Greenhouse farming as a business. Greenhouse farming as a business: what is profitable to grow? Who can start a similar business

The sale of greenhouse vegetables is a promising business, despite the seasonality of cultivation. We present to your attention a greenhouse business plan and a feasibility study that you can use for free.

Primary costs for starting a business

According to advance calculations, 2016 sq.m. Primary costs will be about $140,000:

Preparatory activities, landscaping of the site - $7,000.
Purchase, supply and installation of systems for greenhouses - $50,000.
Greenhouse equipment (heating, ventilation, etc.) – $35,000.
Purchase of other equipment and tools (packing machine, shelves, boxes, etc.) – $5,000.
Costs for connecting technical communications (gas, water, electricity) - $2,500.
Construction of an administrative building and utility block - $15,000.
Purchase of planting material - 4000 dollars.
Purchase of a truck (for the purpose of selling the product) - $7,000.
Business registration, permits and certificates - $1,500.
Other expenses - 3000 dollars.

If you are familiar with the growing technology and scientific developments in agriculture, you will quite agree that greenhouse farming is... Greenhouse farming is rapidly gaining momentum in our world today, providing the opportunity for greater control over the cultivation of various crops.

Depending on the specifications and design specifications of the greenhouse, some of the important factors may be controlled, including temperature, light and shade levels, irrigation, fertilization, atmospheric humidity, etc.

Basically, greenhouses are used to overcome the disadvantages of growing vegetables, herbs and fruits in places where there is a short growing season or poor light levels. Essentially, they are designed to improve food production in marginalized environments.

This is due to the fact that greenhouses on the farm make it possible to grow certain crops throughout the year, regardless of climatic conditions. Greenhouses are also increasingly becoming an important factor in the food supply chain in many regions of the country.

The main problem holding back the formation of the sphere is considered to be high energy prices. Today, the area of land plots in the Russian Federation is no more than 2,000 hectares. Compared to China, the greenhouse area has 1.7 million hectares.

Despite this, the Russian government is interested and concentrates its interest in the development of the greenhouse business, provides government assistance to young and functioning farmers, allocates agricultural zones for building farms, issues grants and subsidies, and banks issue loans for small businesses at low interest rates.

A greenhouse business plan for growing cucumbers, herbs and other vegetables can include a huge variety of crops and plants, the cultivation of which is fully feasible in the household. The choice of cultivation object is directly related to how much profit you can get from your farm.

Below are the sources that can be grown and created to generate income. Sale of agricultural crops such as:

cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce;
paprika, red onion, peas, Chinese cabbage;
basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers;
watercress, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage;
beans, radishes, strawberries, melons, turnips, parsnips;
sweet potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage;
broccoli and eggplant;
services for transplanting and cultivating plants;
processing and packaging of vegetables and fruits.

High yield according to the finished greenhouse business plan will be 90 kg/m2 (due to time). Annual production volume from the site in 2016 sq. meters will be about 181,440 kg. new vegetables. Average annual wholesale cost per kg. product will be 65 dollars.

The main buyers of the enterprise:

wholesale resellers;
processing factories and individual retailers.

The estimated annual turnover of the company, after the sale of the product, will be about $115,000.

Business documentation

It is immediately necessary to register the activities of the enterprise for. This is necessary to start a greenhouse business plan if you plan to hire additional workers and sell raw materials in large quantities:

in small networks;
supermarkets;
cafe;
fast food restaurants.

Obtaining status as an individual entrepreneur (IP) for a greenhouse business provides privileges such as tax benefits defined at the level of federal laws.

Necessary documents and certificates for registering a greenhouse business:

statement;
a photocopy of a document confirming the identity of the individual entrepreneur - passport;
check for payment of state duty;
indication of OKVED codes;

Greenhouse buildings do not need to be confirmed by a license.

Which OKVED code should I indicate?

To register a greenhouse enterprise, you must indicate the necessary codes from OKVED-2, Section A: Agriculture, forestry, fishing and fish farming.

01 Crop and livestock farming, hunting and provision of related services in these areas.
01.1 Growing annual crops.
01.13 Growing vegetables, melons, root and tuber crops, mushrooms and truffles.
01.13.1 Growing vegetables.
01.13.12 Growing vegetables on protected ground.

If you do not intend to sell the grown crops in shopping centers and hire workers to care for them, you will not need any permits.

In other cases, registration of an individual entrepreneur or peasant farm is required:

All products will be controlled by the sanitary and epidemiological control service.
If special heating of the enterprise will be carried out, a certificate from the fire safety services is required.
Agreements may be required for fertilizing and cultivating the land from pests, dry cleaning of clothes, etc.

Creating a business that generates a stable income is the dream of every independent person who cares about his future and does not want to work under someone else all his life. Some good ideas for starting a business include the production of exclusive souvenir products or development. The first is more suitable for a creative person accustomed to urban living conditions; the second is for people who want and know how to work with their hands, outdoors or indoors.

