Mr. Shyam Bhadane is basically an Agricultural Engineer,working in hydroponics and green house projects. He has a wealth of information on all aspects of protected cultivation,greenhouse cultivation,vertical farming owing to his extensive experience. Mr
Shyam has been into cultivation since the year 2014, when he was into Japanese strawberry and currently he is into hops cultivation. His company, Hopfenbauer Farms Pvt.Ltd.is pioneering in hydroponic hops cultivation in India and Asia. Their research shows that there is around 500 metric tons demand for hops in India every year.
He has undergone professional training in Greenhouse Engineering,Integrated Pest Management( IPM), Hydroponics cultivation etc. in The Netherlands, Japan by reputed companies/organizations.
Is this a seasonal crop or is it grown round the year?
This is a perennial crop and you can get up to 3 harvests in the greenhouse cultivation;
whereas, you get just one harvest in open cultivation.
Why did you decide to grow this hydroponically?
In green house you can control all the parameters - we have evaporative cooling
system, LED grow lights, Automated irrigation. This way we try to can regulate
temperature, and all other required favourable/desired conditions so that the yield is
good and we have perlite as neutral growing media having good porosity. Here we need
to control EC and PH of water at different stages of the crop which is very necessary.
How much time does hops take to grow?
You need to put rhizomes/roots in the perlite media and after 3-4 months it starts
harvesting. Then, every 3 months you get a harvest. So, in a year, you can get up to 3
harvests. Pruning is also required for hops plant.
Other than hops, do you grow any fruits and vegetables?
No, we only grow hops – it is a high value crop. We are the only people growing this
hydroponically in protected cultivation in Asia.
How many people do you have working on the farm?
We are only 2 people at present. We have a small farm of hardly 800 plants where trials
are going on. Whenever we need some extra labor, we bring in people on a daily-wage basis.
What is the annual cost and annual revenue expected?
We are currently doing this on a trial basis and we will go for expansion after 6 months.
Once we feel this is going okay, we will go for a more than 10-acre cultivation.
How long have you been cultivating this crop now?
It has been a year - we planted it last October.
Have you started the marketing part of the produce?
Marketing the product is not a problem. We tested our produce with a few brewers here
in Pune and they brewed about 200-500 litres of good beer.
Do you have a farm only in Pune or are you thinking of doing this in other parts of
India as well?
That depends on the investors and where we get land at an economical cost - whether it
is on purchase or lease basis. Maybe within the next 6 months I will have a clearer idea
on how it is going to be.
Hops being the raw material for the brewing industry, why in your opinion, has nobody been cultivating it till date in our part of the world?
In the 1980s it was grown in the Himachal regions, which is a high-elevation cool area.
Some people were cultivating it there but they were not getting good rates. That is why
they stopped and then there has been no hops cultivation in India.So all the brewers
import hops at present.
What climatic conditions is best suited for hops cultivation?
It requires a cool climate with temperature ranging from 10 - 28 degree Celsius. If the
ambient temperature is more than that, you will need to go for green house cultivation.
We have installed a cooling and fogging system because here the temperature goes up
to 40 degree centigrade in summer, which will have adverse effects on the crop.
How would you advice a new farmer who would want to venture into hops
cultivation?
One must gain proper crop knowledge before diving into this venture. When we decided
to give this a try, we went to the US and discussed our plan with the growers there to
understand the crop requirements.
We dived into the venture only after gaining in-depth knowledge of the crop. Even then
we faced issues because not all issues can be discussed and understood prior to
cultivation – there is always a gap that gets filled with hands on experience.
Even Google and the Internet may not have all the information because the issues will
vary from location to location. Until you actually delve in you cannot really understand
the whole thing.
There are many types of fungi, some of which are active in Pune and it may be some
other that may be active in Bangalore. Hence, you have to understand the lifecycle of
the crop, its requirements and your limitations too.
Accordingly, the cultivation should be planned.
Would you like to share any other information regarding this venture?
It is a capital intensive challenging cultivation. Every day brings with it a new challenge.
We have brought this crop from the US. So, to adjust this with the Indian conditions is
very difficult. Initially we faced issues like disease, pest and fungus, etc.
