August 30, 2020

Executive Summary
AQUAL
Our focus is to cultivate and provide organic food to consumers along with the good quality
pearls. The idea is to merge the two different systems into one with a blend of emerging
technologies. Aquaponics when combined with pearl farming not only makes it high on
customer's end but also high on productivity. Aqual will be focused on merely two industries
which involve agriculture as well as the ornamental industry. Aquaponics is a farming
method that combines the benefits of aquaculture and hydroponics where we will be
harvesting both fish and plants whereas pearl farming involves pearl oysters that are farmed
from the birth of larvae to harvesting the pearls.
Target Audience
The most important aspect of the business is to target an enormous number of audiences.
These industries have various sectors which involve plants, fisheries, ornaments, and
pharmaceutical. We can provide raw materials to various industries as well as organic food
sources to the end consumers. The organic seeds produced from the aquaponics will be of
good quality which we will be selling to the farmers at a lower cost so that their problem of
the low-quality seeds can be improved at a small level. We could also deliver our products on
the e-commerce platform, this will enable us to target more and more customers. The pearl
can be used in various fields in jewelry, cosmetics, medicines, and paint formulations. The
pearls cultivate can be exported across the globe.
Competition
The demand for organic farming is huge with fewer suppliers in the market of organic
vegetables which makes it less on the competition at present. Although there is one
competition in the market that has also implemented the idea, we will be differently
implementing it. We will be using technologies to increase the productivity of the process.
The idea is to introduce the internet of things where we will be able to design a smart
aquaponics system that could control and monitor the degree of acidity, water level, water
temperature, and fish feed that were integrated with an internet-based mobile application.
Additionally, this system will be able to maintain a suitable ecological environment for the
breeding of oysters. This will increase efficiency and productivity, minimizing harvesting
failures.
Opportunities/Risks
1. Due to the global pandemic, Coronavirus, the immunity of an individual has become a big
concern and the consumers are more health-conscious. The fruits and vegetables in the
market are generally packed with fertilizers and chemicals which is harmful to one’s health.
The organic food is powered with all the nutrients and with no chemical fertilizers will be in
high demand amongst the end-users.
2. Pearl Farming is one of the best aquaculture business in India. The pearl business is easy
to do, making it high on market competition. Since we will be monitoring the sustainable
environment for harvesting the oysters so the quality of the pearls developed will be high,
resulting in an increase in price and demand. The pearls are used in various sectors so the
demand is high.
3. Aquaponics set up cost is really high but once the setup is done then we will able to grow
plants and fishes organically and with less risk in the future. Aquaponics has high scope in
the future.
4. Within a 2-5-year time frame, the pearl farmer nucleates and cares for several thousand
oysters, to grow and develop a pearl. This is a challenge that every pearl farmer faces, but
once the good quality cost is cultivated it can give three times the return on investment,
which is remarkable.
5. The cost of this will be expensive but once the business is set up, the profits received by
both the industries will be lofty.
Conclusions
This report has discussed the blend of aquaponics and pearl farming with the help of the
Internet of Things to increase the productivity and efficiency of the sectors. The goal of
Aqual is to provide organic plants with protein-rich food, fishes along with the pearl
cultivation. Although the cost of the start-up is high in the beginning it is high in terms of
profitability, practicality and will flourish in the future at a faster rate. At present, the
competition in this business is really low and the company has a great opportunity to
establish itself. To summarize it in brief this business will be great as a start-up with low
investment and higher return.
Pragya Pathak
Vishal Tiwari