Plant Raiser Portal

Rudi Lenaers, Gipmans Planten, the Netherlands:

“Plant raisers can learn a lot from each other”

“First of all, my compliments to the organisers of this summit. Everything ran really smoothly. On top of that, we saw and heard lots of interesting things for all plant raisers. I liked the fact that there were speakers and participants from many different countries, and that there was plenty of time to get to know one another better, both in between the presentations and in the evening. Every company does things slightly differently, so you can learn a lot from each other.”

Differing sowing technique

“For example, in a video presented by José Jiménez Martinez from Rijk Zwaan, I noticed that in Spain they use a different sowing technique with cucumber rootstock. When I asked about that, I discovered that their technique is faster and takes up less space. As another example, in Beekenkamp’s presentation I saw that they use white plastic in tunnels. So we’ve gained some good ideas to take away with us. This summit has given us not only lots of knowledge, but also connections for the future.”

Victor Escudero, El Plantel, Spain:

“Together with my father Manuel, I run a plant-raising company with a focus on grafting for watermelon, cucumber and tomatoes. For me, it was super interesting to realise that we all share similar pain points in business. No matter whether we’re plant raisers from Greece, Turkey, South Africa or Spain, we all have water issues, labour shortages and phytosanitary concerns. From a therapeutic point of view, I can sleep much better now I know we’re not the only ones with these challenges.”

Double down on labour efforts

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the perfect content of this summit. For example, in the Rabobank presentation, Cindy predicted that we will continue to face labour shortages in the future. She also told us that further mechanisation will take more time. That means we need to double down on efforts to solve labour issues. The presentation about lean management was perfectly linked with that. It’s very interesting that we have another choice to become more efficient. This summit was really worth the visit.”

Christine Gorges and Sascha Schreiber-Meier, Natterer Bioland, Germany:

“The summit gave us new ideas about how to control viruses”

“The most interesting part for me was Hans Linders from Rijk Zwaan talking about viruses. He explained that viruses like ToBRFV are all around us, also in dust. These high percentages were new for me. In Germany, two or three companies had to close down because of the virus. That was really dramatic,” Christine explains. “At the summit, we got new ideas about how to control these risks. The Beekenkamp presentation on the strict hygiene measures they take was very interesting for us. It also reassures us that, despite the seriousness of the situation, there is no sense of panic,” she adds.

Impressive tour of RZ Seed Centre

“The tour of the Rijk Zwaan Seed Centre was also very impressive,” Christine continues. “In the past, I’ve sometimes been called to say that my seed order would arrive a day later. Now I understand so much better that there’s a complex process before that order of seeds can be sent.”

Sascha adds that he values the good connections with the experts and peers. “There were so many plant raisers from different countries. In the end, we are all the same kind of people with the same mentality. Now I’m going to have a quick chat with a South-African colleague before we drive back to Germany.”

Juan Labuschagne, Hishtil, South Africa:

“It was great to communicate with like-minded people”

“Hishtil is one of the two leading South-African plant-raising companies. At this summit, we were able to interactwith our South-African counterparts for the first time. It was very beneficial to get together with like-minded people who face the same challenges and discuss possible solutions. This summit can bring collaboration in our traditional market.”

New grafting techniques and innovations

“The recap on sanitation was very interesting for us. It is important to make sure the team buys into sanitation practices and that routine training is done. The lean management discussion, where I was part of the panel, was also inspiring. The SGS approach is all about structuring the working system and make it more formal. I am very interested in new grafting techniques and other grafting innovations that can help us deliver even more sustainable and uniform product to our customers.”