Unfortunately, farming, including growing agricultural products in greenhouses, cannot be classified as. In addition, the dependence of an individual entrepreneur on the location of the greenhouse and the surrounding conditions, including temperature changes and insect infestations, is too great. Still worth a try; where to start, which target crops to choose and how to properly equip a greenhouse - see below.

Greenhouse as a business - profitability

In any business, from development to growing roses or strawberries in a greenhouse, the most important thing is profitability, or, more simply, the profitability of the enterprise. No one will work to their detriment, and creating a high-quality greenhouse requires serious financial investments; Therefore, a farmer who is thinking about creating his own greenhouse business needs to sensibly assess the likelihood of generating income before going to the bank or looking for investors.

Advice: Today, in the conditions of a permanently deteriorating domestic economy, even the most experienced economist or businessman cannot do this with an absolute guarantee. The possibility of not only going broke, but also remaining in the red is incredibly high, which means you should not only assess your chances as modestly as possible, but also leave a “safety cushion” - an emergency reserve that will help you not die of hunger, and, ideally, pay off main debts in case of project failure.

Unlike more risky and labor-intensive ideas like, the profitability of greenhouse farming with the right approach to business can exceed 50% - an excellent indicator not only for agriculture, but also for other real sectors of the economy. As evidenced by living examples of farmer-businessmen, the creation of a semi-industrial greenhouse costing 1.5 million rubles pays off in less than two years; The owner begins to receive his first profit with the first harvest.

Important: in some cases, the profitability of greenhouse farming, like , can be 70–80%. To achieve such an indicator, the business owner will have to not only work twice as hard, but also attract large investments per square meter of greenhouse.

Advantages of arranging a greenhouse:

It is possible to develop a greenhouse with minimal investment. As just mentioned, with this approach you can’t count on instant and impressive results, but there will be a starting income - and then the aspiring businessman can decide whether to develop in this direction or look for other sources of income.
Available . To achieve support, you need to try, but the amount transferred to the farmer’s account will allow him to cover part of his debt obligations or purchase new, better and more economical equipment for the greenhouse - and sometimes rare crops for cultivation.
Fast payback. The business owner receives income with each new harvest, and the better he organizes the process, the more money he will ultimately have in his account - therefore, the faster the farmer will be able to repay loans and pay off investors.
Guaranteed demand. People always need vegetables, herbs and flowers, so the owner of a greenhouse, unlike an entrepreneur who decides to take on more risky projects like, will always have the opportunity to make money. Agricultural products can be sold not only to ordinary buyers, but also to local retail outlets, and even to arrange supplies for the largest retail chains: it all depends on the will and imagination of the entrepreneur.

Disadvantages of greenhouse farming as a business:

Profitability strongly depends on the region where the greenhouse is located, the weather and many random, unpredictable and uncontrollable factors - the farmer cannot fight them, and he will only have to wait them out. As you might guess, the greatest profits will come from greenhouses installed in the southern regions of the country with their mild climate and the predominance of above-zero temperatures throughout the year. But setting up greenhouse farming in the northern regions, unless we are talking about an industrial scale, is inappropriate: the entrepreneur will either not be able to receive income at all, or it will become cyclical in nature - in late autumn, winter and spring, the purchased equipment will simply stand idle.
To select a location, materials and equipment, you must have sufficient competence - otherwise the money invested in a seemingly profitable enterprise will go to waste.
It is imperative to first think through a scheme for the collection, storage and sale of agricultural products, otherwise the perishable harvest will be lost, not bringing any income to the owner and forcing him to spend money on waste disposal.
The operation of even a small greenhouse requires a large amount of electrical energy. The entrepreneur most likely will not be able to produce it on his own, which means he will have to regularly pay hefty bills - however, with a properly run business, income from the sale of the harvest will significantly exceed current expenses.

Advice: In order not to make a mistake in the process of developing a greenhouse business and not to burn out at the very beginning, it is better for a beginning farmer who does not have sufficient knowledge to turn to a professional - an economist or a marketer - to draw up a business plan. Their services, of course, are not cheap, but using them is guaranteed to pay off, and the entrepreneur himself will be freed from the constant fear of ruin.

What can you grow in a greenhouse?

Theoretically, a greenhouse as a constantly heated type of greenhouse with an autonomous water supply system is suitable for growing any crops - from traditional cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes to bananas and pineapples.

In practice, in accordance with domestic climatic conditions and consumer preferences, most greenhouse farms specialize in the production of:

vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, turnips, potatoes and others; the first place in demand in this segment is occupied by tomatoes and cucumbers;
all types of herbs and spices: dill, green onions, parsley, celery, basil, rosemary, mint, sage, lettuce, lettuce, garlic, spinach, arugula, sorrel and others; the most popular among Russian buyers are dill, parsley and onion shoots;
colors: roses, tulips, orchids, lilies, carnations, asters and so on; demand for most of them arises periodically, with the exception of the most popular - roses and orchids;
mushrooms: oyster mushrooms, less often - champignons and more whimsical varieties; there is a demand for them at any time of the year;
berries: most often these are strawberries and wild strawberries; in addition, technologies for breeding berries “in captivity” are best developed specifically for them.

