No proposal to set up large-scale hydroponic farms in India: Government

The government currently has no proposal to establish large-scale hydroponic farms in the country, Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Hydroponic and Aeroponics are technologies to cultivate crops in soilless media. The technologies are successful where the quality of soil is poor and there is nematode infestation.

"No such proposal is under consideration of Government at this stage," Thakur said in his written reply.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- institutes and universities are engaged in the development and standardisation of technologies for Hydroponics and Aeroponics in different regions of the country.


ICAR- Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, ICAR- Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla and ICAR- Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow are providing training and demonstrations to interested stakeholders to create awareness among farmers for adoption of Hydroponic and Aeroponics.

Agriculture/Horticulture Universities are also educating farmers about the benefits of these technologies in water-scarce areas of the country.

The minister said various ICAR research institutes and state agriculture universities are engaged in research and development of hydroponics and aeroponics as per their mandate within existing budgetary allocations.

At present, existing standards of Agmark, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are applicable to ensure the quality and safety of hydroponically grown produce for domestic consumption and export, he added.