"This year's tomatoes look good and taste delicious. They remind me of my childhood," said a woman surnamed Wang who lives in downtown Nantong, Jiangsu province. She visited the Feiyue Agricultural Park in Gangzha district on Dec 11 to buy newly picked tomatoes.

The agricultural park covers an area of 10,000 mu (666.67 hectares), while its protected agriculture covers an area of 5,000 mu, making it the largest agricultural park in the province.

A "scale production" model is employed in the agricultural park, along with an integrated system for water and fertilizer. It also consists of an automatic seedling center and a demonstration research center.

A 7,000-square-meter glass greenhouse, designed and constructed by a Dutch company, now makes use of a fully automatic system to control its temperature, humidity, and illumination. 

Soilless cultivation in the greenhouse helps reduce water used in planting by 50 to 70 percent. Several other innovative technologies are also used to improve efficiency and quality and eliminate the need for chemical pesticides.

Workers are required to be disinfected and change into work clothes before entering the greenhouse, preventing harmful bacteria from entering.

Tomatoes have recently begun being harvested in the greenhouse and are currently in high demand. Strawberries will ripen soon as well.

Tomatoes grow in a glass greenhouse in Feiyue Agricultural Park in Gangzha district. [Photo/ntfabu.com]