Advice: In order to avoid mistakes and not go broke at the very beginning of the development of a greenhouse farming, the farmer is recommended to combine several types of crops grown. For example, instead of focusing solely on vegetables or herbs, he might dedicate one quarter of the greenhouse to cucumbers and tomatoes, another to roses, a third to green onions and dill, and a fourth to mushrooms.

Flowers

The profitability of growing flowers in a greenhouse can reach a record 200–300% if the business owner provides a sufficient flow of investment and makes efforts to further develop the project. Don’t get carried away and breed all available plant species at once; It’s better to concentrate on three or four options, because otherwise the owner will have to either provide his own breeding conditions for each species, which will incredibly complicate the technological component, or put up with constant losses, which is extremely sad due to the high cost of the starting material.

The easiest way to grow in greenhouse conditions is:

Chrysanthemums. These are heat-loving plants that, subject to proper temperature conditions, bring profit all year round. The basis for cultivation is a mixture of sand and humus. The buds ripen for about four months; The recommended temperature for the whole year is approximately +18°C; during blooming it is recommended to reduce it to +10°C. In addition, in winter, flowers need additional lighting.
Roses. The most popular flowers in domestic conditions, the demand for which continues throughout the year, and periodically, a few days before and after significant holidays, increases several times. Roses are mostly unpretentious, can grow in winter without specially equipped lighting and, which is especially nice for a business owner, do not require annual soil renewal. The only difficulty is the need to organize the propagation of flowers through grafting and layering - labor-intensive and time-consuming operations.
Tulips. The soil preferred by plants is ordinary soil, into which ash and mineral fertilizers are added. The first buds ripen approximately three months after the bulbs are planted. During ripening, the temperature in the greenhouse (or in the sector reserved for tulips) should be increased from +2°C to +21°C. In addition, growing shoots need bright artificial lighting.

Greenery

It is most logical for a greenhouse owner to grow the most popular and at the same time unpretentious types of greens and herbs - dill and green onions:

Dill. The most versatile variety of greens, in constant demand throughout the year. There is a slight seasonality, but the owner of the greenhouse does not need to be afraid of ruin - it is almost impossible not to be able to sell fresh and well-grown dill. In order to reduce the stretching of the stem, which leads to a decrease in taste, the soil used for cultivation should be maintained at constant moisture; The easiest way to achieve this is by regular hand watering. The best temperature for growing greens is about +15°C; in one summer you can get up to 3-4 harvests of dill, which allows you to cover the need of buyers for it throughout the year.
Green onions. When growing, it is necessary to take care not only of timely moistening of the soil and illumination of the shoots, but also of organizing the packaging process: the more carefully the feather is collected, the longer it will be able to maintain its presentation and, therefore, the fewer losses the entrepreneur will have to endure. With proper organization of the process, up to 60 kg of products per month can be obtained from 10 square meters of greenhouse.

Vegetables

Vegetables are the most unpretentious crops: they can grow in almost any soil without fertilizers and even in the absence of normal lighting. True, we should not forget that improved conditions lead to increased productivity - the more an entrepreneur invests in greenhouse farming, the sooner the investment will pay off.

Most often, cucumbers and tomatoes are grown in domestic greenhouses - all varieties, sizes and ripening periods. For full growth of rocks, it is necessary to ensure normal soil moisture and looseness, in the autumn-winter period - high-quality daylight and an acceptable temperature of about +20°C. Even the most inexperienced businessman does not have any difficulties with cultivating tomatoes and cucumbers, and the products can be sold both directly to people and to nearby stores or retail chains.

Advice: a business owner can use additional funds to organize the canning of vegetables and sell the finished product in jars.

Berries

Strawberries are most often cultivated in greenhouses due to their unpretentiousness, attractive taste and traditionally high demand among the population. To grow it, it is necessary to ensure normal soil moisture, the presence of all the necessary microelements and natural alternation of light and shadow - then the crop can be harvested all year round, not limited to one season. You can grow raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and other berries in greenhouses, however, while remaining semi-wild, they are much more demanding on cultivation conditions, and it will be extremely difficult for a novice businessman to immediately provide everything necessary for good growth and rapid ripening of the berries.

Mushrooms

Growing mushrooms is a difficult task and is not recommended for a novice entrepreneur. Moreover, for normal growth of mushrooms, it is necessary to provide artificial “twilight” and high humidity in the cultivation area, which makes it difficult to combine with other agricultural crops. The substrate must be constantly sprayed with water, and to automate the process, sprayers or humidifiers must be installed.

Oyster mushrooms can be grown both on stumps and in hanging bags. In the first case, the fertilizer is placed on top of the mycelium and the film covering it; in the second - directly into the container. Champignons are usually grown in tubs, optimally in semi-basement or basement conditions. Otherwise, these mushrooms are unpretentious; they easily tolerate a temporary decrease in humidity and even an insufficiently balanced soil composition.

How to choose a place for greenhouses?

If for development it is necessary first of all to determine the target audience, then to create a greenhouse farm the most important thing is to organize a place for the premises. There is no need to talk about choice in this case: few novice entrepreneurs are so lucky that they can choose one plot of land over another without harming themselves.

