Odisha Homemaker Sujata Agarwal Builds Saffron Enterprise With Hydroponics

The interviews and reporting for this story had been performed in March 2025.

“Gardening is not only a passionfor me, it’s a relentless journey of studying and discovering extra concerning the flowers that encompass me. The enjoyment of watching one thing develop from Fnothing is a sense I want everybody may expertise,” says Sujata Agarwal, a resident of Jharsuguda, Odisha. She has made a reputation for herself on the planet of hydroponics and microgreens farming.

“I inherited my love for flowers from my mom,” she recollects fondly. “From an early age, flowers weren’t simply decorations however sources of peace and pleasure for me.” After marrying Pawan Kumar Agarwal, she continued her gardening passion by sustaining a small terrace backyard at residence. “My backyard options an array of flowers like roses, gerberas, marigolds, and hibiscus. At the moment, I domesticate greater than 250 totally different kinds of roses in my backyard,” she tellsThe Higher India.

In 2020, through the COVID-19 lockdown, the passionate gardener discovered herself at residence with loads of time on her arms. Previous to the lockdown, she had been busy educating abacus, Odissi dance, and drawing to youngsters. However with every part shut down, she turned to her cellphone for distraction. It was then that she stumbled upon the idea of hydroponics farming.

Ardour for flowers was a farming enterprise

“I had by no means heard of hydroponics earlier than, nevertheless it intrigued me. I knew I wished to strive it, however I had no thought the place to start out,” she says. Armed with immense curiosity and thirst to be taught, she threw herself into on-line analysis, studying every part she may concerning the soilless farming approach. “By 2021, I arrange a 320-planter hydroponic system in a 100 sq ft room in my residence. I bought the hydroponic system on-line from a retailer in Noida and set it up inside my corridor. Ideally, in case you can place the system outside the place it will probably obtain loads of daylight, you’re all set,” she explains.

“At first, I didn’t see a lot development. I stored researching, studying by trial and error, and by the third harvest, I noticed fruitful outcomes,” she provides.

Sujata’s preliminaryfunding for the hydroponic systemwas Rs 25,000, with a further Rs 500 spent on seeds and vitamins. “I had to purchase the system with develop lights, which made it a bit costlier. However the lighting was important since I used to be setting it up indoors,” she explains.

Her first harvest was modest, however as she continued refining her approach, the outcomes improved. Initially, she grew quite a lot of greens, primarily for her household’s consumption. Nonetheless, as manufacturing elevated and the excess grew, she started promoting her extra produce. To know the marketplace for these greens, she researched and found that gadgets like lettuce, purple cabbage, broccoli, and parsley had been being imported into Jharsuguda from cities like Pune and Bengaluru. 

“I approached native cafes and eating places, informing them that I used to be rising these greens at residence. The native companies had been stunned, as they believed such produce couldn’t be grown in Odisha as a result of area’s harsh climate circumstances. They visited my residence to see the hydroponic system. Impressed by the standard and freshness, they positioned their orders, and now, I promote my produce to them commonly,” she explains.

To start with, she stored her costs low to draw clients and create demand for her hydroponically grown produce. As an example, when bell peppers had been priced at Rs 500 per kilogram out there, she offered them at Rs 350. Equally, when lettuce usually ranged from Rs 600 to Rs 700 per kilogram, she provided it at a extra reasonably priced charge of Rs 300 to Rs 400. This technique helped her construct a buyer base and acquire traction within the native market. “My yearly revenue at the moment was roughly Rs 1 lakh,” she shared.

Nonetheless, over time, the standard and consistency of her produce earned her a loyal following. Her hydroponic farm grew to become a trusted supply of recent, domestically grown greens, and the phrase unfold amongst native eateries and households. 

Rising the hydroponic system to fulfill calls for

Quickly, she needed to scale as much as meet the rising demand for her produce. To increase, she ordered a 720-planter hydroponic system, which she arrange in her residence. Utilizing the Dutch bucket system and deep water tradition, she was capable of develop cherry tomatoes, capsicum, broccoli, lettuce, purple cabbage, and Chinese language cabbage.

