KSUM-backed Startup Helps Kerala’s Biggest Hydroponic Farm to Come up in City

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
In a technology-driven farming initiative, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) supported uFarms.io has extended its IoT farm automation system to Uptown Urban Farms Pvt Ltd to set up the state’s first and biggest hydroponic automated farm in the capital city.

Minister for General Education V Sivankutty inaugurated the fully automated hydroponic farm developed in 16,000 sqft in Karamana, here on Sunday.
Hydroponics, a technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution without soil, helps in cultivating pesticide-free high-quality vegetables in very limited spaces.This method ensures high yields and low water consumption besides, making agriculture possible even in areas without fertile soil.

uFarms, a customisable IoT farm automation system founded by eight youngsters about one and a half years ago, provides fully automated farming solutions to this commercial hydroponic farm.

With the help of sensors placed in the farm and a smartphone, the technology developed by uFarms is capable of automating nutrient mixing, dosing, fertigation, and climate control systems in the farm.

Apart from fully automated farming solutions for hydroponics farms, the system is customisable, flexible, and reliable. Also, pre-existing fertigation pumps, valves, mixers, dosers, AC units, fans, and grow lights of varying power capacities are compatible with the system.

Established in 2019, Uptown Urban Farms Pvt Ltd is Kerala’s first company for commercial hydroponics and vertical farming.

Ebin Alias, a co-founder of uFarms, said the startup has plans to widen the scope of commercial hydroponics and automate farms in the State. At the initial stage, 7000 ‘palaks’ are grown here and we hope to harvest 1.5 tonnes of yield in 35 days, he added.

uFarms was selected among one of the best three agricultural startups from Kerala in the ‘UNNATI’ Mahotsav & Expo organised by Unnat Bharat Abhiyan at IIT Delhi last week. Also, the team was the runner-up in KSUM’s hackathon.

The uFarms team consists of eight youngsters – Ebin Alias, Thanveer Ahemed S, Richard M Joy, Prince John Joseph, Sangeeth Surendran, Ajay Basil Varghese, Prajosh Premdaa and Jopaul John.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.