Agricultural holding Eco-kultura are planning to expand their greenhouse acreage to 663 by 2023 having invested approximately 1.6 billion euro, mentioned the president of the company, Mr. Aleksandr Rudakov in the press-conference dedicated to the results of 2019. Apart from Russia, the company will carry forward projects in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Currently they are making preparations for the construction.
According to the top manager, there is a good investment climate in Uzbekistan now, moreover, the company is located on the same latitude as Turkish Antalya and has favorable climate conditions. The company have signed the contracts with the leading trade chains of Uzbekistan (Monetka and Kopejka) and will be delivering produce to them. If the holding receives proper financing, they will construct a greenhouse in the country to become even more attractive to the consumers as a local producer, mentioned Mr. Rudakov.
Construction in Kazakhstan is already going on. Even though the authorities support the project, there are difficulties with the gas, electricity and water connection, noted Mr. Rudakov. He also added that the authorities are currently ready to participate in creating the infrastructure for the first phase of the construction only. “We are planning several phases of the construction, the first one will be created in the acreage of 50 ha”, specified Mr. Rudakov. The memorandum on creating a 500 ha greenhouse in Kazakhstan was signed in May of the current year. The amount of investments in the project was previously announced at the level of $1,1 billion.
Also the agricultural complex continue carrying over projects in the Russian Federation, having invested over 280 thousand euro in them this year. The company have launched Ovoschi Chernozemja in Lipetsk region with the acreage of 30.17 ha and overall investments of 112 thousand euro. It will be producing about 19 thousand tomatoes per year.
Apart from that, the second phase of the Solnechniy Dar greenhouses in Stavropol area began functioning. The enterprise covers the acreage of 32 ha and required the investments in the amount of 113.7 thousand euro. The launch of the first phase of a greenhouse complex in Tula region is planned for January 2020. It is planned to construct three phases in the region with the overall acreage of 77.8. ha until 2021. The production volume should reach 62.5 thousand tons of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Also, this year Eco-kultura have begun constructing the greenhouses of 53.6 ha in Voronezh and of 61.2 ha in Moscow regions respectively.
In addition, the agricultural holding are planning to construct the export oriented greenhouse complex Kavkaz. The greenhouses of spring and autumn cycle with the acreage of 83.23 ha will be created in Stavropol region. The tomatoes grown there will be delivered to the Persian Gulf countries, i.e. the United Arab Emirates and the Saudi Arabia. “We have an office in Dubai: we monitor the market closely, get acquainted with the trade chains and distribution channels, prepare for spring”, shared Mr. Redakov. “The UAE is the most perspective market in the summer: due to high temperatures there is no own production in this period and all the produce is imported. There is a complicated political environment in the country though, so we can face certain risks”, added the company president.
Eco-kultura has six functioning greenhouse complexes in Stavropol, Leningrad and Lipetsk regions with the overall acreage over 207 ha. The investments in construction exceeded 710 million euro. This year the crop yield will reach 140 thousand tons and next year they are going to increase productivity to 340 ha, shared Mr. Rudakov.
According to the forecast of the Ministry of Agriculture, the greenhouse vegetable crop will comprise 1.15 million tons of tomatoes compared to 1 million of the last year. The Fruit and Vegetable Union evaluate the crop yield at the level of 1.2 million tons. According to them, this year the greenhouse acreage in the Russian Federation will have increased by 260 ha over the whole country, in 2018 it amounted to 2.4 thousand ha.
Source: agroinvestor.ru