At an elevation of 4.500 feet above sea level, a new greenhouse of 7,000 square feet has been realized in Uttarakhand, India. In addition to growing peppers, the initiators aim to make growers in the area aware of the possibilities of greenhouse growing, says Chandramani Kumar, senior project manager and operations head with Ind Hydro, a company that's realizing greenhouse projects throughout India with this goal in mind.
"This project is the first hydroponics endeavor in the region to be established at such a high elevation," Chandramani shares. "The greenhouse is realized in the foothills of Jagbeer Himalayas. A very picturesque location, but providing several challenges for sustainable food production."
The challenges for growers in the area proved to be a challenge for the building team as well, Chandramani adds. "The elevation and frequent rainfall on site were the greatest issues for our team, making it challenging to coordinate for logistics and the timeline of the project. Fortunately, the proper prior preparation helped to overcome such conditions."
The hydroponics project was constructed for Sudha Hydro Farm, which will operate the greenhouse supported by Ind Hydro. The project received guidance and leadership from the CEO of Ind Hydro, Mr. Priyanshu Jain.
Ind Hydro, short for India Hydroponics, is a community brand built for and by hydroponics farmers in India. They help growers develop Hydroponics farms across India and abroad. By now, they have realized a dozen of farms to show growers the potential of CEA, including several greenhouses and a vertical farm. "Our vision is to bring awareness about Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) to farmers who are grappling with variable weather conditions. By introducing hydroponics, we aim to promote commercial agriculture in areas where weather conditions are consistently unpredictable, and traditional soil farming faces significant difficulties."
In the recently inaugurated greenhouse, pepper plants are grown on cocopeat grow bags from BioGrow India, which contain a mixture of 40% to 80% cocopeat and 60% to 20% coco chips. The facility is covered with Greenpro foil.
For more information:
Ind Hydro
https://www.indhydroponics.com/