A leading Irish fruit and vegetable producer is investing €8.2 million in a bid to grow capsicum in Ireland.
Keelings is in the process of building five hectares of glasshouse, in what it claims is the biggest project of its kind in the republic.
The facility will produce red, green and yellow peppers in a growing area of around 38km, said David Keelings, managing director of Keelings Farms.
He said: “We’ve imported all the equipment, growing systems and techniques from Holland and the peppers will be grown on hanging gutters.
“The advantage with growing our own produce is that they will be at least two days fresher than any imported product coming in from countries like Spain.”
Building work at the company’s site in Roslin St Margarets, County Dublin, began in June and is due to finish in early December.
Keelings is also conducting a trial on growing year-round lettuce at facilities in Dundalk, said Keelings.
“We’re trialing different types, such as Cos, Romaine and Little Gem, to see if we can grow them under glass for 52 weeks of the year.”
He said production using hydroponic technology began earlier in the year. “We’re coming up to our first winter now, so it will be interesting to see how it does. We’re taking a bit of time to get used to the growing methods. It’s different but we can fit seven times the amount of crops in the same area.”
Keelings has invested around e500,000 in the project which is designed to reduce imports from southern Europe.
“We’re basically trying to grow the stuff that would come from Spain during the winter,” said Keelings.
