In the first nine months of 2019, Russian producers harvested 966,700 MT of vegetables grown in protected agricultural production, out of which 897,000 MT were cultivated in winter greenhouses. This is 13.5% more than the figure reached in 2018 (790,400 MT). According to the report, as of October 22, 2019, 547,700 MT of greenhouse cucumbers had been harvested, which is 12.8% more than in the same period of 2018 (485,500 MT). Also, the tomato volume stood at 336,800 MT, which is 15.2% more than in 2018 (292,400 MT).
This year, the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia expects a record volume of vegetable production in winter greenhouses: 1.2 million MT. This is 18% higher than the target (1.02 million MT) and 20% more than in 2018 (1 million MT).
The leaders in the production of greenhouse vegetables are the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Lipetsk and Moscow Regions, and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
In recent years, the Russian greenhouse vegetable growing industry has given a significant boost to investment. Over the past five years, more than 1 thousand hectares of high-tech greenhouse complexes have been built and modernized. In 2018, 350 hectares of greenhouses were commissioned and modernized. The total acreage of winter greenhouses over the years has increased to 2.5 thousand hectares, which is a quarter more than in 2014.
Considering that, in terms of performance, the new greenhouses do significantly better than previously built ones, the production volumes have increased by 65% compared to 2014. By 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture expects the production of greenhouse vegetables to reach 1.5 million MT.