In Saharanpur, young farmers are doing new experiments in farming due to increasing cost and decreasing profits in traditional farming. A young farmer of village Badhedi Koli has started cultivating vegetables with hydrophonic technique by constructing an air-conditioned polyhouse in an area of 130 square meters. With this, he is earning an average of Rs 50,000 per month. Due to the good quality of their products, there is a great demand from local to metropolitan hotels and restaurants.
Young farmer Anmol Chowdhary told that he has built an air-conditioned polyhouse in just 130 square meters. Started cultivation of vegetables with hydrophonic technique. This farming started in the year 2021 is proving to be a boon for them. Due to this, he is getting an average income of Rs 50 thousand per month.
Currently, he is cultivating lettuce, which is used in salads, burgers and sandwiches. Which are being supplied from the local market to the hotels of Dehradun.
In the off-season, his lettuce is sold for up to Rs 400 per kg. Apart from this, he also does off-season cultivation of other vegetables including colored capsicum, Chinese cucumber, cherry tomato.
This is how farming is done with hydrophonic technique
In this technique, crops are grown without soil. In this, the sapling is planted in a pipe filled with cocopeat (coconut powder) in a special mesh cup. Plants take nutrients from the water in the pipe.
Piped water is rotated every hour for 10 to 15 minutes. In this, he has installed seven pipes vertically. Vegetables are being grown in all these pipes.