The first harvest of tomatoes from geothermal greenhouses in the Çaldıran province of Van, Eastern Turkey, where temperatures can drop to -46ºC, is underway. The 34,000 m2 greenhouses heated by 120 kilometers of pipes were built with the support of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock at a cost of 10 million Turkish Lira.
Yusuf Taşkın, project coordinator at the Ministry, states that this is the first time geothermal greenhouses are being used in such cold temperatures in Turkey, “investors are following us closely. Our success will not only bring investment, but it will also take geothermal greenhouses in the country to another level”.
Çaldıran Jeotermal A.Ş, the company which has invested in the greenhouses, expects to harvest 1,500 tons of the “Agro Van” tomatoes per year. Mehmet Emin Polat, board member of the Company, emphasises that they use bees for the pollination of the crops, allowing them to grow hormone-free tomatoes.