The method begins withsourcing high-quality seedson-line, that are then allowed to germinate for 15-20 days. As soon as the seedlings are prepared, they’re transferred into the hydroponic system. The vegetation are supplied with the mandatory vitamins, however after about 4 weeks, Sujata stops the nutrient feed to keep away from over-fertilising. “The air is completely pure, so the vegetation are pollution-free, and since there isn’t a soil, there are not any ailments,” she explains.

Hydroponic farming requires exact care, particularly in the case of the precise stability of water. “You need to be certain to not overwater the vegetation, or they gained’t be capable of get the oxygen they want. It ought to be between 1.5 to 2.5 gallons of water per plant, relying on the dimensions,” she says.

The great thing about hydroponic farming, she notes, is that it saves on water, area, and time. “It helps to get seven harvests in a yr, not like conventional farming, which is just round 3 times,” she provides. In a 100 sq ft room, she grows as much as 2,000 vegetation.

The gardener confronted her justifiable share of challenges and surprises within the beginning months. One among her most memorable struggles was with rising capsicum. She had sown purple and yellow capsicum seeds, however when the fruits appeared, they had been inexperienced. Initially perplexed, she researched the problem and realised that it was because of temperature fluctuations. 

She additionally encountered points with rising lettuce. At first, the lettuce didn’t bind correctly, which left her confused. After extra analysis, she found that the issue was brought on by an extra of vitamins. She realised that child vegetation require fewer vitamins to develop.

“I gained that information by in depth analysis on-line and by experimenting with totally different nutrient ranges,” she shares.

Experimenting with microgreens and coaching others

In 2022, Sujata expanded her enterprise additional by diving into the world of microgreens. “I had been studying about their dietary worth, and given what number of youngsters nowadays are hooked on junk meals, I knew I may supply a more healthy various,” she explains.

Microgreens are small, edible vegetation full of vitamins, and they are often grown rapidly in small areas. The gardener started experimenting with rising them in nutrient-rich, soil-free pots. Inside every week, she was capable of develop ready-to-eat vegetation, which she offered on to clients.

“Microgreens are the right answerfor anybody who desires a fast, nutritious snack. They’re small however filled with nutritional vitamins and antioxidants,” she explains. “And they’re straightforward to develop, even at residence.”

To encourage others to undertake this wholesome way of life, she began providing coaching periods for these all in favour of rising their very own greens at residence. “I’ve skilled greater than 35 individuals in hydroponics and microgreens farming, sharing my information on develop these superfoods in small pots,” she says proudly.

Microgreens rapidly was a profitable enterprise for the gardener. Each Sunday, she harvests and sells her microgreens, incomes between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 every week. To additional broaden her attain and make her hydroponic and microgreens produce out there throughout the nation, she launched her enterprise, Bloom in Hydro. 

Rojalin, 25, who attends Sujata’s hydroponic farming coaching periods, says, “She doesn’t train like a trainer however like a mom. After the coaching, she continued to information us, even advising us on how and the place to promote our merchandise. I began with only a small setup at residence, rising hydroponic greens. Now, I’ve scaled up, marketed my merchandise, and made a gentle revenue.”

“Since I’ve began farming this fashion, I’ve fully modified the way in which my household eats. We eat a whole lot of recent, nutrient-packed greens now,” she explains, smiling. “We used to eat a whole lot of processed meals, however now, each meal is crammed with recent produce from our farm. It feels wonderful figuring out what we’re consuming is each wholesome and grown sustainably.”

Taking the problem of saffron farming in Odisha

In 2022, whereas praying, Sujata’s curiosity was piqued by the sight of a saffron field. “I puzzled whether or not it was doable to develop saffron in my own residence,” she says. Historically grown in Kashmir, saffron farming is understood for being a difficult and specialised course of, however she was undeterred.

