Project

SMP23033 Sustainable and Resource-Use Efficient Production of Ginger and Turmeric in a Greenhouse System in India

As the economy of India, and the purchasing power of its urban citizens is growing, the demand for healthier, sustainably-sourced and residue-free food is also rising. In particular, the COVID and post-COVID period saw a rise in the consumption of food with medicinal-value such as ginger and turmeric – not just in India, but also abroad, including the Netherlands.

This project will address the following objectives:

  1. Providing crop expertise and greenhouse design insights into a specific solution for a targeted local problem-owner: Simply Fresh, a high-tech precision farming-focussed enterprise based in Siddipet, India. The consortium will investigate the feasibility and design of a high-tech greenhouse for sustainable, resource-use efficient, and high-yield cultivation of ginger and turmeric.

 

  1. Exploring the needs, opportunities, challenges, and feasibility of protected cultivation of ginger and turmeric in low- or mid-tech greenhouse setups - this will include:
    1. identifying optimal climate zones from within the diverse climate zones in the country,
    2. surveying the state of greenhouse cultivation in these zones, and identifying the potential stakeholders for ginger and turmeric cultivation and their needs,
    3. assessing the potential for technological intervention to boost yields and improve resource-use efficiency in these setups.

Such a feasibility study would allow a few of the partners in the consortium (such as manufacturers of coatings, screens, biological pest control, etc.) to identify the opportunities and challenges in the low- and mid-tech greenhouse market for their products.

 

  1. Establishing a business case for sustainable production of ginger and turmeric for diverse local problem owners in collaboration with Dutch companies and explore future R&D projects with public and private investments beyond the Seed Money Project.

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