Continuing growth in the international greenhouse horticulture industry
Despite the pandemic, we are still seeing a lot of movement in a particular sector: greenhouse horticulture. Regardless of the physical limitations, horticultural projects where not cancelled anywhere in the world. The reason behind this development is the increasingly urgent demand for healthy food and its production.
Perhaps the coronavirus has even contributed to the tremendous boom experienced by the greenhouse construction industry worldwide. One could certainly say that the impact of the virus has led us to become more aware of healthy nutrition. Products grown in covered greenhouses play an important part in this. The heightened interest in fresh vegetables – at the expense of takeaways, apparently – has become a hot topic on the news lately. Food safety also remains an issue. One thing is clear: it is much easier to control the quality of your vegetables if you grow them in temperature-controlled greenhouses.
Dutch know-how
Initially, we all though that COVID would throw a spanner in the spokes of greenhouse construction companies that are hard at working making a name for themselves internationally. Logistics could no longer be guaranteed, for example. Meanwhile, the industry is operating at full steam again. Dutch know-how is important for feeding the many billions of mouths in the world with fresh vegetables.
An announcement by Dutch Greenhouse Delta showed that there are still plenty of opportunities for growth among Dutch companies. This joint venture of Dutch horticultural exporters welcomed four new participants aboard at the beginning of this year.
Growth in the UK
Here’s yet another piece of news that is positive for the greenhouse horticulture industry: the UK is putting its shoulders to the wheel to make provisions for its own food production. On the other side of the Channel, substantial investments are being made to expand the surface area covered by greenhouses. The Brexit measures make it more difficult to export vegetables to the UK. Greenhouse construction companies are therefore reporting a remarkable growth in the number of projects in England.
How to proceed?
Cultivation in the Westland area, the largest contiguous area covered by greenhouses in the world, has been under threat for many years. The urbanization of the region is an obstacle for the further growth of businesses in the horticulture industry. Whether this space is still needed is questionable. Influenced by local-for-local initiatives, government bodies worldwide are also finding it more efficient to keep the production of fresh vegetables under their own roofs, so to speak. That is why we are seeing the growth of the greenhouse construction sector in a positive light – and the prospects for our own business alongside!
