Polyhouse cost is calculated per square metre. Polyhouse construction rate varies between Rs. 450 per sq. mtr. for a low cost polyhouse to Rs. 3500 per sq. mtr. for a fully automatic hi-tech polyhouse. Metal structured semi-automatic polyhouse cost per acre is Rs. 32,00,000 – Rs. 44,50,000 in India.
There are three different types of costs involved in polyhouse farming-
- Polyhouse construction cost
- Polyhouse farming cost
- Polyhouse maintenance cost
Polyhouse Construction Cost per Acre
The major cost involved in polyhouse cultivation is the initial cost of setting up the polyhouse structure and other ancillary costs. The greenhouse construction cost varies according to the quality of the materials used for the structure and shading. Below is a list of indicative costs of different types of polyhouses in India. The costs can increase 12-15% in hilly areas.
| Polyhouse | Specifications | Standard Cost |
|---|---|---|
| High-tech polyhouse | Fully automatic sensor based climate controlled (temperature, humidity and light) polyhouse. | Rate: Rs. 1500-3500/sq. mtr.
Cost per acre: |
| Medium-tech metal structured polyhouse | Semi-automatic medium-tech metal structured polyhouse with manual climate control using fan and pad. | Rate: Rs. 800-1100/sq. mtr.
Cost per acre: |
| Low cost polyhouse | Naturally ventilated low cost polyhouse with no climate control system except natural ventilation, fogger and shade net. The low cost polyhouse is built either with standard GI pipes or locally available materials including bamboo, wooden pole, nail and rope. | Rate: Rs. 450-750/sq. mtr.
Cost per acre: |
| Shade net house | Different intensity of shading can be achieved for different purposes. The structure is made of either GI pipes, or bamboo, wooden pole, concrete pole etc. | Rate: Rs. 350-700/sq. mtr.
Cost per acre: |
| Walk-in tunnel | The structure is made with GI/plastic pipe or bamboo. | Rate: Rs. 600/sq. mtr.
Cost per acre: |
| Low tunnel | GI wire or bamboo frame. | Rate: Rs. 60/sq. mtr. |
Different Types of Infrastructure Costs Involved in Polyhouse Cultivation
High value crops under protected cultivation need continuous care and management. Furthermore, most of the crops do not have any local market unlike traditional crops. These limitations warrant additional investments towards infrastructure and machinery. Farmers should be aware of and make provision in advance for various costs involved in polyhouse cultivation of high value crops. Here is a list of infrastructure investments required in polyhouse cultivation except the cultivation itself.
| Infrastructure | Details | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Polyhouse | This is the main expenditure in protected cultivation. Polyhouse structure of tubular GI pipe or other low cost materials is covered with UV stabilised low density polythene of 200 micron thickness. As the life expectancy of tubular polyhouse except the polythene cladding is about 10-15 years, return from the crop will be much higher from 2nd year onwards.
Optional? No |
Rate: Rs. 750/sq. mtr. for naturally ventilated polyhouse with GI pipe and UV stabilised polythene.
Cost per acre: |
| Maintenance of the polyhouse | This is an ongoing cost to upkeep the polyhouse. It involves repairing minor wear and tear and a periodical replacement of the UV stabilised polythene cladding after every 3-4 years.
Optional? No |
Rate: Rs. 40-45/sq. mtr. for 200 micron thickness.
Cost per acre: |
| Bed material | Raised beds are ideal for polyhouse cultivation with certain height, width and space between adjacent beds. If the soil composition is not ideal for the crop then farmers can replace the soil with bed materials. A mixture of soil, sand, farmyard manure, coir pith/paddy husk/saw husk and other micronutrients are mixed in certain proportions and raised beds are prepared. This is an optional investment but enhances the yield and harvest quality significantly.
Optional? Yes but recommended to enhance yield. |
Rate: Rs. 90-100/sq. mtr. for bed material and raised bed preparation.
Cost per acre: |
| Borewell | If the existing water source does not meet the water requirement for various operations like irrigation, fertigation, environment control using a fogger system then a borewell with submersible pump is required to be installed.
