News » 22.09.2026 - The real test for India’s protected cultivation starts after the structure goes up

Protected cultivation in North India is moving into a new phase. What was once largely viewed as a specialised or experimental form of farming is increasingly being considered a commercial production model, with farmers paying closer attention to what the structure can deliver rather than simply what it costs to build.

According to Abhishek Bhatt, co-founder of Agrifirst, the biggest change over the past decade has been this shift in mindset. "Farmers are becoming more aware that a polyhouse or greenhouse is only the starting point. The real challenge is creating a controlled production system that can deliver productivity, consistent quality, efficient use of resources and, ultimately, a viable return."

Successful projects are also helping to drive adoption. Bhatt says the company is adding around 100–150 projects a year, with a 'demonstration effect' becoming increasingly important as farmers see protected cultivation working in their own regions. This includes people from outside agriculture who have entered the sector and, with the right agronomy and execution, have achieved what Bhatt describes as significant returns making them examples to follow.

The questions farmers are asking are changing too. "Rather than simply asking about the cost of a polyhouse, they increasingly want to know which crop to grow, what the production costs will be, who will buy the produce, how much labour will be required and how the business will perform if market prices fall. That change in the farmer's mindset is one of the most encouraging developments we are seeing."

Over the next five years, Bhatt sees considerable potential in high-value vegetables including coloured capsicum, cucumber, tomato, cherry tomato and selected exotic vegetables. Nurseries, floriculture, berries and other high-value crops could also benefit from controlled production. But he cautions against looking for a single crop that will work everywhere, as the economics of protected cultivation remain highly location- and market-specific.

Technology is another area where he sees room for a more measured approach. "Polyhouses and net houses remain the dominant systems across North India, with different levels of technology added according to the crop, geography and investment capacity."

Bhatt believes India does not need to immediately replicate the most sophisticated systems used in mature protected-cultivation markets such as the Netherlands. "This principle is important because technology itself does not make a protected farm profitable. Instead, existing low- and medium-technology structures can often be made considerably more productive through better ventilation, irrigation, fertigation, crop support and climate management."

According to him, India's protected cultivation needs 'appropriate technology', and not simply 'maximum technology.'

"Protected cultivation can give farmers greater control over rainfall, temperature, pests, water and other variables, but those benefits only translate into better returns when the entire production system works together. That means looking at the farm as a business from the outset, including crop and variety selection, structure, irrigation, fertigation, labour, agronomy, harvesting and market requirements."

Agrifirst's involvement extends beyond construction to crop planning, training, monitoring and troubleshooting. "The need for such support is particularly important because the margin for error can be smaller in protected cultivation. A poor decision on crop selection, planting density, irrigation or nutrition can have a significant financial impact when a farmer has already made a substantial investment in infrastructure."

Subsidies remain an important part of the sector's development. Bhatt believes India may need another five to seven years of support for the protected cultivation ecosystem to develop to a more self-sustaining level. At the same time, he says some net-house models can already work without subsidies, particularly where larger farms can achieve the right combination of crop, technology and market.

Based on Agrifirst's experience, Bhatt puts potential net returns at around ₹8–10 lakh per acre annually for net houses and ₹15–20 lakh for polyhouses after expenses, although he stresses that these figures vary significantly depending on the crop, location, technology and market.

"For protected cultivation to become truly mainstream, the industry needs to move away from measuring success by the number of structures installed. The focus instead needs to be on building farms that remain productive and commercially viable over the long term."

As he sums it up, "The next stage is not simply about putting more hectares under plastic, but about making each hectare more productive, predictable and commercially sustainable."
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com

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