Growing vegetables in greenhouses is one of the most quickly developing segments of the Russian agricultural sphere. According to 2017 results, the annual production growth for cucumbers amounted to 11% and for tomatoes to 17%.
According to expert opinion, this year's figures will be rather high too. The need for reliable engineering infrastructure, namely electrical and heating equipment, is growing in step.
Russian greenhouse industry growth
In accordance with the association Greenhouses of Russia, the overall greenhouse area in the country in 2017 has increased by 10%, having reached an acreage of 2,600 ha. The leaders in terms of production capacity are agricomplex Yuzhniy (Karachaevo-Cherkessia), GC LipetskAgro (Lipetsk region) and GC Zelenaya linija/Magnit, producing 50, 45 and 40 thousand tons of greenhouse produce. Kuban stands out among the regions, with a greenhouse acreage of 230 ha and a share of cucumbers grown in the region exceeding 50%. The minister of agriculture of the Russian Federation, Mr. D. Patrushev noted that in the current year it is planned to grow over 1 million tons of greenhouse vegetables, which is why the construction of new greenhouses and modernization of existing ones will continue.
Engineering infrastructure of greenhouse complexes
The greenhouse production volume depends not only on the acreage but also on the engineering infrastructure, which determines the production efficiency. Use of modern technologies allows for a significant increase in crops. Thus, the greenhouse complexes that use supplementary lighting can gather over 120 kilos of cucumber and 80 kilos of tomatoes of one square meter, which is twice as much as could be achieved without the technology. Even with the growth of energy costs, the profit level of such complexes exceeds 20%; therefore, the return on investment can be achieved rather quickly.
According to the association Greenhouses of Russia, the share of the greenhouses with modern equipment has reached 14% in 2017. It is forecast that this year the number will reach 20%. One of the main factors hindering fast growth of the high-tech greenhouses is relatively high construction costs, caused by extensive use of imported materials. Thus, in 2016 of 4.5 thousand tons of required aluminium for construction, 2.9 tons were imported.
Therefore, the growers have little resources left for purchasing the necessary reliable and efficient equipment. Usage of cheaper equipment of relatively low quality raises the risks and exploiting expenses, and lowers the profitability of greenhouse complexes.
The best decision would be to combine leading domestic and foreign technologies. Teplichnye technologii company, for instance, have gone this way for their projects.
Source: agronews.com