The company Paradise Farms, in an agreement with the South Iceland municipality of Ölfus, have released a statement announcing that the company intends to lease up to 50 hectares of land for the purpose of organic farming, with special emphasis on the building of a giant greenhouse, Fréttablaðið reports.
“The company intends first and foremost to produce tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and other traditional vegetables,” the statement reads in part. “Later they intend to add mangos, avocados, bananas, papayas and more.”
Gunnar Þorgeirsson, one of the people who operate Paradise Farms, told reporters that the company is speculating on whether they could make Iceland “the food production country of the world”. When asked if he believes it is realistic to attempt to grow tropical fruit in Iceland, he said that the key issue at stake is one of electrical power. By his account, negotiations are already underway to get the electricity needed to be able grow such fruits.
The power needed for such a project is substantial, Vísir reports—to the tune of 150 megawatts, which is comparable to the maximum output of the Blönduvirkjun power station. However, Gunnar believes that all that is needed is to find the right sources for the power; foreign investment into the project has already been coming in.
In point of fact, it is already possible to grow smaller batches of tropical fruits in Icelandic greenhouses, such as bananas, which can be found growing in a greenhouse in Hveragerði.
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