The road to starting a hydroponics farming business has many twists and turns, and farmers often make many mistakes along the way. During day two of KPR Conference and Trading’s hydroponics conference hosted in KwaZulu-Natal, experts unpacked the do’s and don’ts of hydroponic farming.
Senior project manager for KwaZulu-Natal’s Agribusiness Development Agency, Mustaq Hoosen, told attendees starting off a hydroponics project required baby steps, patience, and a huge financial investment.
The conference was hosted at the Golden Horse Casino Hotel in Pietermaritzburg with the theme “Hydroponics farming the way forward for sustainability and food security for profitability 2023”.
Cost-benefit analysis is key
“[An] important part before starting this operation, is [a] cost-benefit analysis. Understand what your market wants and take it from there,” Hoosen said.
Depending on what a farmer wants and their scale, getting a hydroponics system off the ground can cost anything between R170 000 to R2 million, Hoosen explained. It is important that farmers do some field research to see what other farmers are doing, he added.
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A big mistake is that farmers often start too big and end up struggling to find a market.
“Just because you can farm in a small space with bigger output does not mean you should go big. [You could] end up having produce in your possession without anyone buying from you.
“Do your research, if the debt would be higher than the benefit then there is something wrong with your plan,” said Hoosen.
When it comes to sourcing the best plant varieties, keeping spending at a minimum is also advised.
“The high risk and high reward scenario is clear, if you have the appropriate knowledge and skills it can be a very rewarding enterprise. If not, it can be a potential financial disaster,” Hoosen said
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What not to do
Meanwhile, Syngenta’s technical lead for disease control, Francois van Deventer, told attendees that trying to deal with diseases on their own without seeking professional help, could be catastrophic and damage their crops further.
“Identifying your diseases correctly is very important,” Van Deventer cautioned. “Get an agriculture chemical advisor who will understand your crop, your areas, and your environment to advise correctly. It can be very expensive trying to do it yourself and getting it wrong.”
Van Deventer advised that one size-fits all scenario would not apply to all hydroponics operations.
Pest control
Gustav Venter, technical lead for insecticides from Syngenta, said farmers should understand that not all insects are pests. Furthermore, integrated pest management should be applied in farms to deal with pests in a correct manner.
“It is important to identify which pests you have before trying to deal with them. Use the correct personal protective equipment, use clean water, and importantly read instructions,” he pointed out.
Hoosen added that access to water is important for a hydroponic system to flourish. He said water from the municipalities is expensive and often includes aspects like chlorine which plants react negatively to.
“If you do end up using the municipal water, try to store it for some time so that the chlorine could go down before applying water to the plants,” he recommended.
The two-day seminar ended with a tour of River Valley farm, where attendees visited an Agribusiness Development Agency-funded hydroponics project owned by Hilton Allan. River Valley Farm currently supplies vegetables and fresh herbs to a range of clients within Pietermaritzburg and Durban. They also export cherry peppers to the European market.
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