Can food grow on barren lands? IIT Bombay graduates, Amit Kumar and Abhay Singh, two best friends who hail from Rajasthan have made it possible with their creative thinking. According to a report by The Better India, the duo co-founded Eeki Foods, which is a sustainable farming startup that uses hydroponics to grow food on a large scale. What makes their startup a cut above the rest, is that they claim their patent technology saves about 80 per cent of waste water, in addition to this, it also elevates the production by 75 per cent in comparison with traditional methods.
The two have managed to grow food on barren land using climate-proof chambers that earn them crores annually in multiple locations including Bundi district and Kota district in Rajasthan and Panipat in Haryana. During an interaction with the portal, Abhay Singh explained the meaning of the firm’s name, “‘Eeki’ comes from the Japanese belief ‘Ikigai’ which promotes living a healthy and purposeful life. We work on the same philosophy. We want to give the world a healthier and more sustainable way of growing food.”
His partner Amit spoke candidly about the duo’s curious minds since their college days. Reportedly, they’ve worked on multiple projects together and have spent hours brainstorming ideas. Since a majority of people practice agriculture, the duo came up with something that might change the face of the sector in the future. While researching their plan, the duo learned how India is prone to face food scarcity owing to the rising population. In addition to this, they also found how the nutritional value of grown food has lessened by 45 per cent. “This information became our driving force — we wanted to use technology and make food items more accessible and readily produced,” said Amit.
After thorough research, they came up with a technology that they call medium-less farming, marked patent since 2022. They use empty chambers and a controlled environment to grow food. Notably, their produce doesn’t require soil or alternatives like coco peat. They can grow healthy fruits and vegetables including cucumber, chilli, pepper, spinach, muskmelons, watermelons, coriander, and many more. Another highlight of their technology is that they can produce food irrespective of their fruiting season.
“In a place like Rajasthan, we are growing food where the temperature goes from 50 degrees Celsius in summers to -3 degrees Celsius in winters. We wanted to be able to grow food under any circumstances, and we are able to achieve that. Our method works on the toughest terrains,” said Abhay.
Currently, their produce sells at the same market rate but the duo is trying to modify their technique such that it can increase their product's affordability among people.
Read all the Latest Buzz News here
Comments
0 comment