In the southern Russian region of Volgograd the first stage of the construction of a large greenhouse complex has been completed.
People have become accustomed to being able to buy fresh vegetables in supermarkets in the winter. But what is often not realized is that even during the summer most of the peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers are imported and therefore have waxy skins and can be lacking in flavour.
Now people in the Volograd region will be able to buy local vegetables even when they are not in season.
LLC Agrocomplex Volzhsky is the largest greenhouse company in southern Russia. They harvested their first crop of tomatoes here in December 2014 which was then sold to regional supermarkets. The protected soil and the use of modern advancements in agriculture means that they can grow high quality vegetables.
Just recently, the company has completed the construction of a 13 hectare greenhouse complex in the Sredneakhtubinsky area which will produce 8 tons of vegetables a year – a decent amount when compared to the demand for imported vegetables.
The project is unique in the fact that it consumes substantially less energy and uses modern agricultural techniques –the vegetables are grown in a soilless way on a special substrate. This means it is possible to increase the yield by 40% in comparison to traditional growing methods and it greatly reduces production costs.
Moreover, the greenhouse complex will have a significant effect on the local area since it will create an additional 700 jobs for local residents.
The complex is being constructed with the support of JSC Rosselkhozbank. According to the director of the Volgograd regional branch of the bank, Andrey Gavrilenko, the total cost of the project will be 1.9 bn rubles, of which 1.6 bn was provided by the bank’s local branch.
In total, the greenhouse complex will encompass four modern greenhouses stretched across 52 hectares of land. They will produce around 35 thousand tons of vegetables a year and provide the residents of Volgograd and the neighboring regions with natural, healthy and tasty local produce.
Source: www.volgograd.kp.ru