It is easy to arrange the area for a greenhouse, observing the basic requirements:

The area after treatment should be completely flat, without hills or depressions. An exception can be made if you plan to devote the entire room to growing mushrooms: creating natural shading and corners of high humidity will only benefit the entrepreneur.
The greenhouse must be protected from strong gusts of wind by installing special fences, shields and other protective elements. In addition, during the cold season, they will prevent the formation of snow drifts, which will give the greenhouse owner the opportunity to get into it without unnecessary effort.
Even if high humidity in a greenhouse is technologically necessary, when arranging it, it is imperative to provide a ventilation and drainage system: otherwise the building itself will soon collapse from constant rotting, corrosion and the proliferation of fungus and bacteria. If the area allocated for the greenhouse itself is characterized by high humidity, it should be at least slightly dried before constructing the structure.
To the site where it is planned to install the greenhouse, it is necessary to ensure the installation of power supply lines, water supply and drainage, and, if conditions permit, heat supply lines.
If an entrepreneur plans to grow crops on existing soil, it must be checked for fertility with the help of a professional. And if the indicators are unsatisfactory, it is worth carrying out work in advance to eliminate the problem - or think about bringing new soil and fertilizers to the site.

Features of greenhouse equipment

A professional or semi-professional greenhouse should be equipped with the following elements to make life easier for the farmer:

Ventilation system. For normal growth of most crops, it is necessary to ensure indoor air circulation. Since it is impractical to ventilate the greenhouse, and even impossible in winter, the owner should install at least the simplest air conditioner, or better yet, professional equipment that will allow achieving good results already with the first harvest.
Lighting equipment. Greenhouse plants lack sunlight, and in order to avoid painful stretching of stems and a decrease in fruiting rates, it is necessary to provide them with artificial light that is as close as possible to natural light. For this purpose, you can use simple incandescent lamps, plasma or halogen lamps - the latter, however, will have to be selected according to the spectrum for each stage of plant growth.
Heating appliances. No matter how cold-resistant a plant is, it needs warmth. In summer, this need is satisfied naturally, and in winter, in order to avoid the death of sprouts or rhizomes or to achieve constant fruiting, artificial heating should be used - from standard heating devices to special industrial complexes.
Microclimate support system, including irrigation equipment. It would be better if such a system allows you to simultaneously create different conditions for different corners of the greenhouse; otherwise, the entrepreneur will have to install several complexes, which will lead to an undesirable complication of the greenhouse structure.

How to register a greenhouse business?

The easiest way for a greenhouse owner is to register as an individual entrepreneur; for this you should:

Submit the following documents to the Federal Tax Service office:
- application according to the unified form P21001;
- passport of a Russian citizen (plus a photocopy);
- taxpayer identification number (plus a copy);
- other papers as required by the inspector.
Immediately after registration, open a current account in any bank registered in the country.
Register with the Social Insurance Fund and the Pension Fund of Russia.
If you plan to sell retail, have a cash register.

Another option is to organize a peasant farm. In this case, the owner of the greenhouse is not registered as an individual entrepreneur, but he can conduct business within the framework established by the legislator.

How many staff will you need to hire?

To operate a small (up to 100 square meters) greenhouse, the owner will need to attract a maximum of one or two assistants who will monitor the growth of crops in shifts, remove dead leaves, prevent the appearance of pests and monitor the operation of all systems. The larger the area and the more complex the layout of the greenhouse, the more people will be needed to ensure its smooth operation; As the business grows, the entrepreneur will need to attract more and more employees, the number of which in other cases can reach 20–30 people.

How to organize an advertising campaign for a project?

submit advertisements to paper and electronic media, including television and radio broadcasting;
order the installation of billboards and banners in your home town and surrounding areas;
promote natural food from the greenhouse on social networks;
organize the distribution of handouts: leaflets, business cards and discount offers.

Activities are best carried out simultaneously, modified and repeated from time to time; this will ensure a constant influx of customers and, as a result, an increase in the entrepreneur’s income.

Let's sum it up

Greenhouse farming is a profitable type of business; its minimum profitability is 50%. The advantages of the project are quick payback and the possibility of receiving subsidies from the state; disadvantages - strong dependence on the geography of location, weather conditions and random factors. It is best for the owner of a greenhouse to register as an individual entrepreneur; Another option is to create a peasant farm.

In greenhouses you can grow not only vegetables, herbs and flowers, but also berries and mushrooms. For each cultivated breed, it is necessary to select optimal conditions, allocating it its own angle. The greenhouse must be equipped with lighting, ventilation, microclimate maintenance, water supply and drainage systems; The higher quality the purchased equipment is, the sooner the business owner will receive his first decent income.

The greenhouse business is a common way to make money. For a green business to be profitable, it must be properly organized. How such a business begins and what nuances should be taken into account when organizing it will be discussed in our article today.

How to write a business plan

A greenhouse business plan should include several sections and subsections. Thanks to them, when creating your business, you can take into account all the most important aspects and organize the work correctly. Design options for this document can be downloaded for free from specialized resources. You can also see a sample of filling out each item of the plan on any thematic website.

