Picture India's metro cities buzzing with fresh greens harvested just hours earlier, grown in energy-smart towers right in the neighbourhood. That's the vision driving Flora Consult's pivot from 30 years in rose cultivation to Revoponics, says Rohan Sharma, Lead, Urban Farming & innovations. "We're using rotating aeroponic systems to cut vertical farming's high energy bills by three-quarters. A single grow light does the job as towers spin around it for even coverage, and the motion itself handles ventilation. No fan farms or light overloads needed."
Rohan keeps it straightforward: "Aeroponics showers roots on a timer, unlike hydroponics, where they're always submerged. That lets roots breathe, boosting nutrient uptake, plant weight, and yields. Biology wins." He adds, " Traditional setups waste power on constant saturation, but Revoponics fits India's hybrid trend, blending ambient weather with smart controls like remote monitoring and nutrient dosing."
© Flora Consult
India is playing catch-up on vertical farming, and corporates are jumping in. "Flora Consult worked on a HSBC 8-floor setup to produce 25 to 30 days cycles from each floor. Employees sow seeds, tend seedlings, transplant, and take home their harvest. It's not forced CSR, it's genuinely fun" He says. "Barclay's second biggest facility in Pune featured GroPro boxes, which are tall, glass-walled phytotrons showing live humidity, temperature, light, Co2, EC/pH readings. We have many five-star hotels wanting cafe live-harvests. Guests watching their ingredients harvested to assemble a salad right there. That's gold for customer engagement!"
Rohan highlights the untapped potential in residential societies or hubs comprising 50-60 buildings with full upkeep, no layman hassle. "Busy residents want ease, not daily labor. Scale is key for profits in this segment as it could take 1000 installations or 10 Housing societies to break even, the Flora Consult's team of experts offers hands-on training and continuous support to keep the system up and running avoiding it becoming another plastic waste at their households". Trials look good for a 1-2 year rollout.
© Flora Consult
"From fiery peppers to premium strawberries, crops thrive in Revoponics systems," Rohan shares, listing leafy greens, herbs, peppers, including Bhut Jolokia, cherry tomatoes, and year-round strawberries as popular crops grown. "Recently, Queen's University in Canada validated our energy edge through research studies conducted at their Phytotron Facility, drawing a commercial farming projects that's now being set up. All our towers use virgin food-grade HDPE for lasting durability and safety, so no micro-plastics from recycled alternatives. For us, sustainability balances environmental sensitivity with the practical sensibility," he explains
Looking ahead, Rohan bets on the opportunity for hybrid Revoponics involving HortiVoltaics, to deliver cost-effective CEA solutions by saving power and budgets. "The industry currently relies on energy-intensive imported vertical farm setups. But as local innovation scales up, we can wave goodbye to high upfront costs and operational headaches. Make the tech economic and accessible, and urban demand will flood in," he predicts. "From office greens to home towers, we are looking to rebuild city dwellers' lost connection to real food."
For more information:
Rohan Sharma
Flora Consult
Email: [email protected]
www.floraconsult.com
