Greenhouse import and export trade is booming, contributing to global agricultural modernization.

Greenhouse import and export trade is booming, contributing to global agricultural modernization.

Beijing, October 22, 2025 – With global climate change intensifying and food security issues becoming increasingly prominent, facility agriculture is becoming a crucial path for countries to ensure a stable supply of agricultural products. As a key component of modern smart agriculture, greenhouses have demonstrated strong import and export growth in the international market in recent years. From smart greenhouse manufacturing bases in Shandong, China, to modern agricultural parks in the deserts of the Middle East; from off-season vegetable cultivation projects in Southeast Asia to winter fruit and vegetable production centers in Eastern Europe, Chinese-made greenhouses are gaining popularity in the global market with their high efficiency, energy saving, and intelligent capabilities, promoting the cross-border flow and cooperation of agricultural technology.

According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, in the first three quarters of 2025, my country's exports of greenhouse-related equipment and complete sets of structures increased by 23.6% year-on-year, reaching over 60 countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. Exports include not only traditional steel frame structures and insulation covering materials, but also high-value-added products such as integrated environmental control systems, automatic irrigation equipment, and photovoltaic agricultural greenhouse modules. Among these, water-saving multi-span greenhouses suitable for arid regions, double-layer air-filled membrane greenhouses suitable for high-altitude cold regions, and "agri-solar hybrid" greenhouses that can be integrated with solar power generation systems are popular choices among overseas buyers.
"Last year, we imported 50 smart glass greenhouses from China for our 'Desert Oasis' agricultural project in Abu Dhabi, UAE," said Ali Hassan, head of an agricultural investment company in the Middle East. "These greenhouses are equipped with automatic temperature control, sunshade, and integrated water and fertilizer systems, allowing us to consistently produce high-value crops like tomatoes and lettuce even in the summer heat, with yields more than three times higher than traditional cultivation."

Meanwhile, my country is actively introducing advanced international greenhouse technologies to achieve "two-way empowerment." Countries like the Netherlands and Israel have leading advantages in greenhouse environmental control algorithms, soilless cultivation, and artificial intelligence-based planting decision-making systems. In recent years, numerous domestic agricultural technology companies have, through technical collaboration and joint research and development, introduced high-end greenhouse management software and ecological planting models, adapting them to local climatic conditions. For example, after introducing an Israeli greenhouse microclimate control system, a Beijing-based agricultural technology company successfully achieved year-round uninterrupted vegetable production in the Inner Mongolia Plateau, effectively alleviating the food supply crisis in the high-altitude, cold regions.

Industry experts point out that the import and export of greenhouses is not only about the exchange of equipment but also about the exchange of agricultural concepts and technical standards. Chinese greenhouse companies are transitioning from simply exporting products to an integrated export of "technology, services, and standards." Some leading companies have established localized service teams overseas, providing comprehensive solutions from design and installation to planting guidance, supporting the sustainable development of local agriculture.

"Greenhouses are the 'chips' of modern agriculture," said Li Mingyuan, a researcher at the Institute of Facility Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. "Through two-way interaction between imports and exports, we have not only expanded the international market but also accelerated the upgrading and iteration of domestic facility agriculture. In the future, as carbon neutrality goals advance, low-carbon, energy-saving, and recyclable greenhouse systems will become a common global pursuit."

Currently, the global facility agriculture market is projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030. Against the backdrop of policy support, technological progress and deepening international cooperation, greenhouses are becoming a green bridge connecting China's agricultural development with the world, contributing "agricultural wisdom" to building a community with a shared future for mankind.