have a 500 sq m polyhouse, confused between coloured capsicum, cucumber and tomato for best return
3 Answers
The crops that usually pay back a polyhouse are high value ones that command a premium for quality and off-season supply, mainly coloured capsicum, parthenocarpic (seedless) cucumber, and gourmet or cherry tomato. Coloured capsicum and cucumber are the most common money makers because they fetch good rates in cities and have steady demand from hotels and modern retail. Plain green vegetables rarely justify a polyhouse since open field grows them cheaper. The catch is that profitability depends entirely on your market access and price realisation, not just yield. Many people grow well but lose money because they have no buyer for premium produce and end up selling in the local mandi at open field rates. Before you pick a crop, line up a buyer or check which premium crop actually sells in your nearest city, and confirm season-wise rates with a local polyhouse grower or your KVK.
Coloured capsicum worked for me but only because a vendor in Pune lifts it weekly. My neighbour grew the same and had to dump it in the local mandi at green capsicum rate. Market first, crop second.
Cucumber gave me faster cash, crop cycle is short so money turns quicker than capsicum. But disease pressure is high in humid months, plan ventilation well.