When cultivating hop, or any other crop for that matter, people should have energy and
patience. Hydroponics or green house cultivation is very good but it requires a high level
of patience. You have to be very careful every day. All farm activities like fertigation,
spraying,scouting etc. should be done with precision and at the right time.
Can you explain about hydroponic cultivation in dutch bucket using LED Grow light?
Dutch bucket is new in India. Last year, we came across it at an exhibition. When we
saw it we thought of this crop. The dutch bucket method is the best because it has
some reservoir at the lower end. Whatever irrigation you do, 10% runs off, 90% is in the
bucket of which some part gets used by the plant.
In case you run into issues with respect to irrigation; like you couldn't irrigate or
something - some amount of water and nutrient content is always there as a reservoir
and so the plant can use it. This is the main advantage of the dutch bucket system.
The second reason is, we put one plant per bucket in this method. So, if there is any
issue with a plant like disease or pest, you can replace it easily without affecting other
plants.
Did you undergo any kind of training for this?
To run the show you have to have very good knowledge of how the greenhouse
functions, its engineering/management operations etc. Since 1996 I have been in the
protected cultivation/green house field. So, I think I have good knowledge about
controlled environment agriculture.
There are no formal trainings available at present as such for hops cultivation.
Are you open to extend your help if people reach out for help regarding hop cultivation?
Yes, definitely!
What are your future plans?
In the coming years we will have around 50 acre farm and our own brewery. Selling
hops is one thing and doing a value addition is another. If we brew the beer too, it can
fetch us a good price.
We may start contract farming in future, but I am unsure of it now. All these decisions
will be taken by the investors. But, I will go ahead with contract farming once we are
okay to go for bigger area and demand is huge. At that time, we may need people to
grow. In that case, contract farming would be a good option and we will need help from
some people who are into protected cultivation/green house or hydroponics so that they
can shift to our crop and they can get good prices as well.
-----------------------------------------------------
CONTACT DETAILS
SHYAM BHADANE
C-2, NYAYADHISH NIWAS,
8, QUEENS GARDEN, CAMP,
PH – 9860895314
shyambhadane@gmail.com
BUSINESS HOURS – MONDAY- FRIDAY, 11 AM – 4 PM.
PERSONAL VISIT/DISCUSSIONS – ONLY AT PRIOR APPOINTMENT.
Shyam has been into cultivation since the year 2014, when he was into Japanese strawberry and currently he is into hops cultivation. His company, Hopfenbauer Farms Pvt.Ltd.is pioneering in hydroponic hops cultivation in India and Asia. Their research shows that there is around 500 metric tons demand for hops in India every year.
He has undergone professional training in Greenhouse Engineering,Integrated Pest Management( IPM), Hydroponics cultivation etc. in The Netherlands, Japan by reputed companies/organizations.
Is this a seasonal crop or is it grown round the year?
This is a perennial crop and you can get up to 3 harvests in the greenhouse cultivation;
whereas, you get just one harvest in open cultivation.
Why did you decide to grow this hydroponically?
In green house you can control all the parameters - we have evaporative cooling
system, LED grow lights, Automated irrigation. This way we try to can regulate
temperature, and all other required favourable/desired conditions so that the yield is
good and we have perlite as neutral growing media having good porosity. Here we need
to control EC and PH of water at different stages of the crop which is very necessary.
How much time does hops take to grow?
You need to put rhizomes/roots in the perlite media and after 3-4 months it starts
harvesting. Then, every 3 months you get a harvest. So, in a year, you can get up to 3
harvests. Pruning is also required for hops plant.
Other than hops, do you grow any fruits and vegetables?
No, we only grow hops – it is a high value crop. We are the only people growing this
hydroponically in protected cultivation in Asia.
How many people do you have working on the farm?
We are only 2 people at present. We have a small farm of hardly 800 plants where trials
are going on. Whenever we need some extra labor, we bring in people on a daily-wage basis.
What is the annual cost and annual revenue expected?
We are currently doing this on a trial basis and we will go for expansion after 6 months.
Once we feel this is going okay, we will go for a more than 10-acre cultivation.
How long have you been cultivating this crop now?
It has been a year - we planted it last October.
Have you started the marketing part of the produce?
Marketing the product is not a problem. We tested our produce with a few brewers here
in Pune and they brewed about 200-500 litres of good beer.
