Meteor Systems has been active in China for a decade now – a milestone that was celebrated at the Fruit Logistica with long-time partner, a main player in the Chinese horticulture industry, Oritech. Ten years ago, the partners realized the first Meteor Systems project in the Chinese region. A good reason for Junyi Xu, a representative of Meteor Systems in China, to catch up with Mrs.Wu Shaojuan of Oritech and tomato grower Mr Benson of Joydon Farm, the first client in the region ten years ago.
Dutch tech in China
And the story continues, Junyi tells us. “Last year, we signed for a new project with Oritech: a 35-hectare rose glasshouse in southern China.” This is the first of two 35-hectare rose greenhouses, fully integrated with Dutch technology, including a hydroponic cultivation system and precise irrigation systems.
“In the south of China, roses are mainly grown in soil, but the quality isn’t that good. If you put a rose like that in a vase, it will probably die in three days. But a rose grown in a substrate has stronger flowers with longer living days. Another advantage is that you can recycle the irrigation water with a gutter system to save fertilizers and water.”
Pilot project in a perfect growing region
The new greenhouse is very much intended to be a pilot project so that soil-based rose growers can learn about the advantages of the Dutch way of growing. “Then they can gradually integrate some of those techniques into their cultivation like climate control, hydroponic growing, and automation. So we are very proud to be a part of this project.”
The first roses will be planted in the greenhouse after the Chinese New Year – and those first plants will end up in a perfect environment, Junyi explains. “The region is located at a very high altitude – close to the sun, in other words. In addition to the sunlight, they also have big temperature differences between day and night, which is good for crops in general.”
For more information:
Meteor Systems
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Tel.: +31 76 504 2842
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