With a properly drawn up plan, a beginner or experienced businessman can count on investments and a quick search for partners to start his own business. Let's look at all the necessary sections of such a document.

Summary of activities

A greenhouse business plan must include a summary that describes the activities of the farm. It is necessary to start with this section, since it provides a brief description of the entire work.

The section must indicate what the emphasis will be on when growing crops. This paragraph also indicates the chosen organizational and legal form of operation of the greenhouse. Essentially, this subsection describes the idea of a business and its implementation format.

Describing the business

At this point, you should describe in detail all the objects that will make up the greenhouse complex. Here is a description, as well as diagrams of future buildings and constructed engineering and technological communications. This section also calculates the consumption of water, electricity, gas and heating. Here it is also necessary to indicate what equipment you plan to use (especially if the greenhouse will operate in winter).

We describe products and services

Greenhouses as a business are created for the purpose of growing certain agricultural products, as well as their further sale at retail or wholesale. In this section it is necessary to indicate what will grow in the greenhouse and how the resulting products are planned to be sold. It is also worth noting here exactly how crops should be grown. For example, you can use a traditional or innovative (hydroponics, etc.) method.

Analyzing the market

To understand how profitable greenhouse farming as a business will be in a particular region, it is necessary to conduct a market analysis. First of all, it should be indicated that the home business is planned as a district, regional or regional one.

You also need to analyze what is profitable to grow in a particular area. A greenhouse can be used to grow vegetables, flowers, berries, etc. Moreover, the payback in each case will be different.

This section should indicate the pros and cons of farming in a particular area, as well as the prospects for business development in the chosen direction. This will allow the entrepreneur to correctly determine his work in order to soon break even and begin to make a profit from the greenhouse farming.

We draw up a sales plan

A project to launch a greenhouse business must necessarily include a sales plan. Here you need to think about how the sale of the goods will be carried out. It is necessary to make agreements with buyers in advance. Their role can be played by both retail consumers and wholesalers (shops, supermarkets and other counterparties).

Financial and investment plan

A greenhouse business plan for growing vegetables or other crops should include sections such as an investment and financial plan. These subsections will help you understand whether such a business is profitable in a particular region.

To run a profitable business, you need to properly draw up a financial plan. It takes into account all possible expenses and income, as well as other indicators. Here it is necessary to correctly predict costs and profits in order to assess the profitability of the entire business.

Expenses for the year will be divided into 3 categories:

one-time Performed once. They are needed to open a greenhouse type of business. This could be the purchase or construction of a greenhouse, installation of utilities, etc.;
permanent. Occur on an ongoing basis. These include the costs of paying for utilities, paying wages to hired personnel, etc.;
variables. These are expenses that arise periodically (for example, repairing a greenhouse, purchasing fertilizers, etc.).

The investment plan reflects the pattern of investments and investments at a certain stage of development of a “green” business. For example, the very first investment will be a greenhouse. Start-up capital is required for its construction or purchase. It is also necessary to spend money on registering a business with government agencies, connecting all structures to communications, etc.

In the future, when you can already make money from this business, you should think about expanding and reaching a new level. Investments should be included in the current costs that will arise during a certain period of business development. Their occurrence must be preceded by certain conditions (for example, job stability, high profits, etc.).

How to calculate expenses

A greenhouse as a business, the profitability of which depends on many factors, can be both profitable and not very profitable. To determine how successful such an undertaking will be, you need to calculate the approximate income and determine the costs. If expenses dominate over a certain period of time, then such a business can be considered unprofitable.

In order for a greenhouse complex to become profitable, it is necessary to correctly estimate the amount of costs at the stage of its organization. When calculating upcoming expenses, the following points must be taken into account:

costs of purchasing a greenhouse. You can build such a structure yourself. However, this option will not always be more profitable. This is due to the fact that construction may entail unforeseen expenses;
how many greenhouses are needed for farming;
business registration costs;
what modern equipment should be installed;
payment of utility bills;
payment of wages to hired personnel;
purchase of seeds and seedlings for growing plants, as well as fertilizers and means of protecting plantings from diseases and pests.

This is a list of basic expenses. But during the creation of a greenhouse economy, unexpected costs may arise. You need to know about this and always have funds in reserve.

Video “How to make money growing vegetables in greenhouses”

From this video you will learn how to start a greenhouse business and get rich.

Choosing a greenhouse

When planning to organize a greenhouse business, you need to decide at the very beginning what kind of greenhouses you need. The choice of structure directly depends on what crops the entrepreneur plans to grow. Today there are two types of structures of this kind:

summer They are used only during the warm season. Suitable for growing most vegetable and berry crops;
winter or year-round. They allow you to grow exotic crops even in winter in Siberia and other harsh regions of our country.

It is worth noting that a winter greenhouse as a business is more profitable than a summer one. This is due to the fact that it allows you to conduct business all year round without seasonal downtime.