Optional? Yes if drip irrigation is not installed |
Rs. 80,000-1,50,000 depending on groundwater level, boring radius and pump horsepower. |
| Water storage tank/pond | A storage tank or a water harvesting pond is very useful to use water efficiently during power cuts or dry season.
Optional? Yes |
Rs. 50,000 for 10,000 litre cemented tank and Rs. 3-5 lakh for a small pond with 500 micron HDPE geomembrane pond lining. |
| Pipeline | Drip is the ideal irrigation system in polyhouse cultivation. It enhances productivity and reduces wastage of water and chance of getting the cover film soiled. The cost varies according to the quality and density of the irrigation system.
Optional? Yes but recommended |
Cost per acre: Rs. 50,000-65,000/acre |
| Fertigation unit | The fertigation unit can be fitted with a drip irrigation system. Fertigation unit enhances the efficiency of fertilisers and reduces cost.
Optional? Yes |
Rate: Rs. 3-5 lakh/unit for automatic system with dosing pump. |
| Fogging system | A fogging system is used in greenhouse cultivation to control the climate inside the polyhouse.
Optional? Yes but recommended |
Rate: Rs. 1.5-2.0 lakh /unit |
| Plastic mulching | Mulching is beneficial to provide favourable conditions for crop growth and production. It also saves water and in some cases like strawberry it protects the crop from getting soiled and decayed.
Optional? Yes but recommended |
Rate: Rs. 1,800-2,000 per roll of 1.5X400 metres. |
| Electrification | Unlike traditional crops, power is an essential input in greenhouse cultivation for smooth operations. Irrigation, climate control, fan-pad systems and other hi-tech greenhouse operations need power.
Optional? Yes if no electric equipment is installed |
Rs. 10,000-25,000 except the power connection charges. |
| Power backup | In the case of a naturally ventilated polyhouse power backup generator is not a necessity but a hi-tech greenhouse needs uninterrupted power to maintain the climate inside the greenhouse.
Optional? Yes in case of naturally ventilated polyhouse |
Rate: Rs. 2.5-3.0 lakh for a 10 KVA diesel generator |
| Various sheds | Infrastructure like grading/packing shed, store room, labour quarter, equipment and pump room, etc. may be required depending on the scale of operation.
Optional? Yes |
Rate: Rs. 170-220/sq. ft. for fabricated industrial sheds and Rs. 700-850/sq. ft. for brick construction with tin roof. |
| Cold storage unit | Large scale cultivation of high-value crops especially flowers, orchids and strawberries may sometimes face difficulties in marketing as shelf life of these crops are short. To overcome this problem large farmers may build a small cold storage unit or cold room.
Optional? Yes |
Rate: Rs. 1.5-2.5 lakh for a small cold storage room. |
| Refrigerated van | Most of the farmers do not need refrigerated vans. Only large flower producers who produce flowers/orchids for export markets need refrigerated vans to maintain the cold chain if the delivery destination is far away from the farm.
Optional? Yes |
Rate: Rs. 1.5-2.5 lakh for 1.5 tonne refrigerated container body without the van chassis. |
| Land development | Before setting up a polyhouse the farmland should be developed as per requirements. This may include ploughing, land levelling, pit digging, fencing, gates, etc.
Optional? No |
Cost per acre: Rs. 5,000-50,000/acre depending on requirement and material uses. |
| Farm equipment | Farmers need to invest in a few small tools like weighing machine, liquid measuring tool, EC metre, pH metre, hygrometre, etc. to efficiently manage a polyhouse.
Optional? No |
Rs. 10,000 |
Polyhouse farming cost varies greatly as polyhouse can be designed in various ways as per the selected crop, geography, automation and preferred longevity. Although the construction cost of a polyhouse is relatively high one can apply for Govt. subsidy which ranges from 50% to 95% in different states.
Learn more about polyhouse farming in India for the cost and profit of different crops under polyhouse cultivation.
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