PTK

Turnkey horticultural project for tomato production

Close to the town of Pavlodar in Kazakhstan, Dalsem is realising a turnkey horticultural project for the company PTK. The project entails a fully operational tomato greenhouse with all the required technical systems and equipment including heating, cooling, irrigation, lighting, screening/shading and electrical installations. Furthermore, a Netherlands-based production manager will be appointed to take care of the production of tomatoes and nursery plants and to manage the company, in order to relieve the customer of the burden of those activities. By working closely with the customer in this way, the turnkey horticultural project will generate the maximum yield.

A fertile climate under extreme conditions
The region’s climate is characterised by extremely cold winters in which temperatures regularly drop to -40°C. Therefore, the greenhouse construction must be able to withstand heavy snow loads. Dalsem is specialised in ensuring that the right equipment is in place to both create and maintain the optimal growing climate for tomato production – even in the case of potentially extreme weather conditions.

PTK chooses quality
The customer has chosen to partner with Dalsem thanks to having had positive experiences with Dalsem during other projects in the same region, including on a previous Dalsem project in Kazakhstan which PTK was involved in. The owner was extremely satisfied with both the quality of the finished product and Dalsem’s approach during the construction phase, despite the extreme climate conditions.

Technical challenges
In addition to difficult climate conditions, the PTK project also presents various technical challenges in terms of greenhouse tomato production. Since no gas is available locally, coal-fired heating is the best option. Coal-fired heating involves burning coal dust at high pressure, which minimises the production of soot particles and produces a higher combustion yield. In the case of a gas-powered heating system, CO2 is normally extracted from the emissions produced in the gas burning process. Since there is no natural gas supply in the region, this project makes use of an LPG-powered boiler for the production of CO2. The waste heat from this is reused in the greenhouse.
The water quality is optimised by a reverse osmosis system which purifies the water. In addition, the irrigation water is recycled and decontaminated for reuse.

Contributing to the local economy
The project in Kazakhstan adds further value by providing new jobs and an extensive training programme. In the longer term, the operational and strategic management of the entire company will be handed over to PTK employees. Hence, this tomato greenhouse will contribute to the growth of the local economy and will improve prospects for local citizens.

The tomatoes produced in the greenhouse will primarily be sold to local retailers but, in view of the geographical location, the southern Russian market also offers an interesting business opportunity.

For an article about Pavlodar in Astana Times, please visit In the media.