Pune's MBA woman farmer earns Rs 4 crore annual turnover from capsicum farming

After completing her MBA in 2019, Pranita Vaman pursued an internship in a food processing company. Within months, she realised that agri-entrepreneurship was her calling and decided to start her venture.

“I come from a farming family in Kalwadi village of Junnar taluka (Pune district) in Maharashtra. My father worked as a teacher and continued to be involved in open-field fruit and vegetable farming after opting for VRS,” Pranita tells 30Stades.

“However, I zeroed in on polyhouse cultivation because the controlled environment increases crop yield and quality. It also protects the crop from adverse weather conditions,” says the 27-year-old woman farmer.

Why is polyhouse cultivation of capsicum increasing?

Polyhouse cultivation is hi-tech farming and allows for year-round cultivation of a wide variety of crops and much higher profits by maintaining temperature, humidity and other parameters. “We are facing drastic climate change. Today, hi-tech farming is the only solution to earn well consistently, and it is profitable,” says the agripreneur.

“I considered various exotic vegetables like lettuce, broccoli and others. But capsicum (also bell peppers or sweet peppers) has consistent demand throughout the year,” she says. 

Coloured bell peppers are in high demand in urban areas, hotels and restaurants throughout the year. "So I opted for capsicum cultivation,” Pranita adds.

Due to vitamins, health benefits and multiple culinary uses, capsicum has a growing market in India and abroad. According to Cognitive Market Research, the global capsicum market size was estimated at 81245.6 million dollars in 2024, out of which India had a share of 2242.38 million dollars. 

Also Read: This farmer clocks a turnover of Rs32 lakh per acre from capsicum farming

How polyhouse farming of capsicum is done

Pranita began by putting up a polyhouse on an acre of land in March 2020. "The government provides a 50 percent subsidy. So I invested Rs20 lakh from my end and set up the structure, environmental control systems, drip irrigation and fertigation (delivering soluble fertilisers and nutrients through irrigation) system, buying seedlings and other expenses,” says Pranita, who completed her MBA in agribusiness management from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Pune.

She procured seedlings from KVK, Baramati. “We bought around 12,000 saplings for one acre at Rs 10 per plant. I planted them in March 2020, and capsicums were ready for harvest in June-July,” she says.

Capsicum seedlings in a polyhouse begin yielding vegetables in 90 days and continue for seven months. The soil is then put to rest for two months. The annual yield with good maintenance is around 30 to 35 tonnes per acre.

However, since Pranita had planted them in March, just before the COVID-19 lockdown, her produce was ready when the markets were shut. “Being a beginner, I did not know where to sell the produce,” she says.

Also Read: Kerala brothers build one of India's largest hydroponic lettuce farms; export to Dubai and Qatar

Pranita searched online for wholesale vegetable buyers, enquiring from Nashik to Mumbai. “Finally, I found a vendor willing to buy the capsicums since many farmers had discontinued cultivation during the lockdown,” she says.

Marketing, revenues and profits

The first crop yielded 40 tonnes of red, yellow and green bell peppers, and Pranita sold them at Rs 80 per kg. “With a turnover of Rs32 lakh, I recovered my investment of Rs20 lakh within the first year,” she says.

Extremely satisfied with the results, Pranita expanded to two acres in 2021 and currently cultivates capsicum over 25 acres. 

“Out of this, six acres is polyhouse cultivation, and 19 acres is shade net farming. Our own land is 10 acres, while 15 acres is on lease,” she says. 

Unlike polyhouses, which have a sealed structure, shade nets are open-sided and covered with a mesh material (shade cloth) that allows for some airflow while reducing light intensity. They require lower investments and offer reduced heat and better air circulation.

Also Read: This former royal of Odisha grows exotic vegetables using hydroponics; annual turnover at Rs30 lakh

Coloured capsicums grown in shade nets sell at Rs 80 per kg while those in polyhouses get Rs 100 per kg. This is due to minor quality differences. The yield in polyhouse is also higher at around 30 to 32 tonnes a year, while it is around 22 to 24 tonnes in shade nets.

“Overall, per acre turnover from capsicum farming in a polyhouse is Rs 30 lakh, while expenses are around Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. This leaves a per-acre profit of Rs 21 lakh from polyhouse farming. The number is lower for shade nets,” she says.

Pranita’s total turnover from 25 acres is Rs 4 crore, leaving an annual profit of around Rs 2.25 crore. 

“We use local soil and add vermicompost and biofertilisers. Fertigation is essential in high-tech farming,” says Pranita, who offers free consultancy to farmers.

“Given the perishable nature of vegetables like capsicum, a well-organised supply chain in marketing is very important before starting cultivation. Farmers must forge linkages with wholesalers,” she says. 

Pranita sells her produce directly to wholesalers in Jaipur, Nasik, Dadar and other places. “We get orders beforehand, and rates are fixed every morning. Now people know us and approach us. So marketing is not a problem,” she says.

“It is time farmers shift at least a part of their agriculture to polyhouses and shade nets to prevent huge losses due to vagaries of nature and earn consistently,” Pranita adds.

(Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment)

Also Read: How this Kerala man built Rs 2 crore business by exporting organic vegetables to Dubai

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