Economic feasibility of NFT hydroponics for lettuce cultivation in Delhi NCR region: A cost-benefit analysis

Abstract

In the present days there is a scarcity for availability of food in that too availability of nutritious food. According to The Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard supported by Global Alliance for Food Security, in 2022 over 203.1 million in 45 countries faced food crisis, and it is projected to reach 669.1 million by 2030. This study was conducted to determine the economic feasibility, cost benefit analysis of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) under NFT hydroponic system. Hydroponics, a soilless cultivation system, gaining interest as it reduces the dependency on agricultural land, and pesticides, and can be implemented in areas with poor soil quality, thus mitigating the negative effects of extreme weather events. This study was conducted at Delhi NCR region with complete randomized Design (CRD) under NFT hydroponic system for a single factor experiment with three (3) different lettuce varieties and three (3) replications. These are as follows: T1 (Romaine), T2 (Lolla Rosso) and T3 (Batavia). Maximum revenue was generated by Batavia variety of lettuce however the net present value of the whole system was ? 1,74,36,455.1 with the benefit cost ratio of 1.72%.