In the Mārupe greenhouses, two hectares of soil are already producing cucumbers. At the end of April, the first tomato harvest will also come in. Despite high energy prices, the company has survived this winter.
Marta Kravale, chair of the Mārupe Greenhouses Board, said: “We have different types of heating in the company. Last year we built a new woodchip boiler house [..]. We also have a gas boiler, we have a cogeneration plant, we have a biogas plant. The sources of heat are indeed different. We changed all the time. We really followed the market, we looked, thought, and calculated."
The cost of heating did force the company to refrain from growing cucumbers in the old greenhouses.
“In the autumn, we decided on the demolition of the four old, inefficient greenhouses. They were built in 1979. Of course they are no longer effective. We tore them down," Kravale said.
Getliņi Eko isn't complaining about this winter either. Here, heat is derived from gas generated at the landfill. Tomato harvests come in at Getliņi throughout the winter. Getliņi Eko said that despite energy prices, the wholesale price for tomatoes and cucumbers has not changed this year.
This month, shoppers are likely to experience pleasant price changes in stores.
“Knowing that this year in Poland, Netherlands and elsewhere [tomatoes and cucumbers] have been planted very late, it may be that by the end of April, there may also be quite a lot of production, there will be no place to put it all,” said Getliņi Eko greenhouse manager Guntars Strauts.
Growers are currently delighted with the coming of spring and the emergence of light and sun, as it greatly helps to reduce the costs of heating and lighting.
