De Lloyd, a British citizen born in Trinidad and Tobago, became interested in NFT production when he realized the substantial amounts of water that can be saved. He installed a few gutters on a boat which is also his home, and currently is looking at large scale production on the island of Corfu.
"For a few years I have been growing living lettuce on the back of my boat. It started as a hobby, but nowadays we are picking the harvest every two weeks. We sell it to the local stores in the places where we anchor our ship."
De Lloyd developed his NFT from materials that he bought at a local DIY store. The gutters are made from pvc electrical wire gutters. "I also buy the stone wool insulation at the DIY store, this is used to germinate the seeds, from there we start growing."
But the 40 heads of lettuce on the back of a boat will not solve the global food problem. And the chef is aware of that; the system is just a small scale farm that De Lloyd uses to get educated and experienced with NFT. But right now, he is also researching the possibilities of starting a large scale production on the island of Corfu.
"A local wholesaler currently takes a closer look at the market to see if they can sell 2,000 heads per week; Corfu houses many tourists during the season, and many hotels and cruise ships can be supplied with locally grown produce." De Lloyd has several meetings in the coming week to see if his plans for the large scale production on Corfu can be realized. "We have an option to lease 2 acres of land, here we want to built a structure of 7,800 sq ft. for protected NFT crops. In the summer we use shade houses and in the winter we convert them to greenhouses with a plastic cover."
If this plan takes off, De Lloyd's greenhouse would become the first large scale hydroponic facility on Corfu. "Hydroponics are really the next big thing in global food production, and we welcome investors that share this opinion. There is no need for them to worry about the recession in Greece, as the prices for locally produced food are reasonable and stable, while the country is also looking to expand domestic production."
For more information:Ivor de Lloyd
idelloyd@yahoo.com