Coimbatore-based CityGreens, co-founded by IIM Kolkata graduate Gaurav Narang, is helping farmers increase their productivity.

Narang was working in the pharma sector wherein they would provide speciality medicine to patients suffering from chronic and life-threatening diseases.

He soon correlated the prevalence of diseases with poor quality of produce and decided to set up a venture wherein they would procure and sell produce from different farms.

He then stumbled upon the idea of hydroponics.

Once a farmer approaches them saying he wants to farm using hydroponics, the team at CityGreens first understands the crop in focus.

They then conduct research to see if the crop has a market and is viable. Once the crop is decided upon, the location is assessed by CityGreens experts and then climate patterns are mapped.

Following this, the team either sets up a polyhouse or integrates hydroponics technology on the farm.

A dry run is conducted to check the technology, and agronomists visit the farmers to help them transplant the vegetable saplings.

CityGreens has four farms in Ahmedabad, of which three are hydroponic and one is indoor, and another is a hydroponic farm in Bengaluru.

Their farm in Uttarakhand started in 2021 is the first fully automated farm in India for growing medical cannabis using aeroponic technology.

“We have set up more than 25 farms in the last couple of years,” says Narang, adding that last year the venture saw a turnover of Rs 8 crore and has helped 5,000 farmers.

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