Doumen greenhouses will be far ahead of the curve

Ground was broken for first phase of a modern agriculture demonstration operation in North Hezhou of Doumen District on July 8 to supply healthy, high-value produce for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park is being developed by Zhuhai Huafa Group in collaboration with first-class professional and scientific research institutions and leading enterprises. It will have a complete industrial chain that integrates healthy food R&D, production, processing and trade, as well as advanced equipment manufacture.

The first phase covers 156,000 sq m (39 acres) out of 200,000 (49 acres) for 5th-generation intelligent multi-span greenhouses, which are currently the most advanced in the world. Cutting-edge technology and equipment will be introduced from developed countries such as the Netherlands and Israel to build five intelligent systems related to greenhouse framework, environmental adjustment and control, seedling cultivation, smart control, and harvesting.

In addition to a focus on high-quality truss tomatoes, demonstration park personnel will engage in independent R&D and cultivation of leafy vegetables, cucumbers, strawberries, pimentos, and flowers. The plant factory will explore high-end edible fungi and precious Chinese herbal medicines that have strict growing requirements but deliver high added value.

The products will be guaranteed safe and certified as pollution-free and green food to be supplied to Hong Kong and Macao, or exported to the European Union, all confirmable by a traceability system.

By the first half of 2020, the park is expected to begin producing 5,000 tons of high-quality vegetables annually that will be mostly sold to Hong Kong, Macao, and other Greater Bay Area cities.