Growing tens of thousands of tonnes of tomatoes using sea water in desert-like conditions is about as difficult as it sounds.
But in South Australia's Port Augusta a new farm is producing two truckloads of truss tomatoes every day from seawater through the power of the sun.
Sundrop farm is a 20-hectare facility which both de-salinates seawater and heats its glasshouses from solar energy.
It opened in October - and at its peak production is expecting to be grow between 15,000 and 20,000 5kg cases, and eventually up to 200 tonnes - of truss tomatoes every day.
Sundrop Farms managing director for Australia, Steve Marafiote, told Nine to Noon it uses the most advanced greenhouse technology in the world.
He says it pipes in seawater 6km from the Gulf of Saint Vincent which is used in cooling pads and for temperature regulation during the summer.
The water then goes to the solar field where 23,788 mirrors direct sunlight at a 127m tower which contains a 37-megawatt boiler.
Steve Marafiote Photo: Supplied
“We can tune that [the sunlight from the mirrors] in and out depending on our needs. So we are creating a few things at that point … steam from which we run a turbine and create electricity with”, Marafiote says.
“[Then] we start our desalination process. So we heat our water – heat is the greatest energy need of a greenhouse – [and] the heat is stored in two large thermal energy storage tanks … and then we [pipe] that into our greenhouses.
“And then the third point is we pre-heat the water to 78°C and run that though … seven stages of distilling and produce purified water.”
He says the facility is truly sustainable and meets all environmental regulations, and its production costs and operating expenses are far lower than its competitors meaning it can pass along savings to consumers.
At about $A200 million, it is the largest agricultural investment on one site ever in Australia.
“All-in-all we do think this is the way of the future,” Marafiote says.
