Westland greenhouse of 11 hectares
On the 4th of December, the President of Azerbaijan, IIham Aliyev, opened the new greenhouse of Baku Agropark. This complex for the cultivation of tomatoes covers 11 hectares. This project will create at least 140 jobs in the region. In December 2016, the Dutch greenhouse construction company, Debets Schalke, started the first phase of this tomato greenhouse project in Azerbaijan. Last July, this project was completed and the cultivation started.
Vegetable garden of the Soviet Union
Azerbaijan was, as part of the Soviet Union, a communist country. After the Independence in 1991, the economy immediately began to be reformed. Traditionally Azerbaijan is the vegetable garden of the Soviet Union. This is due to the favorable climate. The tomatoes are mainly grown in plastic greenhouses for the Russian market. In this climate it is possible to continue growing in the winter without exposure. This allows the Azerbaijan growers to produce in the winter and supply the lucrative Russian market
Unique construction time
Debets Schalke has been active in Azerbaijan for more than 5 years. This Dutch greenhouse has been delivered turn-key. In the first phase of 11 hectares, all preparations were made for the follow-up phases of the remaining 2 phases. In december 2016 they started with phase 1. In mid-July, this project was completed and the first tomato plants were placed in the greenhouse. “Debets Schalke realized this turn-key project in a record construction time. The fact that this was successful is partly due to the knowledge of the local market; says Dylan Schalke of Debets Schalke. The first tomatoes have now been harvested.
