Henan goes high-tech with 27 ha greenhouse project

Agriculture has historically been a big sector in China, and within the country, the Henan province is a major agricultural force. When you combine that with the many factories in the area that can provide residual heat, it might be surprising to hear that, until recently, there were no high-tech greenhouses in Henan. The Henan Investment Group plans to change that, with a 27 ha greenhouse project, 10 hectares of which have already been built. We sat down with head grower Zhang Chao to talk about the challenges and opportunities he sees.

Cherry tomatoes in demand
Of the 10 hectares that have been built, 3.8 ha are already in operation. Henan Investment is taking things slowly, in order to collect feedback for future plantings. "At the same time, we're also considering other types of greenhouses, semi-closed for example," Chao says.

Those first 3.8 hectares were planted with cherry tomatoes, which wasn't an arbitrary decision. "The company did two years of field research, also visiting other large greenhouses in China that have been successful. We saw that the model is workable, and that the market for cherry tomatoes is quite good. Especially in the south of China, cherry tomatoes enjoy good demand. So considering the costs of growing and the market potential, cherry tomatoes are a solid choice."

Overcoming local challenges
In addition to the factories in the area that provide residual heat, other sources of heat are used as well. "So sometimes we need to mix in gas, for example. Using mixed heating is a bit of an innovation for us, so we're exploring options to upgrade our heating system to use the different sources more efficiently."

Another local challenge is that climate conditions in the Henan province are not ideal for cherry tomatoes. "The total amount of light in one year is quite good, but most of the sunlight and heat from the sun is focused in July, August and September, which means at other times the light and heat might not be ideal."

Challenging perhaps, but because Henan Investment are the first to build a high-tech greenhouse in the region, that also puts them into a perfect position to learn as they go. "We did a lot of research before we began construction, and fortunately the decisionmaker for the project has a lot of experience. From choosing the tomato varieties to finding the best team members, all the decisions are carefully considered."

Down to the details
One of those decisions that illustrates the attention to detail at the company, is the choice of machinery to use in the greenhouse. Zhang Chao has been in the horticulture industry since 2014, so he knows a thing or two about what works best. "The first greenhouse I worked with had Berg trolleys, and I already could see the reliability and convenience there."

In his career, Chao says he has also seen other types of trolleys, but he prefers Berg Hortimotive. "They are the most cost-efficient and reliable, also for the greenhouse workers. They need to use the trolleys often, and the quality and reliability of the trolleys directly influences worker efficiency. Safety is another important reason why we opted for Berg machinery. And our choice has been confirmed by market research. We asked for feedback from top greenhouses in the industry, who also use Berg."

Smooth, stable and in control
The trolley that's used most of the time is the 3.5 meter one. "What's nice about those is you just step on the panel and go – when you press the buttons, it just does exactly what you want it to. And when it rises up and stops, you don't feel a sudden shock like with some other trolleys. They're just very smooth, reliable and stable machines."

The same can be said about the 6.6 meter trolleys from Berg, Chao says. "It rises high, but even at those heights it feels very stable, especially compared to some other trolleys. So our workers feel safer with the Berg equipment."

Another advantage Chao points out is in the uniformity of the spraying trolleys. "Even if you open just a few of the nozzles, the pressure is always uniform. And we also see that uniformity in the speed of the trolleys. When you set the speed to low, it stays at the same slow speed, and when you set it to fast, it's always fast. You're always in control."

Focusing on the positive
Finally, Chao shares some thoughts about the general state of the greenhouse industry in China. "The market is growing, with more and more high-tech greenhouses being constructed. Consumers are seeing the added value of the products from those greenhouses. Because of that, and because more consumers are able to afford premium products, we see an increase in the amount of cherry tomato greenhouses."

The upward trend also results in more young people joining the horticulture industry in China, from growing crops to selling products. To those young people, Chao offers the following advice: "Don't get discouraged, but focus on the positive. A greenhouse is a high one-time investment, and operation is also costly, which means some growers don't make it. But when you have highly-skilled, knowledgeable growers in your company, with products that are in high demand, you will be successful."

For more Information:

Berg Hortimotive
Vincent van der Wilk
[email protected]
+31 (0)174 51 77 00
www.berghortimotive.com