Akarshak Institute
Think about growing your favorite vegetables without soil, right in your home! It sounds like science fiction, but it’s a reality called hydroponics. And you might be surprised to learn that hydroponics isn’t just a futuristic trend. This isn’t just a futuristic trend; it’s rapidly changing how India farms, one rooftop at a time.
In India, where land is precious and water is scarce, advanced farming techniques like aeroponics are offering a solution. It’s not just about growing more food; it’s about growing healthier food sustainably. This evolving landscape presents both immense opportunities and fierce competition, demanding specialized knowledge and a commitment to transforming conventional methods.
Akarshak Institute of Advanced Farming, founded by Ramesh Gera, is at the forefront of this agricultural revolution. Established in 2018 and recently relocated to Panchkula, the institute aims to empower farmers and create new opportunities for youth through advanced farming training. Ramesh Gera, a seasoned engineer with 35 years of experience in MNCs, embarked on this venture post-retirement, driven by a deep desire to contribute to national development. His vision is to shift India’s agricultural practices towards resource-efficient, high-return models. Despite the initial challenges of transitioning from engineering to farming, Gera’s relentless experimentation and commitment to innovation have positioned Akarshak as a leading authority in the field.
Akarshak Institute offers comprehensive training programs in hydroponics, aeroponics, saffron cultivation, and microgreens, catering to a diverse clientele from across India and internationally. They also provide advisory services for large-scale projects, including a significant collaboration with the Jaypee Group. The institute’s unique approach emphasizes the “3Tr” principles—truth, trust, and transparency—ensuring lifelong support for their trainees. By focusing on organic, pesticide-free cultivation and developing innovative techniques like rooftop turmeric and ginger farming, Akarshak is redefining trust and setting new standards in the industry.
In the spotlight is Mr. Ramesh Gera, Founder & Director of Akarshak Institute of Advanced Farming, featured in an interview for our prestigious “10 Most Promising Aeroponics & Hydroponics Startups To Watch in 2025” edition. Learn from his insights and valuable lessons as an entrepreneur to excel and build a leading company. Stay tuned to discover his remarkable tale of success.
Prime Insights: Tell us about your company.
Our company, Akarshak Institute of Advanced Farming, a young but fast-growing organization and an MSME-registered firm since 2018, originally based in Noida but recently relocated to Panchkula (Haryana), has 3 business units.
1- Akarshak Hydroponics
2- Akarshak Saffron Institute
3- Kanika Microgreens.
Primarily we conduct training programs on various subjects of advanced farming, like hydroponics, aeroponics, saffron cultivation, turmeric cultivation, Multilayer Organic farming and microgreens. All of the above subjects (excluding organic farming) are hydroponics and aeroponics based. We also undertake mega-sized, commercial-level hydroponics and aeroponics projects at advisory capacity. The participants for classroom-based (offline) training programs come from all across the country, while our online programs are participated in by candidates from all across the world, including the USA, Canada, Australia, UAE and a few others.
We have been appointed as agricultural advisors to the highly renowned Jaypee Group in Noida. We are in the process of implementing highly advanced, fully automated, climate-controlled hydroponics/aeroponics-based farming ventures using technological advancements with a coverage of 25 acres of land. Our target crops are only the high-value exotic varieties of vegetables and fruits with peripheral plantation of high-value trees.
Very recently we have developed an institute (Akarshak Institute of Advanced Farming) in Panchkula with world-class infrastructures and facilities for imparting training to aspiring candidates with opportunities for hands-on work practice on self-designed model lab equipment.
We charge a good fee to candidates who have the capacity to pay and give high discounts to candidates coming from middle-class families, including students; we give free training to those coming from below-average backgrounds.
“Farming isn’t just about the land—it’s about vision, innovation, and resilience. Akarshak Institute is proof that with the right knowledge and passion, we can grow the future, one rooftop at a time.”
Prime Insights: What was the inspiration behind launching your company?
As is known, the condition of farmers in our country is not good; none of the farmers want their children to enter into farming as a business venture. Farming and agriculture are the least preferred business options in India, the reason being the majority of the farmers are continuing with very old agricultural practices. The country can’t transform into a developed country until a major transformation happens in farming practices. For this kind of transformation, creating awareness and spreading the knowledge for highly resource-efficient advanced farming practices is very essential.
For many years I had a deep inner desire to contribute something good to nation-building and to be part of the journey for transformation towards a developed country in line with the vision of our prime minister for India to be a developed country by 2047, so this subject appeared to me as the best option, as I could sense a very large scope for contribution. Therefore, at the age of 58, after retirement, I adopted the subjects of advanced farming as my further journey for the prime purpose of spreading knowledge and creating awareness amongst the farmers and also to create new work opportunities for unemployed youth of India.
Prime Insights: What were the initial challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
I am a qualified engineer with 35 years of work tenure from MNCs of high repute with international exposure, having traveled across the globe for official assignments. I entered into farming after retirement. Without having any prior background or exposure to farming, I faced a lot of challenges during the initial years after inception. Day and night experimenting with self-designed hydroponic equipment, spending a lot of money on development activities out of my limited bank savings, many a time failing and then succeeding, ups and downs became part of everyday life, but I never gave up the courage and ultimately succeeded. Every success is an experience, and every failure is a learning experience. Taking a logical advantage of successes and learning, I started doing wonders. Encouraged with the results, I went on adding new subjects every year in advanced farming. Now I am a nationally/internationally renowned figure; I get a lot of appreciation from people in my network. I get a lot of media coverage also, which includes television channels, renowned magazines, leading newspapers, and radio FM channels.
Prime Insights: How is your brand redefining “trust” in the market, and what makes it unique?
