Economic feasibility of NFT hydroponics for lettuce cultivation in Delhi NCR region: A cost-benefit analysis

Introduction

The global food crisis demands innovative strategies in the agricultural sector, making it imperative for horticulturists to implement advanced methodologies for fruit and vegetable production. In the face of food scarcity driven by climatic and economic challenges, sustainable and efficient agricultural practices have become crucial. Hydroponics is an environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural technique that allows plants to grow profitably without the use of soil (Nitu et al., 2024) [13] . In India, the shrinking availability of arable land due to population pressures and urban expansion threatens agricultural productivity and food supply stability. It has come to notice that 2.45 lakh hectare of agricultural land has been reduced in three years starting from 2016-17 to 2018-19, while it has reduced by 9.61 lakh hectare in six years starting from 2013-14 to 2018-19. (Kumar et al., 2022) [10] . Hydroponics, a soil-free farming method, is increasingly popular due to its ability to conserve land, minimize pesticide use, and flourish in areas with poor soil, ultimately reducing vulnerability to extreme weather conditions. (Rajendran et al., 2024) [16] . (Thanushree et al., 2024) [17] . It also offers a promising alternative for climate-resilient agriculture, optimizing resource use and minimizing land requirements while promoting disease-free crop production (Woznicki, et al., 2021) [18] . Other advantages, including better control over nutrient levels, more efficient use of water, and the ability to grow plants in areas with poor soil quality (Kusnierek et al., 2023; Woznicki, et al., 2021 & Lakhiar, 2018) [11,18,5] . Initial investment required is also very high but it can yield good returns for that because a return on investment is also high (Thanushree et al., 2024) [17] . Therefore, this study was done to check the economic feasibility of the NFT hydroponic system at Delhi NCR region for lettuce production.

Materials and Methods

An experiment was conducted at Delhi NCR region with 28.37 N latitude and 77.58 S longitude. the study was conducted inside a 1500 sqm climate-controlled greenhouse using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponics by natural sunlight with secondary shading (no artificial lighting), HDPE NFT channels, Oasis Cubes as growing medium, Bluelab inteldose Autodosing for nutrient management, and IoT-based automation for climate control. The design used is complete randomized design for statistical analysis. This study was conducted at Delhi NCR region with complete randomized Design (CRD) under NFT hydroponic system for a single factor experiment with three (3) different lettuce varieties and three (3) replications. These are as follows: T1 (Romaine), T2 (Batavia) and T3 (Lolla Rosso). The seedling was prepared in Oasis cube. The total cost of component and the operational cost of NFT hydroponic system is given in the table 1 and 2. For calculation the Net present value the discount is 10% with 5 years of estimated life of the growing system. www.extensionjournal.com Benefit-cost ratio 1.72% 5.

Internal rate of return 62.36%

Within different variety of lettuce, the crop cycle period per years was also different. The Batavia, Romanie and Lollo Rosso variety can be grown 7.5, 8 and 8.5 cycles/ year. The selling price of Lollo rosso is maximum that is 150 ₹/kg but the weight of Lollo rosso is minimum among three variety. The maximum total weight per cycle was recorded with Batavia (3500 kg) followed by Romanie (2500 kg) therefore Batavia also resulted in generating the maximum annual revenue among different varieties (3150000 ₹/ Year).

For the whole NFT hydroponic system, the Net Present Value (NPV) resulted in ₹ 1,74,36,455.1 with the B: C ratio of 1.72% and the pay back time of the system will be 1.6 year and the Internal rate of return is 62.36%.

Conclusion

Under NFT hydroponic system, by producing nutrient-rich, pesticide-free crops, they help address global food security challenges and nutritional deficiencies, ultimately supporting the nation's growth. There is a great demand for the food produce grown hydroponically. The increase in demand, less consumption of water, land and other resources create an opportunity to grow more crops in less time. The results of the above analysis also shows that the Batavia resulted in generating the maximum annual revenue followed by Romaine. Therefore, we can recommend Batavia variety for the farmers who are willing to enter into hydroponic because they can able earn huge profits when they have sufficient capital and importantly skilled and highly qualified human resource who is going to operate and monitor the hydroponic farm. Since the Cost-Benefit analysis is showing the positive indications of implementing hydroponics it suggested adopting hydroponic farming as a traditional method of farming.

References

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