Do you have a farm only in Pune or are you thinking of doing this in other parts of
India as well?
That depends on the investors and where we get land at an economical cost - whether it
is on purchase or lease basis. Maybe within the next 6 months I will have a clearer idea
on how it is going to be.
Hops being the raw material for the brewing industry, why in your opinion, has nobody been cultivating it till date in our part of the world?
In the 1980s it was grown in the Himachal regions, which is a high-elevation cool area.
Some people were cultivating it there but they were not getting good rates. That is why
they stopped and then there has been no hops cultivation in India.So all the brewers
import hops at present.
What climatic conditions is best suited for hops cultivation?
It requires a cool climate with temperature ranging from 10 - 28 degree Celsius. If the
ambient temperature is more than that, you will need to go for green house cultivation.
We have installed a cooling and fogging system because here the temperature goes up
to 40 degree centigrade in summer, which will have adverse effects on the crop.
How would you advice a new farmer who would want to venture into hops
cultivation?
One must gain proper crop knowledge before diving into this venture. When we decided
to give this a try, we went to the US and discussed our plan with the growers there to
understand the crop requirements.
We dived into the venture only after gaining in-depth knowledge of the crop. Even then
we faced issues because not all issues can be discussed and understood prior to
cultivation – there is always a gap that gets filled with hands on experience.
Even Google and the Internet may not have all the information because the issues will
vary from location to location. Until you actually delve in you cannot really understand
the whole thing.
There are many types of fungi, some of which are active in Pune and it may be some
other that may be active in Bangalore. Hence, you have to understand the lifecycle of
the crop, its requirements and your limitations too.
Accordingly, the cultivation should be planned.
Would you like to share any other information regarding this venture?
It is a capital intensive challenging cultivation. Every day brings with it a new challenge.
We have brought this crop from the US. So, to adjust this with the Indian conditions is
very difficult. Initially we faced issues like disease, pest and fungus, etc.
When cultivating hop, or any other crop for that matter, people should have energy and
patience. Hydroponics or green house cultivation is very good but it requires a high level
of patience. You have to be very careful every day. All farm activities like fertigation,
spraying,scouting etc. should be done with precision and at the right time.
Can you explain about hydroponic cultivation in dutch bucket using LED Grow light?
Dutch bucket is new in India. Last year, we came across it at an exhibition. When we
saw it we thought of this crop. The dutch bucket method is the best because it has
some reservoir at the lower end. Whatever irrigation you do, 10% runs off, 90% is in the
bucket of which some part gets used by the plant.
In case you run into issues with respect to irrigation; like you couldn't irrigate or
something - some amount of water and nutrient content is always there as a reservoir
and so the plant can use it. This is the main advantage of the dutch bucket system.
The second reason is, we put one plant per bucket in this method. So, if there is any
issue with a plant like disease or pest, you can replace it easily without affecting other
plants.
Did you undergo any kind of training for this?
To run the show you have to have very good knowledge of how the greenhouse
functions, its engineering/management operations etc. Since 1996 I have been in the
protected cultivation/green house field. So, I think I have good knowledge about
controlled environment agriculture.
There are no formal trainings available at present as such for hops cultivation.
Are you open to extend your help if people reach out for help regarding hop cultivation?
Yes, definitely!
What are your future plans?
In the coming years we will have around 50 acre farm and our own brewery. Selling
hops is one thing and doing a value addition is another. If we brew the beer too, it can
fetch us a good price.
We may start contract farming in future, but I am unsure of it now. All these decisions
will be taken by the investors. But, I will go ahead with contract farming once we are
okay to go for bigger area and demand is huge. At that time, we may need people to
grow. In that case, contract farming would be a good option and we will need help from
some people who are into protected cultivation/green house or hydroponics so that they
can shift to our crop and they can get good prices as well.
-----------------------------------------------------
CONTACT DETAILS
SHYAM BHADANE
C-2, NYAYADHISH NIWAS,
8, QUEENS GARDEN, CAMP,
PH – 9860895314
shyambhadane@gmail.com
BUSINESS HOURS – MONDAY- FRIDAY, 11 AM – 4 PM.
PERSONAL VISIT/DISCUSSIONS – ONLY AT PRIOR APPOINTMENT.