Homemaker Starts Farming At Home Out Of Passion To Produce Organic Veggies & Microgreens For Family, Now Owns Organic Food Startup

When Orissa’s Sujata Agarwal was bored staying home during the 2020 pandemic, she spent a lot of time scrolling her mobile phone. One day she got to know about hydroponic farming and was amazed to find out it could be easily practiced inside any kind of house. 

A homemaker’s journey to becoming an organic farmer

Because she liked the idea immensely, she shared it with her husband and daughters who immediately encouraged her to try growing veggies at home to spare herself from boredom. In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, the Orissa farmer shared about starting her journey as a farmer by cultivating lettuce in a pot. The first production was not good. However, her daughters kept motivating her to try again.

Having no practical knowledge or experience, Sujata learnt the nitty-gritty of hydroponic farming by trying, failing and then trying again. With all the trial and error experiments, the Orissa farmer realised she was either giving extra nutrients or less. It was that she had to provide adequate nutrients to the seeds. 

Success with hydroponic farming

After much research, her third trial was a huge success. Now that she was confident, the lady farmer ordered a 320-planter hydroponic system online from a Noida retailer. Her initial investment was Rs. 25,000 for the setup and around Rs. 500 to buy the seeds and nutrients. 

“I placed the hydroponic system in my hall,” Sujata told Startup Pedia. “If you can place the system in the open and it gets sunlight, you are sorted. But as I had to place it inside the hall, my system had installed grow lights, that’s why my planter was a bit pricey! If you don’t need the lights, your planter would cost less.”

Initially, Sujata had no business plan. She was producing different veggies at home and cooking those for her family. But the production was now in surplus. The quality and quantity of her home-grown vegetables were excellent. 

Local supplier of organic vegetables

Researching online, the woman farmer found out, there was a huge demand for fresh organic vegetables, especially at restaurants and cafes. Her local eateries were ordering organic veggies from Pune and Bangalore. Sujata contacted local restaurants and shared that she was growing organic vegetables at her home which had higher nutritional value than the ones the food joints were ordering from distant cities. She could provide them with fresh homegrown veggies at a lower price. 

At first, the restaurant owners were surprised to hear that Sujata grew vegetables at her residence. They went to her place, saw the set-up and were impressed. From then Sujata was flooded with orders. She got so many orders that she had to buy a new 750-planter hydroponic system. 

Orissa’s hydroponic farmer Sujata Agarwal was putting full efforts into producing high-quality vegetables for the consumers. Also, her customers, mostly the restaurant owners, were happy as she sold the vegetables lower than the market price. 

“When the bell pepper cost Rs. 500 per kg in the market, I was selling at Rs. 350,” shared the hydroponic farmer from Orissa’s Jharsuguda. “When lettuce was around Rs. 600-Rs. 700 in the market, I sold those at Rs. 300 - Rs. 400.”

Jharsuguda’s Sujata Agarwal was quickly becoming popular. Local people started enquiring about how organic farming can be done successfully inside apartments. So, the woman hydroponic farmer started giving training to people. 

Success with microgreen farming

Meanwhile, she learnt about the nutritional value of superfood microgreens. Again, she experimented with microgreen farming. She produced the 7-inch ready-to-eat plants in a week, consumed and benefitted from the food. Now, she started training people to farm microgreens in soilless, nutrient-rich media in small pots.

Sujata’s husband and daughters were delighted by her success and kept pushing her to experiment with other plants or crops.

Hydroponic farmer tries saffron farming

“One morning I was in the prayer room and while doing the “tilak” to my Bhagwan, as I was holding the saffron box, suddenly I was curious if I could farm saffron at home!” Sujata shared excitedly. “But when I told this to my family, they thought I’d gone insane.” The indoor farmer smiled.

Initially, Sujata’s husband hesitated. He told her that saffron is cultivated in cooler climates and the world-famous Kesar or Kashmiri saffron isn’t even cultivated at all places in Kashmir. The plant needs cooler temperatures and certain soil conditions. 

The woman farmer immediately started researching Kashmiri saffrons. She learnt that the Mogra saffron, which comes from Kashmir, is cultivated only in three villages of the region.

“I was curious to know why!” Sujata shared excitedly with Startup Pedia. “I studied and studied. And then I told my husband I wanted to try doing saffron at home but indoor farming saffron is quite expensive. My husband said if I wanted it so much, he would invest.”

Sujata’s husband invested Rs. 11 Lakh to start indoor farming Kashmiri saffrons in a 100 sq ft room of their house.

“As I had taken no practical training, I bought everything I  came to know from my research. I bought a chiller, humidifier, dehumidifier, trays and even unnecessary stuff in the beginning,” Sujata Agarwal disclosed to Startup Pedia. “I bought the seeds from a Kashmiri farmer,” she added.

After the seeding was done and the temperature and other conditions were set, there was no change for one and a half months. After that, she started observing the enlarged sprouts within which a reddish-coloured flowery element was evident. 

