The future of agriculture: The greenhouse is the size of three football fields and is planned to produce 4,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year

Winter coats are removed inside Tatura’s new multi-million dollar greenhouse. The temperature is 28 degrees Celsius and smells of 150,000 stems of tomato plants.

Key points:

• Greenhouse tomato grower expands operations in Tatura
• A 6-hectare greenhouse will create 60 new jobs
• The company has been financially supported by the Victorian government

The new six-hectare greenhouse will produce 4,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year and create 60 new jobs for the site.

Flavorite chief executive Mike Nichol said, due to high demand for the product, the company will expand in four Victoria locations.

“We have one here in Tatura, one in Katunga, Mansfield and our base in Warragul,” he said.

“Warragul is the biggest at the moment, but in Katunga we have room for another 30 hectares.

“We have space to house three other greenhouses in Tatura as well as a very large packing warehouse, which allows us to ship products directly from here.”

The company grows tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum all year round.

The greenhouse will grow tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum.(ABC Countryside: Annie Brown)

Mr Nichols said the recent flooding in northern Australia highlighted the advantages of growing indoors.

“All those plants are at risk of being damaged during such an event,” he said.

“This infrastructure allows us to make sure it won’t happen to us. We can guarantee that the product on the vine can be delivered.”

The new greenhouse will bring 60 new jobs to the site.(ABC Countryside: Annie Brown)

Supported by state government

The company has received investments from the Victorian government’s Business Growth Fund and the Regional Jobs Fund.

The $250 million fund is managed by investment management firm ROC Partners and founded by pension funds Spirit Super and Aware Super.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the state’s agricultural sector was growing rapidly.(ABC Countryside: Annie Brown)

“We’re effectively turning cash into a state asset whether it’s a loan or equity stake,” said Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas.

“Victoria owns 3 per cent of the country’s land mass, we now produce more agricultural products than Queensland.

“This shows that we are the nation’s food bowl, and the only way we can maintain that reputation is through improving the efficient delivery of agriculture.”

Protected plantings vs field production

In Australia, protected planting is a growing industry as more and more farmers find it difficult to grow outside due to floods and bushfires.

Chris Millis is the chief operating officer for Flavorite.(ABC Countryside: Annie Brown)

Operations officer for Flavorite Chris Millis said while greenhouses were expensive to build, they had many advantages.

“We can produce more with less,” Millis said.

“We don’t have to move around, great for year-round work, the product uses less water, less chemicals. [and] fewer inputs.

“I think this is really the way of the future.

“Our main competitor is field production, but when you think about forest fires and floods, it’s not easy being a farmer on the outside.”

Tatura greenhouse is heated by burning natural gas with a hydronic heating system.

“Heating is our biggest expense,” Millis said.

“All we do is minimize the amount of heat we need.

“On the roof we have two lots of thermal screens that pop up at night and trap heat and we try and do as much as we can with the sun.

“In terms of water consumption, we use 12 to 18 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram, but in the field it ranges from 60 to 100 liters.

“When we have runoff, we catch it and reuse it.”

The greenhouse will produce 4,000 tons of fruit per year.(ABC Countryside: Annie Brown)

Greenhouse products have been led by countries like the Netherlands, which have invested heavily in technology to grow throughout the year.

Mr Millis said the technology has adapted to the Victorian climate, however, it is a growing industry worldwide.

“The Dutch are innovative, their greenhouses are designed for cold weather,” he said.

“We’ve adapted the technology to suit cold winters and warm summers and they’re doing the same in Canada, France, the US, Mexico. [and] Russia. They’re building greenhouses everywhere.”

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