Choosing a crop and making a plan

You can grow vegetables, flowers, berries and exotic crops, as well as mushrooms in a greenhouse. Which direction is better to choose directly depends on which product is most in demand in a particular region. In terms of profitability, flowers and mushrooms, as well as crops exotic for the area, most often lead.

To achieve success in growing a particular crop, it is necessary to draw up an appropriate plan. It is recommended to use a combined scheme for growing crops, which is selected based on the specific climate of a particular area. In this case, the cultivation plan may look like this:

spring - growing flowers;
early summer - planting tomatoes;
second half of summer - planting cucumbers;
winter - growing greens.

You can select other crop planting schemes that will meet your desires and market demand.

What income can you expect and what risks exist?

The income that a greenhouse will generate depends on many factors. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate profit for each individual case. With proper organization, greenhouses will begin to make their first profit within a few months.

selection of crops for cultivation. The resulting products must be in demand in your region;
sales of products. Due to different shelf life, agricultural products do not need to be stored, but immediately delivered to counterparties;
when growing plants all year round, the costs should include the possibility of increasing utility tariffs;
features of business registration and much more.

If these risks are not taken into account, the “green” business may turn out to be unprofitable.

Business registration

Registration of a greenhouse facility is mandatory. Such activities can be registered as follows:

average greenhouse. Registration of an individual entrepreneur is not required, but a TIN and OGRN are required. Registration is carried out at the tax service;
large farm. Registration is carried out in the form of individual entrepreneur or LLC. The latter option will cost more. It has a number of disadvantages. Therefore, it is best to register as an individual entrepreneur. To do this, you need to submit the necessary documents to the relevant government agencies. The list of papers is given on the thematic resource.

As you can see, greenhouse farming is not the easiest business to organize. To be successful here, you need to consider many factors that can affect its profitability. Therefore, before starting your “green” business, you need to competently draw up a business plan.

With a competent approach, a greenhouse business will bring its owner consistently high profits. However, to implement such a business idea, it is necessary to carefully understand each of the theoretical nuances, ignorance of which can lead to losses.

A greenhouse business at home is a more than attractive area of business today, since the products are in fairly high demand. According to statistics collected by the Moscow Research Institute of Nutrition, the average resident of Russia consumes about 88 kilograms of vegetables per year, 13 of which grow in greenhouses.

Research institute research also points to the fact that vegetable consumption should be increased by another 30 percent. Foreign experience suggests an increase in the number of greenhouse farms being opened, since the direction is promising and profitable. The current situation in the Russian Federation is such that the share of products that were grown in domestic greenhouses is equal to only four kilograms per person, while the remaining nine kilos are tomatoes from Turkey, strawberries from Holland, cucumbers from Iran, and so on. Therefore, the immediate challenge facing the agro-industrial complex is to fully provide the Russian population with vegetables produced in greenhouses in Russia.

Greenhouse business: what to grow

Earnings from a greenhouse will be high if the entrepreneur can correctly determine the crop with which he will work in the future. According to modern analysts, growing flowers can be called the most profitable today. Second place goes to greens, and third place goes to vegetables.

However, the initial capital for opening a flower business is five times higher than the amount of investment required to organize the cultivation of vegetables. One of the widespread and fashionable trends today is the cultivation of greens, for example, lettuce, onions, parsley and so on. This is explained by the fact that greens are considered a non-capricious crop; they do not require a large amount of light or heat to grow. In addition, greenhouses can be opened in almost any region of Russia, which significantly reduces the costs associated with transporting the harvested crop. Greenhouse with greens in the vast majority of cases it serves one, perhaps two, nearby settlements. On average, growing greens will be 3-4 times more profitable than a vegetable greenhouse.

However, before making the final choice, you need to pay attention to the specific features of the region where you plan to open a business. An entrepreneur should conduct a thorough marketing research of the local market, identify product categories that are in great demand, and find out about the presence of competition.

To choose the right crop for further cultivation, you also need to know the place and method of harvesting the finished crop. For example, among resellers who work on wholesale schemes, “light” products – tomatoes – are in demand. If a businessman plans to trade in retail, he better pay attention to green crops, radishes, strawberries, and so on. An entrepreneur who can negotiate the supply of his products to local restaurants or cafes may consider more expensive, complex plants that require labor-intensive care for his greenhouse. For example, endive salad.

The remoteness of sales points also has an impact. If an entrepreneur works with distant markets, he will have to grow exclusively “light” products.

What should be the specialization of the greenhouse business?

Beginning businessmen must understand that starting to grow several crops at the same time is considered impractical and unprofitable. An entrepreneur will receive high profits only if he grows one crop on closed soil.

The specialization should be narrow, which is confirmed by the enormous experience of the Dutch, who today are recognized leaders in the sale of products grown in greenhouses. In their opinion, specializing a greenhouse for two crops at the same time is an unacceptable excess.

That is, business greenhouse at home must be created on the basis of analytical calculation and common sense. An entrepreneur who is just entering this field of business should not engage in amateur activities. First, a consumer market study must be conducted to determine the greenhouse crop that is most in demand.

