18/04/2007
I say
A short distance from the main road on the edge of Torquay, there’s a hydroponic tomato farm. A new variety called ‘Kumato’ is grown there by the Kakouros family, working hard to supply between three and four tonnes a week to Safeway stores around the country, under their brand ‘Avia’.
The multi-coloured fruits have a greeny-blackish tinge to them and taste more like home grown tomatoes than your regular supermarket varieties. Grown for their firm flesh and sweet flavour, the way in which they are cared for more than likely contributes to their tastiness.
“They’re all grown hyrdoponically with fertilizers. It’s as close to organic as you could possibly get. We try to do everything without using a lot of chemicals, it means it’s sustainable,” says Porta Kakouros.
The original Kumato was developed from a wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands, crossed with another variety, but that is all the seed company is willing to reveal.
“It’s something new,” says Andy Kakouros. “The seed company gave us the chance to do the trials, we liked the product, so we went on from there.”
After conducting a “trial year” growing Kumatoes, and then a year of small scale production, the Kakouros family is now in their third year of growing the variety and they’re into “the big stuff”. Their greenhouse area has just been doubled, adding an extra 6,000 square metres of indoor floor space.
The Kumato plants are germinated on site in punnets of scoria, a fibre made from volcanic rock, and then transferred to small bags of coconut bark. It takes between six and nine weeks between the germination of a seed and it growing into a fruit-producing plant. The vines are laboriously maintained, having their leaves trimmed and stems twisted and guided to ensure maximum production and minimum space requirements. Over 8,000 fruiting plants, as well as sorting and germinating areas, fit comfortably into about five acres of land, a small percentage of the 130 acre property.
“This is what you classify as intensive farming. Intensive farming is less land, huge production, and more returns,” Porta said.
The couple find their farming methods “very sustainable”. Recycled water is used and the tomato plants can last for up to ten months before they need replacing. A computerised system waters the plants automatically and maintains the greenhouses at a constant temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, using a water boiler and pipe heating system. Despite this impressive device, the plants still require constant attention by the growers. “You’ve got to look after them; they still need a human eye to check on them!” Porta said.
Porta and Andy have lived in the Torquay area since 1973 and have lived on and farmed their current property for 22 years. They started growing tomatoes in 1990. As well as being experienced growers, the couple has been recognised by the Federal Government for their efforts in employing disabled workers. They won the Prime Minister’s Employer of the Year Ward for excellence in employing people with disabilities in 2005. They were nominated by St Lawrence community Services. While they are proud of their achievement, the couple see training people with disabilities as part of their job. “You’ve got workers, you teach them, some just take a little bit longer, some just take a little bit less,” Porta explained.
Georgina Howden Chitty