A delegation from the Netherland’s South Holland province visited the new CAU Futong Nanhe Industrial Cluster in northern China’s Hebei province last week.
Located in Xingtai City, the greenhouse complex has been developed by Dutch-based Hoogendoorn Growth Management and Codema Systems Group, in collaboration with engineers from CAU Futong.
The project comprises a total of 11ha for the production of tomatoes (5ha), cucumbers (3ha) and bell peppers (2ha), along with a 1ha propagation area for young plants and seedlings.
The produce will be delivered to high end supermarkets in large cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang.
During last week’s visit, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for future close collaboration was signed between Hoogendoorn and CAU Futong.
Martin Helmich, sales and marketing director of Hoogendoorn, said the CAU Futong project was a great example of how modern automation and irrigation technology could be used to deliver safe and sustainable food production.
To combat the dry climate in northern China, the greenhouse complex makes smart use and re-use of water and fertilizers.
LD-UV units help to disinfect large quantities of water using UV light, while a liquid fertilizer unit ensures the correct quantities of nutrients are applied to crops in order to achieve growth.
These systems are controlled by Hoogendoorn’s next generation ISII process computer, which is available in the Chinese language.
“By monitoring and controlling factors such as greenhouse climate, water and energy, which impact crop growth, quality and production, The CAU Futong greenhouse project contributes to a sustainable use of resources,” Hoogendoorn explained in a release.
“The CAU Futong greenhouse project can comply to the growing demand of conscious Chinese consumers who want to know all about the quality, origin and freshness of the purchased products.”
