponics farmer, you can access a detailed course by Dr Praveen here.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

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