Business plan outline

The entrepreneur assesses the situation in the chosen area. This stage involves familiarizing yourself with the products grown by local competitors, comparing the quality and quantity of crops from other suppliers.
At the second stage, the businessman must decide what form his activity will take - whether it will be year-round or seasonal. It’s easier and cheaper to organize a seasonal business, for which farm greenhouses are suitable. If the greenhouse business is year-round, industrial-type greenhouses equipped with special communications for lighting and heating will be required.
Next, the entrepreneur is looking for wholesale buyers and other points of sale.
The business plan must necessarily calculate all possible expenses and approximate profits.
If the start-up capital is not enough, the businessman needs to think about sources of financing.

Drawing up project documents requires a detailed calculation of all the necessary communications that are needed for optimal operation of a greenhouse of a specific area. At the stage of drawing up a business plan, an entrepreneur must know exactly the price of equipment, construction and installation.

Today, many entrepreneurs use hydroponics for growing, which is suitable for cucumbers, herbs and other vegetables. Its main advantage can be considered the speed of cultivation. The vegetative cycle in this case will not exceed three weeks, so two to three tons of crops can be harvested every day from one hectare of land. Under natural conditions, the selected crop will ripen much longer. However, the taste quality decreases during hydroponics cultivation.

Planning parameters and calculating yield

In order for the income from the greenhouse to be high and the payback to be quick, the entrepreneur needs to take care of establishing contacts with buyers of the future harvest. A businessman should look only for reliable buyers who are ready to conclude a contract. When choosing buyers, it is best to focus on large supermarket chains.

An entrepreneur should give preference to working with the wholesale sector, and only then consider the possibility of retail trade. In any case, the greenhouse business must be built on the basis of guaranteed buyers, so the sales system must be thought out in advance.

So that an entrepreneur can understand what earnings are possible from a greenhouse, you can imagine simple calculations. To begin with, a businessman draws up an investment project, purchases or leases land, sets up a greenhouse, purchases equipment and planting material. The entire cycle from planting products to their maturation and marketing must be combined with cash flows. The main guideline is the maximum profit that an entrepreneur can earn and to which he should strive, as well as the minimum profit sufficient to maintain and develop the business.

Production

The entrepreneur must also think through the technical aspects of the organization, which will become details in the implementation of the business.

It is necessary to take into account the distance of communications from greenhouses. Each pipe or wire will be carried out at the expense of the entrepreneur, so costs must be indicated in the general estimate.
The territory on which the greenhouse will be built should not only be large, but also level, so that access roads to it can be easily organized.
In the absence of sufficient capital to purchase, a plot of land can be rented.
It is best to purchase a ready-made prefabricated greenhouse, especially if the land is rented. The greenhouse structure can be disassembled and assembled countless times, so over time the entrepreneur can move it to a new site.
The most important point is heating the greenhouse. Modern innovations replace each other at high speed, so you need to choose something new and effective equipment.
Prudent businessmen recommend leaving a certain amount of money for the future purchase of innovative new products that will allow you to keep up with your competitors until the greenhouse business becomes self-sustaining.

Expenses

If we consider the option when a businessman uses purchased greenhouses for his business, it should be noted that the initial costs will be higher than in the case of using a greenhouse of his own construction. However, with strict adherence to modern technologies and a properly developed business plan, you can not worry and purchase ready-made greenhouses. Material investments in the arrangement of a greenhouse complex with an area of one hectare are equal to 30 - 35 thousand dollars. In subsequent costs, 90 percent will go to paying electricity and gas bills.

If the business is run year-round, the entrepreneur will spend about $50,000 on the salaries of seven workers and one agronomist. In this case, the efficiency of the greenhouse will be approximately 15 percent. Therefore, the full payback of the greenhouse project will occur in three to four years.

Growing garlic as a business

Business on grapes

It is quite possible to organize a highly profitable agricultural business in Russia. In the article we will talk about how to set up greenhouse farms, what crops to grow and how to properly organize work in them.

An approach

Many experts admit that it is one of the most highly profitable segments of agriculture. This market is not yet complete, so those who decide to invest money in its development will not encounter obstacles on their way in the form of fierce competition with other domestic manufacturers. And competing with imported vegetables and berries is not so difficult.

Before building greenhouses, you need to decide on the crops that you will grow. These can be tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, radishes. Also, one of the profitable areas is considered to be growing herbs: dill, parsley, basil, lettuce, etc.

It is very important to find a suitable location. For your farm to be located close to the sales market, the main communication systems - sources of electricity, water, gas. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the transport interchange.

Types of farms

Depending on the size, several types of greenhouses can be distinguished. So, if you want to grow vegetables in small volumes, handling the cultivation of the plot on your own, then you will need a small area, even your own garden plot will do. It will be possible to install 2-3 structures on it. This will be a small greenhouse farm. It is not necessary to register such ancillary production as a business, even if you plan to sell surplus products.

If you have a medium-sized farm, then such a business needs to be registered with the local tax office. This is necessary even if you can cope on your own, but produce a sufficient number of products to sell.

Large greenhouse farms in Russia occupy large areas. They can only be processed with the involvement of hired workers. Owners of such farms must register individual entrepreneurship or register another form of business, for example a limited liability company.

