According to the operational data of the regional administrations, last year the republic’s greenhouse farms harvested about 15,000 tons of tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses.
This year, the Crimean greenhouse complex in the Belogorsk district has collected the first crop of vegetables in the republic, a little more than 460 tons: about 330 tons of cucumbers and about 126 tons of tomatoes. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Crimea Andrei Savchuk.
“According to the operational data of the district administrations, last year the republic’s greenhouse farms harvested about 15,000 tons of tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses. In 2022, slightly more than 40 enterprises grew vegetables in greenhouses. This year it is planned to get a crop not less than last year’s level. Now the harvesting of tomatoes and cucumbers is carried out only by the Belogorsky shopping center, since a special lighting system is used in the production process – “additional lighting”, which allows the products to ripen almost all year round. Here, the plants begin to bear fruit 95 days after sowing the seeds and grow to a height of up to 7 meters. In the work of the plant, advanced technologies and modern technical solutions are used, which are controlled by a computer center. For example, tomatoes and cucumbers are grown hydroponically in a special substrate. Thanks to this latest trend in greenhouse production, high yields of vegetables can be obtained. Irrigation of plants here is drip with reuse of nutrient solution drainage,” Andrey Savchuk said.
The head of the Crimean Ministry of Agriculture also noted that the use of a specialized seedling section in such greenhouse complexes allows the use of industrial technology for growing vegetable seedlings. This is done in order to obtain high-quality, uniform young plants, to reduce their cost by mechanizing the processes of sowing, watering and care. Seedlings are grown using progressive, “smart” technologies. The microclimate, carbon dioxide supply, electric lighting, curtains and other processes are automatically regulated.
“There are 2 stages in the greenhouse complex. The first one has 5 greenhouses with a usable area of more than 2.5 hectares. In the second, vegetables are grown in 4 greenhouses with an area of 1.75 hectares each. In 2021, more than 5 thousand tons of tomatoes were harvested. And last year, almost 7 thousand tons of vegetables were harvested here: more than 3 thousand tons of tomatoes and almost 4 thousand tons of cucumbers. For several years in a row, the greenhouse complex has been a participant in state support programs. For example, thanks to subsidies in 2020 and 2021, energy costs for the production of greenhouse vegetables were reimbursed. And last year, the enterprise received state support for a new measure for financial support of costs – “additional lighting” of plants,” Andriy Savchuk commented.
