BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/03/2007

Belarus: more investments in greenhouse industry

Warsaw - According to www.agrobel.by, the Economy Ministry of Belarus wants to reduce the cost of energy resources for the greenhouse industry. The Ministry has received appeals from over 20 companies producing vegetables in greenhouses. In some cases, energy resources account for over 30% of greenhouse production expenditures. Now, when the market price of energy resources has grown, the Agribusiness Ministry is undertaking a series of steps to sustain greenhouse production of fresh vegetables. In particular, they will track segments of winter greenhouses with higher than average rates of energy consumption and introduce energy-saving technologies there.

At the moment, the majority of greenhouse farms have started collecting new cucumbers. And in April they will be gathering new tomatoes. Last year they commissioned 39.8 hectares of greenhouses with energy saving facilities. Over the next 6-year period they renovated 86% of greenhouses. In 2006 the average yield in the greenhouse sector was 38.4 kg of vegetables per square metre, with the highest yield was achieved in Zhdanovichi - 70 kg of cucumbers per square metre.

Last year the average return on funds invested in the greenhouse sector was around 19%. By the year 2010 they are planning to increase greenhouse production of vegetables up to 90,000 tons. In 2006 Belarusian greenhouses exported over 4000 tons of vegetables to Russia.

Source:

http://www.freshplaza.com/2007/0316/1-7_by_greenhouse.htm