LOCAL vegetable production is about to get a shot in the arm with a new five-hectare undercover, retractable roof, hydroponic tomato development about to begin construction in Lancaster.
More than 40 new jobs will be created at tomato growers, Premier Fruits, thanks to support from the Victorian Government for the business to increase production.
Minister for Regional Development, Jaclyn Symes, visited the Lancaster facility to announce the investment through the Regional Jobs Fund, which will support a new $10M five-hectare glasshouse development.
This new development is the second stage in eventually taking the overall production area under cover to 25 hectares.
Premier Fruits is an Australian company that specialises in farming, marketing, packing and ripening of tomatoes. It is a subsidiary of LaManna Premier Group, one of Australia’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain companies.
In announcing the support, Minister Symes said, “This project will create new employment opportunities for Lancaster and get more fresh produce to market shelves for all Victorians to enjoy.
“The new development will increase the facility’s total tomato production from 5,250 tonnes to 8,000 and is expected to generate an extra $5.6M in turnover. It is also expected to help generate $3M in increased local spending each year.”
In a volatile water dependent environment, the facility stands apart from other producers with the capacity to recycle and conserve water using less than 20 percent of that used in open cropping.
Looking ahead, this latest stage will introduce biomass-generated space heating to control the atmosphere in the greenhouses and lengthen the growing season.
Being under cover, it is not subject to the same degree of natural spoil from pests or rain that open cropping endures.
CEO of La Manna Premier Group, Anthony Di Pietro said, “The advantage of this type of facility is that it gives us the opportunity to have a steady staffing operation and we can bring in interns through our undergraduate placement program from institutes such as Melbourne University to improve on the ways our production is undertaken.”
