Hydroponic production takes place on an acreage of 1.336 hectares in Turkey. This area corresponds to 1.7% of the total greenhouse area assets in the country. Nearly 85% of the hydronic production is exported, while tomato is the favorite soilless agricultural product. Antalya ranks first among the Turkish cities in hydroponic production and nearly 92% of the production is fruits and vegetables whereas ornamental plants are cultivated in the remaining 8%.
Turkey ranks 4th in the world in greenhouse production areas and 2nd in Europe. In addition to tomato, green pepper, strawberry, and lettuce are amongst other popular products grown via hydroponic production.
Since the materials used as growing media are sterile, pesticides are not required before planting. Since hydroponic production is generally carried out in climate-controlled greenhouses, plants are less affected by diseases and pests and stress factors such as low temperatures. Labor cost is also lower since there are no operations such as tillage, hoeing and weed control.
Source: Paraanaliz