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HortiDaily: Russian greenhouse growers turn to LED
Oreon has entered the Russian market and will supply LED fixtures to the Agrokultura Group and Yelets Vegetables. These two companies are major players in the market and have been introduced to Oreon through their partnership with Lumex M.
Agrokultura Group
The Agrokultura Group is established approximately 130 kilometers from Moscow in an area covering some 80 hectares, where it produces lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants in closed greenhouses. The company has grown at a rapid pace in recent years and is currently building 20 hectares of new greenhouses.
Initially, Oreon’s LED fixtures will only be installed above the lettuce section. The installation is to start in September with the aim to have the LED fixtures operational in 2021. The Agrokultura Group wants to innovate and chose Oreon because it was looking for high-end lighting fixtures that are energy efficient and enable recovered energy to be reused. The active water cooling system of the LED grow lights makes this possible.
Yelets Vegetables
Yelets Vegetables is located near Lipetsk, approximately 400 kilometers south of Moscow. This region is characterized by many horticultural greenhouses and Yelets is a major player. The company has approximately 22 hectares of greenhouses, which are currently illuminated with HPS.
Yelets wants to be at the forefront of developments in crop growing. Currently, only traditional HPS lighting is used to illuminate greenhouses, but Yelets also believes in a future with LED assimilation lighting. Moreover, the price of energy in Russia is high. Using water cooled LED lighting will not only result in more light but will also result in an immediate saving of more than 40% on energy costs.
Indagro Lighting BVBA supplied all the materials for the installation of the LED fixtures. The installation of the LED fixtures will be carried out in part of the greenhouse complex at the beginning of 2021.
Lumex M.
Lumex M. consists of Alexander and his son Artem Burmistrov. This company provides advice to growers in Russia and Ukraine on how to illuminate greenhouses and also supplies fixtures. Lumex M. is an established name in the region with an extensive network, and Oreon has worked with this company since September 2019.
Developments in the Russian greenhouse horticulture sector have really progressed in recent years after the government boycotted the import of greenhouse vegetables in 2014. The country wants to be completely self-sufficient and is therefore a huge growth market.
The intensive cooperation with Alexander and Artem has made the Russian and Ukrainian markets a lot more transparent and accessible to Oreon. "These markets are very interesting; there is plenty of space, energy prices are high and people are prepared to invest in high-tech products. A market with huge potential," says Peter Barentsen, International Sales Manager of Oreon.