Selection of options

If you have decided on the location of the greenhouse and what exactly you will grow, then you can begin building the structures themselves. So, you can purchase them or make them yourself. Please note that film greenhouses are not able to provide the optimal temperature and humidity required for crops grown during cold periods. The best option is designs made of polycarbonate or glass. It is clear that purchasing a ready-made greenhouse will cost more than constructing it yourself.

But it is important to know that film options are the cheapest, they are safe, and they are easy to dismantle if necessary. Glass transmits sunlight well. This material adds strength to the structure itself. But at the same time it is unreliable and easy to break. Polycarbonate is durable and transmits sunlight well. Greenhouses made from this material can be used, but their construction requires a foundation.

Project preparation

One of the stages in the development of any business is the creation of a business plan. A greenhouse project must include information about its location, transport links, types of crops grown, possible markets for products, and competitors. In addition, the plan must calculate all potential income and costs, and consider possible unforeseen situations. It is also important to immediately calculate how much it will cost you to build greenhouses, how water will be supplied to them, how to heat and light them. Also, the expenditure part must include all costs for equipment, seed material or seedlings, means for killing weeds and pests, and fertilizers. If you plan to attract hired workers, you need to calculate their wages. You should also think about transportation costs.

After calculating potential expenses, you can begin to determine possible income. To do this, you need to know the potential yield of the crops that you plan to grow and the purchase prices for them. It is better to immediately make several calculation options, because you cannot hope for a maximum harvest in the first year of doing business. A well-designed greenhouse management plan will help optimize all costs and estimate income. With the right approach to organizing a business, investments will pay off in less than 2 years.

Location

Particular attention should be paid to the place where your greenhouses will be located. It is necessary to take into account not only transport links and proximity to sales markets. It is important to evaluate the land on which you plan to locate greenhouse facilities. If they are flooded during spring floods, they automatically become unusable. You should also avoid areas where frost may continue for a long time. These include deep valleys and ravines. Greenhouses should not be placed on hills either.

Attention should be paid to the possibility of connecting communications. To do this, it is advisable to visit electricity, water and gas supply companies for an approximate calculation of the cost of connection. Before constructing greenhouses, it is advisable to check the quality of the supplied water. If it turns out to be bad, then you will need additional greenhouse equipment to clean it. For irrigation, it is advisable to use only water that contains an acceptable amount of iron, salts, a normal pH level, and does not contain microorganisms that cause rotting.

Necessary equipment

The development of greenhouse farming requires quite large investments at the start. This is not only the construction of the structures themselves. It is important to approach the arrangement of the greenhouse correctly. So, first of all, you need to organize its heating. This point is especially important if you plan to install a permanent structure in which vegetables will be grown all year round. It is also necessary to pay attention to watering. Ideally for a greenhouse with an area of more than 100 square meters. meters, it is advisable to organize drip irrigation. Do not forget that in the winter season the days are much shorter, so you will have to provide additional electric lighting.

You will also have to spend money on inventory. You will need to buy tools for tillage, carts, buckets, sprayers and other equipment for greenhouse farming.

Recruitment

If you do not have experience running an agricultural business, it will be difficult to estimate how many people you may need. Of course, you won’t need anyone if you are building a small structure on your site. And if your complex will include greenhouse farms with an area of several hectares, then it is better to take care of selecting people in advance. It should be borne in mind that the required number of personnel depends on the types of crops cultivated. For example, 1 person can serve 0.3 hectares when growing tomatoes, and 0.2 hectares when cultivating cucumbers.

Operating mode

Before starting your own business, you need to look at the most profitable greenhouse farms in Russia. Ideally, to obtain maximum income, you need to harvest several harvests per year. This can only be done if you immediately spend money on the construction of capital structures. In this case, it will be possible to grow vegetables in a greenhouse both in summer and winter. True, in the cold season you will have to additionally heat the room, and in the warm season you will have to ensure maximum air flow from outside. For these purposes, it is advisable to make a greenhouse with windows that can be opened.

But structures covered with film can be used from February-March to November. During winter frosts they are not able to protect plants.

Nuances of doing business

Before you begin, you need to decide exactly how you will grow the crops you have chosen. Thus, modern hydroponic technologies are currently used in advanced farms. This allows you to obtain maximum yields. This greenhouse technology is aimed at creating ideal conditions for plants, accelerating their growth and obtaining better quality products.

But growing vegetables on ordinary soils is a more labor-intensive task. In addition, hydroponic technologies also provide more efficient use of water and nutrients needed by plants.

Alternative business

Most people who decide to start farming think only about food. But growing vegetables or even berries is not the ultimate dream for many. Some people think about what other purposes greenhouse farming can be used for. Flowers are one of the alternative options. They are in demand throughout the year.

In developed countries they know that creating flower greenhouses is one of the most profitable projects. You can start growing roses and tulips. Or you can choose a slightly different direction. No less profitable is growing indoor plants in pots and then selling them. These can be violets, orchids, various palm trees, citrus trees.