Kazakhstan's biggest greenhouse constructed near Karaganda

Kazakhstan has finished constructing its biggest greenhouse complex in Topar village in Karaganda Oblast, Tengrinews reports citing the press-service of KazAgroFinance. "The greenhouses of Topar village are among the most ambitious greenhouse projects in Kazakhstan. The 240-thousand-square-meter greenhouse complex is the heart of a large farm of 3.57 square kilometers," the company's message says. According to the company, the facility had 160 thousand square meters of operating conventional greenhouses for tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet pepper, lemon and mushrooms before the new construction began this year. Construction of Kazakhstan’s biggest 80-square-meter greenhouse started in summer 2013. The greenhouse is designed along Dutch technologies that involves use of support medium in small volumes and drip irrigation. The first transplanting in the new greenhouse started last week. The project was funded through KazAgroFinance, a government arm for funding agricultural projects. $27.3 million was spent to purchase equipment for the greenhouse and fund the construction works. "Transplanting of cucumber seedlings into the support medium will start on January 4, 2014. The greenhouse staff expects the first harvest to be ready for reaping by March 8. By 2015 the greenhouse is scheduled to produce 8,500 tons of fruit and vegetables per year," the company's representative says. According to the press-service of KazAgroFinance, 10 greenhouse complexes with a total area of 314 thousand square meters totally worth $58.6 million and capable of producing 22 thousand tons of vegetables per year together have already been put into operation in Kazakhstan in the frameworks of the investment project called Development of Greenhouse Network.