Roșii Românești, a company registered in Timișoara as part of the Polish group Citronex, has begun its planned EUR 20 million investment in the construction of a modern hydroponic tomato greenhouse complex, accompanied by a packaging space, road infrastructure, logistics platforms, and utility connections.

The documents have been submitted to the Environmental Agency, and production should begin within two years of the start of construction work, Turnulsfatului.ro reported.

The project aims to build a ground-floor building with a built-up area of ​​over 100,000 square meters, exclusively for tomato greenhouses and related packaging space. The complex will also include 40 above-ground parking spaces.

The total investment is estimated at EUR 20 million, with a proposed implementation period of a maximum of 24 months. The project will be implemented in phases, depending on the development needs of the area and the market, the document states.

The proposed location is in Dumbrăveni in central Romania near Sibiu, on the former location of the Dumbrăveni State Greenhouses land that was later transferred to the ownership of Dumbrăveni City Hall and sold to Roșii Românești.

The technology used in the greenhouses of Roșii Românești involves growing tomatoes year-round in suspended mineral-wool mats, without contact with the soil. The irrigation system operates in a closed circuit of water with nutrient solution, filtered and UV disinfected. Between October and April, the crops will be additionally illuminated with LED and HPS lamps.

The greenhouses will benefit from a modern tomato production system. There will be a controlled environment here, with closed and ventilated greenhouses, with a constant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, provided by a methane gas heating plant.

The production cycle will be 10 months per year, with a break in July for holidays and a period in August dedicated to annual sanitation and plant replacement.

The tomato roots will be mounted in basalt mineral wool cubes, connected to a drip irrigation system, and electronically monitored by sensors on each plant. The necessary water will be taken from the groundwater through our own drilled wells.

There will also be an above-ground retention basin here, which will collect rainwater from the roof, which, after laboratory analysis, will be used for irrigation. Also, water from condensation and ventilation will be recirculated and used for irrigation, after analysis. Ultraviolet lamps will supplement natural light.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Vitalii Shkurko/Dreamstime.com; AI generated)