Five farmers earning lakhs from a room in their house

Farming is no longer restricted to vast fields where crops like rice, wheat or legumes are cultivated. Today, indoor farming is growing as it allows farmers to control the crop cycle by regulating temperature, humidity and other factors.

Vertical farming, a type of indoor farming that involves growing crops in layers or on a vertical surface, maximizes the use of limited space in urban areas. Technological advancements and environmental consciousness to reduce pressure on land and water are giving a fillip to indoor farming.

The indoor farming market in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.5 percent from 2023–2030. The market is expected to reach 187.9 million dollars by 2030, according to Datam Intelligence.

Indoor farming can be done in many ways. One is to use only water to which nutrients are added for growing crops. This is called hydroponics cultivation and is extensively used to grow vegetables, herbs, strawberries and fodder. The other is aeroponics indoor farming where plants are suspended in air and given nutrition using mist sprays. Saffron is grown most widely using aeroponics outside Kashmir, where it is planted in soil.

Then there’s the cultivation of mushrooms like buttons, oysters or paddy straw varieties, which can be done in a small area indoors as bags are stacked on wooden racks placed vertically. That means the space use is maximized, resulting in higher yields per sq ft. 

Another type of mushroom is cordyceps, which is gaining popularity for its medicinal properties. It fetches high rates in the market as natural cordyceps, found in the Himalayas, are now becoming rare due to over-harvesting. Lab-grown cordyceps sell upwards of Rs 90,000 per kg due to rising demand from pharmaceutical firms. These labs can be set up in areas as small as 200 sq ft. 

Many professionals and even housewives are now taking up indoor cultivation as it gives higher income, ends the monotony of a 9 to 5 job or joblessness and provides the freedom to pursue other passions.

Here are five indoor farming champions who are earning lakhs of rupees from a room in their house:

1. Gaurav Sabharwal, Saffron, Himachal Pradesh

Gaurav Sabharwal took up indoor saffron farming after his father’s demise when their family business was not doing well. Nestled amid the picturesque valleys of Solan is his small 300 sq ft room with multiple racks of purple saffron flowers. He grows the world’s costliest spice in this small room and sells it at Rs 5 lakh per kg.

Here’s his detailed story: Himachal farmer grows saffron in 300 sq ft unit; sells at Rs5 lakh/kg

2. Nidhi Katare, Oyster Mushroom and Spawns, Madhya Pradesh

Nidhi Katare prepares and sells spawns (mushroom seeds) to farmers across India from her facility in Gwalior. Her startup Natural Bio Impact and Research also supplies dried oyster mushrooms to pharma and food companies.

She began her oyster mushroom business from a 10ft X 10ft temporary structure on the terrace of her house. With the growth in business, she expanded the area.

“We did not have too much money for investment. So we took second-hand instruments to start our mushroom spawn lab,” she says.

Nidhi says over 1,000 sq ft, one can have a four to five-layer set-up, which yields around 1,000 kg of mushrooms per cycle (2.5 months). Mushrooms can be cultivated throughout the year. 

Here’s her story: How this Gwalior professor became a successful mushroom entrepreneur

3. Suman Sakhija, Cordyceps Mushroom, Delhi

Suman Sakhija had free time after her children grew up and got busy with higher studies. To use her time productively, she began looking for entrepreneurial opportunities that allowed her to work from her home in Dwarka, Delhi. 

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During training on button mushroom farming, she learnt about cordyceps and their demand. She built a lab in one of the rooms in her house. “It cost me about Rs4 lakh to set up the facility over 200 sq ft in 2018,” she says. 

Suman now sells cordyceps at Rs 93,000 per kg and provides training on indoor farming of cordyceps.

Here’s Suman’s story in detail: Homemaker grows cordyceps mushroom in 200 sq ft room; earns Rs30 lakh annually

4. Gautam Rathod, Saffron, Maharashtra 

Gautam Rathod began indoor saffron farming in 2021 after he had to shut down his vehicle repairs business due to cancer. “I collected all the information about saffron and in 2021, I built a 100 sq ft (10 ft X 10 ft) cold storage facility on the 200 sq ft roof of my house,” he says.

Instead of using PUF panels for insulation, he used siporex bricks, which are made from natural materials and have high thermal insulation and waterproofing properties.

He uses aeroponics to cultivate saffron without soil on his terrace and sells it directly to customers at Rs500 to Rs800 per gram. The average rate works out to Rs 6 lakh per kg. He also trains beginners in indoor saffron farming.

Here’s his detailed story: Pune man grows saffron on terrace, sells at Rs 6 lakh per kg

5. Manish Yadav, Button Mushroom, Delhi

Manish Yadav started mushroom farming in a 15ft X 15ft room on a trial basis in Delhi and earned Rs 2.5 lakh from that crop in two months. Enthused by the initial success, he converted three rooms into mushroom-growing units.

“From one room I have expanded to growing mushrooms in three rooms – each of 14 ft X 35 ft. The height of each room is 14 feet. A room of around 500 sq ft can hold 1200 to 1300 mushroom bags stacked on wooden racks,” he explains.

Since each bag gives 2 kg mushroom, the production is 2600 kg from a 500 sq ft room in one cycle. “Farmers can harvest five times a year as one crop is ready in around two to 2.5 months. So the annual production from 500 sq ft is 13,000 kg,” Manish explains. He now earns Rs5 lakh a month.

Read his full story here: This MBA mushroom farmer earns Rs5 lakh a month from just a 1400 sq ft unit

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

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