Plant Raiser Summit Kick-starts closer collaboration

Inspiration

Koos Biesmeijer from Naturalis taught us something new: extinction can be a business model. Thanks to his inspiring presentation and a stroll through the beautiful museum, we experienced the importance of biodiversity – both for our business and for society as a whole. Another source of inspiration were the guided tours at Koppert and Rijk Zwaan. Did you realise that so many steps were involved in preparing a seed delivery?

Insights

Viruses like ToBRFV can be everywhere: in air, in dust and even in dry powder soups – that was the shocking revelation by Hans Linders, Hygiene Specialist at Rijk Zwaan. To safeguard against phytosanitary crises, you have to anticipate the unpredictable. It takes teamwork in the whole value chain to keep viruses under control, he stated. Additionally, Dutch plant raiser Beekenkamp presented some very interesting videos of automated processes, including a brand-new potting machine. This sparked questions from numerous plant raisers who were keen to learn more about how innovative automation could help them to further improve productivity and quality.

Connections

The 90 participants – from countries including Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Poland, France and South Africa, as well as the Netherlands – got to know each other better, and new friendships were forged. At Rijk Zwaan, we consider it extremely important to strengthen the connections within the industry. After all, plant raisers around the world face similar market issues, challenges and opportunities. As Marco van Leeuwen, Managing Director of Rijk Zwaan, said: “We cannot solve our challenges alone. Let’s collaborate.”

A taste for more

Last but not least, we got a taste for more. In the coming weeks, we will zoom in on the various presentations, partner contributions and panel discussions, and share insights into how some of the participants experienced the Rootstock Plant Raiser Summit. Stay tuned!