Greenhouse business: pros and cons
In this article, you will find a practically ready-made greenhouse business plan and an overview of the various options, as well as some technologies for growing greenhouse products. So, is the greenhouse business profitable? We will find the pros and cons of this idea and find out how quickly this project will pay off.
Greenhouse business plan: calculate the profitability
Let's say right away: the greenhouse business should be started only in the southern regions.
Experts have calculated that it is more profitable to transport the grown products to the northern regions than to pay for electricity or gas for heating a greenhouse. A ready-made business plan for a greenhouse should take this into account when calculating the profitability of an enterprise.
However, you should know that it will be profitable to transport finished products only when you have well-established logistics. Usually, large firms that grow vegetables and herbs equip their "possessions" in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, where not only the length of the day is longer and warmer, but also labor and land are cheaper. In addition, according to media reports, the administration of these regions allocates 50% subsidies for the opening of agriculture.
According to experts, in order to "go to zero" it is necessary that the value of the profitability of the greenhouse business be at least 20%.
It is worth taking care of the sales market in advance, agreeing with the owners of retail chains and concluding agreements on the supply of their products. You can organize the delivery of greens to customers.
The following pros and cons of greenhouse cultivation can be included in a ready-made business plan:
The pluses include:
- low cost of organizing a business;
- quick payback;
- demand for products from retail outlets and the population;
- opportunity to use fresh produce.
The cons include:
- expensive electricity (you can save on it using wood heating);
- business seasonality;
- the need to solve the problem of delivery to the buyer and preservation of the presentation of products.
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Greenhouse farming: what to grow?
The most profitable, according to experts, is the cultivation of flowers. Second is the greenery. And the least profitable - growing vegetables. Currently, the most common cultivation of greens: onions, parsley and lettuce. Greens are not particularly difficult to grow, do not require as much heat and light as vegetables, and besides, they are almost always present on the dinner table.
A greenhouse business plan should start with the following questions:
- choice of growing system;
- choice of the number of greenhouses and their total area;
- selection of greenhouse cover.
The most common and less costly growing system is hydroponics. It automates the growing process and makes it faster. At the same time, the plants are in a "glass" with water, where fertilizers and nutrients in liquid form come through the tubes.
The disadvantage of such a system is that such greens have a watery taste and a picky buyer will always distinguish green bunches grown in the country from "hydroponic" plants. Nevertheless, 90% of the market is occupied by greens grown precisely in a hydroponic way.
Advocates of hydroponics claim that soil-grown vegetables accumulate an increased amount of pesticides.
There are intermediate technologies between soil and hydroponics. They allow you to achieve the taste of "ground" vegetables. This is achieved by adding real soil and peat to the nutrient solution that the plants are in.
And finally, there are convenient mobile beds in which vegetables of the highest quality grow.
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Greenhouse and its cover
In addition to the method of growing greens, a lot of controversy raises the question of what is better to use as a greenhouse cover: glass or polyethylene?
Glass transmits a lot of heat, it is not economical, and in too sunny regions it can cause plant burns. In addition, thin glass cannot be used in the greenhouse. At a minimum, it should be 6 mm, such glass costs a lot of money.
Polyethylene also has its drawbacks: it does not transmit as much light as glass, it is short-lived. You can also use polycarbonate and acrylic, which eliminate the disadvantages of polyethylene.
