Greenhouse Grower

Greenhouse Project Moves Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) Closer To Self-Sufficient Vegetable Production

Posted By: Janeen Wright | June 21, 2015

Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) will soon have a greenhouse complex forecasted to produce more than 1 1/2 tons of tomatoes per year, along with other vegetables, which moves the town one step closer to providing for its own vegetable needs and will help bring down local produce prices.

PTK, the greenhouse’s establishing company, and greenhouse specialists Dalsem and automation supplier Hoogendoorn have taken on the challenge of building more than 8 acres of greenhouses in a region that is well-known for its cold winters.

Advised by Dalsem, the client PTK has contracted a Dutch agronomical support company that will guide the local specialists to the maximum yield possible under management of a Dutch head grower.

The project entails a fully operational tomato greenhouse with all the required technical systems and equipment including heating, cooling, irrigation, screening/shading and electrical installations. In addition to equipment, Dalsem has provided supervision for building the project and an agronomist, who will organize the production of vegetables using the latest horticultural technology, which is unfamiliar to Pavlodar specialists. By working closely with the customer in this way, the complete greenhouse project will generate the maximum yield.

A Fertile Climate Under Extreme Conditions
The region has temperatures that regularly drop to -40°C/-40°F. Therefore, the greenhouse construction must be able to withstand heavy snow loads and severe winds. Dalsem specializes in ensuring that the right equipment is in place to both create and maintain the optimal growing climate for tomato production — even in the case of potentially extreme weather conditions.

Climate Computer At The Heart Of Greenhouse Management
To manage the climate control, irrigation and energy management within the cultivation process, the iSii climate computer is essential. The grower has to rely on an efficient reliable system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Maintenance and service is therefore locally organized in Kazakhstan.

Dalsem specializes in ensuring that the right equipment is in place to both create and maintain the optimal growing climate for tomato production

The daily management of the production process takes place in the greenhouse. Advised by Dalsem, the client PTK has contracted a Dutch agronomical support company that will guide the local specialists to the maximum yield possible under management of a Dutch head grower. All registrations through the climate computer take place in both languages. Therefore, adjusting the settings can be done by both people — regardless of location — in their own language.

Technical Challenges
In addition to difficult climate conditions, the PTK project also presents various technical challenges in terms of greenhouse tomato production. Since no gas is available locally, coal-fired heating is the best option. Coal-fired heating involves burning coal dust at high pressure, which minimizes the production of soot particles and produces a higher combustion yield. In the case of a gas-powered heating system, CO2 is normally extracted from the emissions produced in the gas-burning process. Since there is no natural gas supply in the region, this project makes use of an LPG-powered boiler for the production of CO2. The waste heat from this is re-used in the greenhouse.

The water quality is optimized by a reverse osmosis system, which purifies the water. In addition, the irrigation water is recycled and decontaminated for re-use.

Source: Greenhouse Grower (USA)