“On 8th October 2022, my elder daughter’s birthday, I opened the system and found a full-bloomed flower,” Sujata exclaimed. “I was so happy that I danced around the building! I gifted the first flower to the birthday girl.”

This was just the beginning of saffron farming for Orissa’s Sujata Agarwal. The initial production was 450 grams from 25 kg saffron bulbs. Within a few months, she made a successful second harvest and got about 50 grams of saffron.

“When I informed the farmer from who I procured the seeds, he did not believe at first because Kashmiri saffron is harvested once a year,” laughed the saffron farmer. “But when I made a video call and showed him the plant, he did not argue with me anymore! Actually, I had experimented with variant conditions and was successful. Not that I did it intentionally, but then I realised there are certain factors which if taken care of, Kashmiri saffron can be cultivated more than once a year!”

In the first harvest, Sujata got 5 flowers, which was also rare. Usually, two or three flowers bloom. Now, Sujata trains her students how to cultivate Kashmiri saffron multiple times a year. 

Also read: College Dropout Turns Marigold Farmer, Sells 4 Crore Seedlings/Year (startuppedia.in)

Surprising results with saffron farming

“Because I have learnt by myself, I had to invest more money than was needed,” the woman farmer admitted in the interview with Startup Pedia. “Now, I help students to start with an initial investment of about Rs. 6 Lakh for a 100 sq ft room. Also, I share what exact conditions allow the saffron to be harvested multiple times a year. I can’t disclose those details in the interview as those are my discoveries and I teach that only to my students,” she added smilingly.

However, she said the first production is always higher. Her second round of experimental saffron farming produced 700 grams of saffron in the first harvest and 200 grams of saffron in the second one. Now, Sujata is trying for a successful third harvest with her saffron plants. 

“Everything has a scientific reason,” the Orissa farmer remarked in the interview with Startup Pedia. “With experimentation, I’ve found out that if you apply certain conditions to the dormant saffron seed, it will wake up and start germination. This is no miracle but completely a scientific process of farming. Also, the size of the saffron bulb matters. Use your brains and you too can successfully harvest Kashmiri saffron multiple times a year even if you don’t take my training!” she added thoughtfully.

Also read: 21-Year-Old BTech Grad Turns Entrepreneur, Makes ₹20 Lakh Annually Through Indoor Saffron Farming (startuppedia.in)

Sujata Agarwal’s Bloom in Hydro

Founded in 2022, Sujata Agarwal’s organic farming startup, Bloom in Hydro, now sells not only Kashmiri saffron but saffron-based products such as Kahwah tea (powdered and raw form), face packs, and hair serum.

As Bloom in Hydro is in its initial phase, it takes most orders via phone. 

“My products are quite well known in my local area,” the saffron farmer from Orissa informed Startup Pedia. “Most of my customers came from word-of-mouth publicity. Those who used my products got benefitted and referred my brand to others!”

Today, Sujata Agarwal’s Bloom in Hydro produces 200 varieties of microgreen seeds, saffron and saffron products, and other organic veggies. She takes orders for saffron and Kahwah tea from all over India. She also accepts international orders for these two items. But she sells the other products only in Orissa. 

Bloom in Hydro sells microgreen pots from Rs. 100 to Rs. 250. She advises consumers to eat the microgreens raw. 

A trained Odissi dancer, abacus and drawing teacher, a Guinness Book of World Records holder in crochet in 2017, and a mother of two daughters, Sujata Agarwal is now a promising indoor farmer in India.

“Till now I have trained over 75 students in hydroponics, saffron farming, and microgreens,” shared Bloom in Hydro’s Sujata Agarwal. “I always tell my students to have patience and hold a positive belief while doing any sort of farming. If you are positive, you will get a successful harvest!” she added knowingly.

Awards and recognitions

Sujata received the SWAYAMSIDDHA SAMMAN 2024 award for women entrepreneurs at Bhubaneswar on 27th March from famous Bollywood actor Meenakshi Sheshadri.

She also received the Sevasri Samman for her saffron farming efforts with the Aeroponics technique last year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bloom In Hydro (@bloom_inhydro)

Family support 

Sujata’s elder daughter is a budding pilot, and her younger daughter is still at school. Her husband is a businessman.

“I owe my success to my family!” She revealed in the Startup Pedia interview. “Without my husband and daughters’ support and encouragement, I couldn’t have started a farming business.”

Also read: Gold Medalist Professor Leaves Prestigious College Career to Become Mushroom Farmer, Makes ₹50 Lakh Annually (startuppedia.in)

The organic farmer’s heartfelt message to newbie farmers

When asked about her advice to new farmers, the homemaker-turned-organic farmer said she believes in holding a positive mindset in life and doing things without any expectations.

“I started with hydroponic farming,” Orissa farmer Sujata Agarwal told Startup Pedia. “I had no expectations of making any money out of it. Things fell into place as I kept chasing my curiosity and passion. I would tell anyone who wants to start farming, to just start with good faith and a positive mindset. I’m confident that you’ll be able to do it!”