Almeria is the area in Europe with the highest concentration of greenhouses for intensive agriculture. However, the construction of new facilities has practically come to a standstill in the province. According to the installation companies, this slowdown is due to the escalation in prices there’s been in recent months. In fact, estimates are that the final price of building a greenhouse has increased by nearly 20% since the beginning of the year.
This rise derives from the increase in the price of the materials necessary for their installation, stated Juan Cristobal, from the installation company Invercañada. According to Cristobal, the prices of iron and plastics, among other materials, have been growing non-stop since the end of last year. The price of plastics, which are derived from oil, has gone from 25 to more than 30 cents per square meter since the beginning of the year. “As a result, the cost per hectare of plastics alone has increased by 2,700 to almost 3,000 euro,” he stated.
Installers say China is strongly increasing its construction of greenhouses, thus demanding more materials and causing an increase in prices.
Land, the biggest cost of a greenhouse
However, the most important cost in building a greenhouse is the land needed to build it. Land for greenhouses is by far the most expensive land in the country, according to the Land Price Survey of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, it costs around 300,000 euro per hectare, depending on the area where it’s located and the availability of water resources. “It’s a very important investment especially at a time when we are suffering a progressive loss of profitability,” stated Andres Gongora, the general secretary of Coag in Almeria.
In addition, one must also take into account the cost of the structure, which, according to the head of Invercañada, would stand at around € 12/m² for an economic structure, as more complex structures would involve a greater investment. Finally, the cost of plastics increases the final price of building a greenhouse above 400,000 euro/hectare.
Source: lavozdealmeria.com