Bosnian and Croatian students follow hydroponic training course in Macedonia

Last week, the first new series of training courses started at the HortiCentar in Macedonia. A group of students from Croatia and Bosnia kicked off their 'Starter Program" for greenhouse crop management. During this course they will learn all the basic principles of growing tomatoes in a hydroponic greenhouse setting.

The students learn how to manage the climate inside the greenhouse, how to steer irrigation and manage fertilizer schedules. As well as this they are taught basic plant physiology and take a closer look at pest management, crop protection and substrate management.

According to Aleksandar Stojkov of the HortiCentar training centre, there is a big demand for professional horticulture schooling in the Balkan region. He explained that the training welcomes many students that are eager to learn about advanced greenhouse growing. "It is very important to them because this is the only opportunity for them to train their skills in such a setting. They learn many things that they can apply in a practical setting once they are back at their own facilities."

The HortiCentar provides commercial training to entrepreneurs in the Balkans, but this time the training is a result of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the the Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek, Croatia and the University of Bijeljina, Bosnia.

During the first training courses, Bart 't Hoen from Forteco / Van der Knaap, gave a presentation on the advantages and possibilities of coco peat growing media. The seminar was attended not only by the students, but also by other local growers who wanted to learn more about using coir bags as a growing media.

The HortiCentar is an 800 m2 training greenhouse, which is divided into 3 departments and is equipped with the latest modern techniques and controls. As well as this, offices, teaching rooms and a full warehouse are available to provide training to both large and small groups of growers. The center is the brainchild of Dutchman Bernardo Greeve of greenhouse constructor KG Greenhouse and Aleksandar Stojkov of Balkan Greenhouse, a turnkey greenhouse developer from Macedonia. Moreover, several other parties such as Royal Brinkman, van Iperen, Van der Knaap Substrates, Relab den Haan, Aardbei-Extra, Hortus Supplies International, Vilentum College and Syngenta are involved in the project. The combination of these partners enables HortiCentar to offer a wide range of knowledge and techniques. The HortiCentar project is furthermore supported by the Dutch Embassies from Skopje and Belgrade.

If you are interested in following training courses at the HortiCentar in Macedonia as well, please contact Aleksandar Stoikov. (e-mail)

For more information:
HortiCentar
Aleksandar Stoikov
[email protected]
www.horticentar.mk