In early spring, turnkey greenhouse constructor Havecon already brought Fonte Verde Agro to our attention, a remarkable greenhouse horticulture project. In Andradas, the southern region of Mina Gerais near São Paulo, Brazil, a 2-hectare greenhouse has been built, of which more than 1.5 hectares are planned for the cultivation of tomatoes. Havecon was chosen to supply all the materials for this remarkable project.
In addition to the greenhouse, the rest of the facility was taken care of by well-known Dutch companies. For example, VB supplied the heating system, and FDG Systems in Den Hoorn supplied the water treatment units. Priva supplied the Connext process computer, and Erfgoed in Moerkapelle took care of the cultivation floors and leveling the plot. Doek en Draad in 's-Gravenzande supplied the screens.
High-tech cultivation in challenging conditions
The use of advanced Dutch materials, technology, and expertise, allow for the realization of protected cultivation at Fonte Verde. For example, the temperature and ventilation in the greenhouse can be adjusted throughout the year, there is organic crop protection, and all the water is reused through a closed-loop system.
This way the tomatoes are 99% pesticide-free. By doing this Fonte Verde Agro makes an important contribution to food security and quality in this part of South America. Grower Arjan Kouwenhoven has mentioned this before: "It's not as easy as it looks here, but the quality of the tomatoes in the stores certainly offers possibilities. We want to see if we can cultivate with a biological balance, as is done in the Netherlands, using a glass greenhouse and all the available high-tech facilities. If we succeed, we can serve as an example and certainly involve local growers in our process."
Milestone
CombiCoop in Maasdijk oversaw the entire purchase and project management for Fonte Verde Agro. CEO Arjan Flikweert is looking at an important milestone: "It took some effort, but as a team, we are extremely proud to report that the first self-grown tomato plants are on the gutter.”
Flikweert adds: "With this, an advanced greenhouse, in an even more remarkable place, is officially operational. And we are incredibly proud of that. I want to thank all the partners, including Havecon, for realizing this exceptional project together!"
See the first pictures from Brazil above. Be sure to take a look at the website: www.fonteverdeagro.com.br
For more information:
Havecon Horticultural Projects
[email protected]
www.havecon.com