April 6 2007, 09:22

Russians are interested in greenhouse complexes construction

There is a growing interest to the modern greenhouse complexes construction in Russia. The ""Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal" informs that the large investors got interested in the perspectives of the greenhouse business in Russian Federation thanks to the scale of the consumer market and the cheap energy resources.

"Baltimor" company, one the largest producers of canned fruits and vegetables in Russia, has recently claimed its plans to construct 30 ha greenhouse complex in Astrakhan oblast. Up to 100 millions dollars are planned to be invested to implement this project. The complex intends to daily ship around 100 tons of vegetables; the company prospects the yield to be on the level of 60 kg per square meter. The investors believe this greenhouse complex will be the hugest in Russia and Europe.

To the opinion of Andriy Yarmak, the expert of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal, no one can guarantee the success to this project despite of the extraordinary potential of the greenhouse business in Russia. Greenhouse business has not been of any interest to the large investors till recently, so the potential was left unused. First of all, the enterprise will hardly rapidly reach the planned yield of 60 kg per square meter of the greenhouse: usually three to five years are required to approach this level of yield even at the most efficient technological support. Second, the declared investments to the mentioned complex seem to be too much for 30 hectares. Third, the complex won't be the largest even on CIS territory, cause Ukraine has already established several complexes with the larger acreage of the modern greenhouses and the fine tuned technologies. Fourth, "Baltimor" company has primarily worked with long-term shelf life products - now the company will have to face the trade specifics for perishable products. In addition, Astrakhan oblast is too remote from the key centers of greenhouse produce consumption.

In addition to "Baltimor" company, the other investors inform about their intentions to construct new greenhouses in Russia. Including the Russians, the interest to this sector show also companies from Holland, Israel, Turkey and Ukraine. Most Russian greenhouse complexes work on the out-of-date energy-consuming technologies: they start to be interested in the complex reconstruction and the implementation of new intensive greenhouse technologies as well. That's why, to the experts' opinion, the greenhouse business will experience a real boom in the coming years in Russian Federation; the providers of the solutions for greenhouses will be able to make a fairly good profit on this boom.