“I beganresearching saffron farming, and after in depth examine, I made a decision to offer it a strive,” she says. “My household thought I used to be loopy. They advised me saffron may solely develop in Kashmir’s local weather, however I wished to strive rising it right here.”

To make this dream a actuality, the gardener invested Rs 11 lakh to arrange a climate-controlled room particularly for saffron farming. She bought a chiller, humidifier, dehumidifier, and trays to organize an appropriate atmosphere. The most important hurdle was procuring saffron bulbs, which weren’t simply out there in Odisha. After a prolonged search, she lastly managed to get saffron bulbs from a farmer in Kashmir.

“I ordered 300 kg of saffron bulbs, with the farmer charging Rs 1000 per kg, and we needed to pay the complete quantity upfront. Nonetheless, as quickly because the fee was made, he stopped answering my calls the subsequent day. I had no different method to attain him and was left feeling extremely pissed off,” she recollects.

“Surprisingly, after a month, he lastly received in contact and reassured me that the bulbs would arrive quickly. After they did, he despatched the right amount as promised. I wasted no timesetting them up in an aeroponics system, the place the temperature was rigorously managed to simulate the cool circumstances of Kashmir,” she provides.

After about one and a half months, the saffron bulbs began to sprout. “The primary sprout appeared, and I couldn’t consider it. Quickly, I had a wonderful crop of flowers. Essentially the most astonishing factor was that every bulb produced a number of flowers, typically 5,” she says excitedly.

By October 2022, she had harvested 450 grams of saffron from 300 kg of bulbs. She adopted up with a second harvest in January 2023, yielding one other 50 grams of high-quality saffron. The success of her saffron farming enterprise exceeded her expectations, and he or she began promoting saffron together with its by-products like saffron serum for hair and face, face packs, andkahwatea.

Jatin Lohiya, 42, from Nagpur, has been an everyday buyer for almost a yr. He shares, “I’ve been shopping for saffron kahwa tea, and I can confidently say it’s the perfect I’ve had.” For him, the enchantment of the tea lies not solely in its freshness but additionally in its well being advantages. He provides, “It’s recent, wholesome, and full of flavour, precisely what I would like to start out my day. The wealthy, fragrant mix of saffron and the standard kahwa spices affords an ideal stability of style and wellness. It’s a good way to nourish each the physique and thoughts.”

Establishing Bloom in Hydro as a worthwhile enterprise

Her enterprise, Bloom in Hydro, grew exponentially, and right now, she employs a workforce of 20 individuals to assist with operations. “I began the enterprise alone, however as demand grew, I wanted assist with order-taking, packaging, and deliveries,” she says. “Quickly, I’ll be hiring somebody to handle my social media advertising too.”

Tara, 45, who has been with Bloom in Hydro for 2 years, shares, “I like working right here as a result of we perform like a household. The camaraderie and help we share make it really feel like a second residence.” With a wage of Rs 12,000 monthly, she is ready to comfortably help her household, protecting family bills.

“It’s not simply concerning the paycheck; I’ve grown a lot personally and professionally. I’ve learnt a lot about hydroponic farming, microgreens, and evensaffron cultivation, which I by no means imagined I might have the possibility to discover. Being part of this enterprise has opened up new horizons for me. I even have plans of beginning hydroponics farming in my residence when I’ve the area,” she says, her voice crammed with enthusiasm. 

At the moment, Sujata’s yearly revenue stands at round Rs 20 lakh. The main a part of that is generated from the saffron farming enterprise and its by-products. What additionally contributes to this income is the sale of hydroponically grown greens and microgreens. Along with her success, the farmer-turned-entrepreneur has made a big influence on her neighborhood by sharing her information. 

She has skilled over 80 people in hydroponics, microgreens, and saffron farming, serving to othersundertake sustainable farming strategiesand create their very own companies. “I hope my story encourages others to embrace farming, irrespective of how unconventional it might appear. If I can do it, anybody can,” she concludes.

Edited by Megha Chowdhury; All footage courtesy Sujata Agarwal