Berestye starts site work for 1.6-hectare greenhouse pilot

Site-preparation work has begun on a 1.6-hectare site allocated to a greenhouse pilot at Berestye Greenhouse Plant near Brest, Belarus, district executive committee chairman Grigory Panasyuk told BELTA on 6 October. Equipment has been dispatched from China and the contractor is targeting construction completion by the end of 2026.

The reported start moves the project from planning into physical works. Panasyuk made the year-end timetable conditional on equipment crossing the border without problems; it is a target, not a confirmed commissioning date.

Current works and supplier scope

The agreement for greenhouse cooperation was reached by Brest Region and Chinese partners in Shanghai in December 2025, according to BELTA. A BrestCITY report on a 2 October project meeting says the construction contract was signed with the Belarus branch of CITIC International Cooperation Co., Ltd. The tender award document, contract value and detailed equipment package were not available in the reviewed evidence.

Automation remains a planned capability

The district chairman describes software control of plant nutrition and supplemental lighting, with artificial intelligence intended to monitor growth, temperature and other operating parameters. Cucumbers and tomatoes are planned for year-round production. These statements describe the proposed system; they do not establish achieved yields, energy savings or autonomous operation.

The operator’s website identifies Berestye as an existing producer of tomatoes, cucumbers and other protected-crop vegetables. The new facility is part of modernisation of that business, rather than evidence that the current operation has already expanded by the announced area.

Expansion depends on the pilot

BELTA describes a possible second phase covering an additional 10 hectares if the first phase succeeds. That is future intent, rather than confirmed financing or construction for the later phase.