After quitting a high-flying job in the private sector, an engineer from Uttar Pradesh has entered into the business of growing chemical-free vegetables in water in the NCR region and is looking to enter Mumbai and Bengaluru markets soon. After 13 years of experience in product management and supply chain restructuring, Chandan Varshney, co-founder of OnlyHydroponics (Varshney Hydrofarms Pvt Ltd), decided to innovate in farming.
"At present, we are still a very bootstrapped company, but we are looking at raising funds to expand the business. Huge opportunities are there in the sector as awareness is increasing about the severe effects of pesticides on fruits and vegetables, which we consume every day. We get orders from hotels, individuals, and restaurants," Varshney said.
Derived from the two Greek words hydro and ponos, meaning water and labor, respectively, hydroponics is defined as a method of growing plants in water rather than in soil.
While this process may seem arbitrary, the growing of plants in nutrient-rich water has been practiced for centuries, he said. Further explaining the system, he said the roots of a plant are suspended either in a static, continuously aerated nutrient solution or within a continuous flow or mist of nutrient solution.
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