By Eugene Gerden, Contributing Writer
The Russian industry of greenhouse vegetables is booming despite the pandemic and its consequences, which is reflected by high profitability of the segment and the planned launch of new large-scale investment projects.
According to earlier data, published by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the total production of vegetables in greenhouses in Russia for the first half of the current year has grown by eight percent up to 742,200 tonnes of products, of which 458,800 tonnes accounted for cucumbers, which became by 0.5 percent higher year-on-year basis. The production of tomatoes amounted to 267,700 tonnes, which is 21.5 percent higher compared to the same period of last year.
The top 10 regions – industry leaders are as follows: Lipetsk, Moscow and Volgograd
According to Russian Ministry of Agriculture forecasts, for the entire 2021 year, the harvest of vegetables and herbs in winter greenhouses in Russia will exceed 1.4 million tonnes; that will be a 56 percent increase, compared to 2020. In 2020, 898,400 tonnes were collected, which is 19.5 percent more than in 2019.
Along with production, investments in the segment are also increasing. For example, two major producers of greenhouse vegetables in the country – the ECO Culture holding and the Rost group of companies – have recently announced their plans to invest over RUB 150 billion (USD$2,08 billion) in a further expansion of their capacities in Russia.
With regard to ECO Culture, the company plans to invest in greenhouse complexes in the Stavropol Territory, Moscow and Voronezh regions, Dagestan, as well as launch the production of berry crops in Kabardino-Balkaria. By 2023, the area of the agricultural holding's greenhouses should be 660 hectares, and the total production volume should reach at least 400,000 tonnes. The company also plans foreign expansion.
“We are currently thinking about expanding the geography of our presence, striving to position ECO-culture as an international brand,” said Alexander Rudakov, president of ECO Culture. “At this stage, we are looking primarily at the countries neighbouring Russia. In particular, we plan to launch greenhouse complexes in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the coming years. We chose these countries because of the year-round high solar activity, thanks to which, even in winter, we can grow vegetables indoors without additional lighting.
Rudakov added that the market for greenhouse vegetables in Russia definitely has room for further growth in the short-term.
“The share of imports is decreasing, and domestic producers are actively replacing the volumes that were previously supplied from abroad. Secondly, we see the potential for growth in consumer demand for both standard product categories and premium assortments,” he noted. “The growth of demand on the domestic Russian market for vegetables by five to 10 percent per year, in our opinion, is quite real. According to our forecasts, competition in the Russian greenhouse vegetable market will intensify, which will lead to consolidation: only a few of the strongest and largest players will remain.
In the meantime, the Rost Group plans to allocate about 30 billion rubles for the development of greenhouse complexes in the Tyumen and Tambov regions. ●
According to Wageningen University & Research (WUR), there is a great shortage of “green knowledge,” in other words, people who know how to get the most out of a crop. And they maintain artificial intelligence can help with that.
Today, the Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs of WUR is working on the development of algorithms that support the grower in making decisions. The first version of a cucumber cultivation algorithm will be ready in 2024.
In 2020, the AGROS (Evolution to sustainable AGRicultural Operation Systems) project started. Over the course of four years, the development of agro-technology to support ecological and biological functions in glasshouse horticulture, arable farming and dairy farming will be carried out.
The Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs focuses on autonomous cultivation in horticultural crops. The ultimate goal: a computer that is just as good at growing as a real grower, or even better. To do this, artificial intelligence must know which decisions a grower makes and obtain the right information for this. That sounds easier than it is. For example, leaves are an important indicator for the growth of the crop for growers, but how can a camera with image recognition correctly count that number of leaves in a dense crop?
The right algorithms The project consists of three parts. The first part is an inventory of which parameters are needed to make the right cultivation decisions. This concerns data about, for instance, the climate and the crop. The second part is about the hardware: which sensors are needed to measure accurately the desired parameters? Can this be done with existing sensors, or does new hardware have to be developed? The third step is to develop the right algorithms.
AGROS focuses on cucumbers for greenhouse horticulture. This is a fast-growing crop, which is also grown all year round. In addition, the crop reacts quickly to cultivation decisions, and greenhouses with cucumbers are generally equipped with many modern techniques.
AGROS is a collaboration between WUR and 26 private partners with financial support from the Top Sectors Agri & Food and Horticulture & Propagation Materials. ●
The Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs focuses on autonomous cultivation in horticultural crops. Photo: WUR
Bioenterprise, Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on delivering innovation support services to entrepreneurs, start-ups and growth-oriented horticulture businesses across the country.
The agreement will expand the national footprint of both organizations and create new opportunities to strengthen horticulture-focused innovation in Canada through access to Bioenterprise’s national network of experts, mentors and funders.
“Vineland is a known leader in horticultural innovation in Canada and we are thrilled to have their cutting-edge expertise and collaborative leadership become part of Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine,” said Bioenterprise CEO Dave Smardon. “This MOU represents a new level of partnership between our two organizations to benefit the horticulture sector and the agri-tech innovation ecosystem right across the country.”
Vineland has a strong history of collaborative partnerships, and this new agreement with Bioenterprise “will help increase our relationships nationally while opening up their innovation network to our organization,” noted Vineland president and CEO Ian Potter. “We are continuing to tackle big challenges facing agriculture and agri-food, and are helping governments meet provincial and federal growth targets.”
The MOU will enable cooperative efforts on knowledge-sharing, developing funding proposals, assessing new technologies, presenting webinars and education programs, and increasing access to commercialization services, corporate and industry partnerships, and on-farm testing and trials. ●