We work on the principles of 3Tr i.e. Truth, Trust and transparency; our honest and dedicated support to our candidates for life is free of any additional charges; this all makes our brand unique and also results in redefining trust in the market.
Prime Insights: What are the key offerings (products/services/solutions) that set your company apart?
Primarily we are the professional trainers on the subjects of advanced farming. We give unconditional post-training support to our candidates for life. Other than the training, we also enter into consulting agreements with parties who approach us for the purpose.
Prime Insights: How do you see consumer trust evolving in today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment?
In the context of vegetables and fruits, which are an essential part of daily food, the consumer’s trust is evolving towards organically grown crops free of pesticides or the use of chemicals. People are becoming more and more health conscious now, and demand is rising for organically and hydroponically produced items with the least reaching time for the end consumers.
Prime Insights: What strategies helped you establish a strong brand presence and connect with your customers?
Our business is based upon the principles of 3Tr i.e. Truth, Trust, and transparency. Our approach is not based upon just putting fancy slogans on the walls; rather, more important is bringing them to action and following it very religiously. Secondly, our after-sales support to our candidates/customers doesn’t carry any fees, but it is free of any additional charges for life.
Prime Insights: How do you ensure a deep and lasting connection between your clients and your brand?
Generating a database of our customers through mobile applications, giving them a status of lifelong association with our organization, giving due attention and respect as and when they approach us, and addressing their issues at the earliest as and when the need arises are the ways through which we ensure a deep-lasting connection between our clients and our brand.
Prime Insights: What are the most effective marketing campaigns or initiatives you’ve implemented to promote your company?
We believe that word of mouth is the most effective marketing strategy, and also it doesn’t require spending any budgets. Strictly adhering to the principles of 3Tr, i.e., truth, Trust, and transparency; giving a feel of lifelong association to our customers with our organization; and addressing their issues with honest and positive intentions and at the soonest are our effective marketing campaigns.
Prime Insights: Have you introduced any new categories, innovations, or transformations this year?
Our total business is based upon bringing new ideas every year, creating an experimental lab with self-designed equipment for trials and experimentation for the ideas; with relentless efforts, sooner or later, success is sure to come; after that, launch it as a new subject for consulting and training. The latest we have brought high-value turmeric and ginger cultivation to the rooftop.
Prime Insights: How do you measure the level of trust consumers have in your brand?
We don’t put in any marketing efforts; we don’t spend even a single penny for marketing activities. We believe that word of mouth is the biggest and most effective marketing tool. The no. of ever-increasing new customers approaching us through various means of communication like telephone calls, WhatsApp messages, and personal visits to our institute is our measure of the level of trust consumers have in our brand.
Prime Insights: What is the first thought that comes to a consumer’s mind when they see your brand?
The most reliable and trustworthy brand, one of the best in the country, is the first thought that comes to the consumer’s mind when they see our brand. We keep getting feedback with similar words from our existing clients.
Prime Insights: What are the future goals and vision for your company?
Our vision relates to transforming inefficient traditional Indian agricultural & farming systems & practices to low-cost, resource-efficient, advanced techniques with lucrative returns. Creating high-paying agro-entrepreneurial work opportunities for educated youth of India. Our goal for the future is to add new items and new techniques, at a minimum one every year, to our basket of existing list of items.
Prime Insights: Can you share insights into your journey as an entrepreneur?
Being an engineering graduate, I had 35 years of work tenure from MNCs of high repute and happened to travel across the globe, covering 8 different countries. In the year 2018, at the age of 58 years, I took retirement from work and entered into the farming venture as a post-retirement activity without having any prior exposure to the subject. In the initial periods I faced a lot of difficulties, day and night; relentless experimenting, failures and successes became the integral part of my daily life. I had a deeper belief that every success is an experience while every failure is a learning experience; leveraging the strength of experiences and learning, ultimately it results in a grand success. The ultimate success in one subject gives high motivation to start with new subjects. Adding new subjects every year became my journey as an entrepreneur.
Prime Insights: What are your key objectives for the next year, both professionally and personally?
Very recently, we have been appointed as agricultural advisors to Jaypee Group in Noida, which is a renowned mega-sized builder in the area. To start with, the company has allocated 25 acres of a piece of agricultural land to use it as a pilot project for advanced farming, which includes hydroponics and aeroponics, including turmeric and ginger cultivation. My business objective for this year is to make it a model project, the best in the country in productivity and quality, through world-best agricultural practices.
My objective at the personal front is, at the age of 66, I should maintain sound health with high energy levels, always being full of actions. Other than this, to remain in close network with friends and relatives, my next generation should see me as a role model and a motivational force for them to excel in their respective fields.
Prime Insights: What role does innovation play in your company’s growth and success?
Innovation is the only tool we have that plays a vital role in the company’s growth and success. Bringing new ideas, adding new items every year, and introducing new techniques for productivity enhancement and quality improvement ultimately result in gaining the trust of our potential customers, which further results in uplifting the organizational performance.
Prime Insights: How do you foster a culture of creativity and forward-thinking within your organization?
Arranging for conducting workshops on creativity and innovation for the employees, giving them comfort and convenience to think differently, allocating budgets and other resources for experimenting with new ideas, and quickly recognizing the efforts and achievements are a few of the means to foster a culture of creativity and forward thinking within our organization.
Prime Insights: What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make an impact?
My advice to the aspiring entrepreneurs shall be honesty is the best policy; religiously follow the principles of 3Tr (truth, Trust and transparency); consider employees as their most precious and valued assets; the business only exists because of your customers; be loyal to your customers; resolve their issues at the earliest; and do a good contribution for nation building also.
