‘Technology is key to sustainable greenhouse horticulture and spreading the news is GreenTech’

GreenTech will happen this year at the Amsterdam RAI convention centre on June 13, 14, and 15. This premier trade exhibition will celebrate horticulture’s thriving tech scene under one roof. According to Mariska Dreschler, Director Horticulture at RAI, GreenTech looks forward to what she calls a ‘not-to-miss event for growers, investors and policymakers worldwide’.

Exhibitor bookings are looking healthy for the AIPH-approved D Category Tradeshow 2023 GreenTech. With less than three weeks before the show’s opening, 525 leading international companies, all experts in vegetable and flower production technologies, are ready to present themselves to an anticipated audience of more than 10,000 industry professionals.

There are more incoming trade missions than last year, and GreenTech knowledge sessions (theatre programmes) contain new themes. Mariska Dreschler says anticipation is building to this year’s show, allowing stakeholders to see the latest greenhouse technology and share business strategies, crop information, sustainability initiatives, and even the pitfalls of horticultural business.

Mariska Dreschler is Director of Horticulture at RAI Amsterdam.

FCI: All eyes are on horticulture; all eyes are on emerging technology. What does emerging technology look like this year regarding greenhouse horticulture?

Mariska Dreschler: “The industry of greenhouse technology is so advanced, but it never stops improving. We see a lot of ‘better business’ innovations. All the (technology) buttons you can turn can be optimised continuously. We have a great line-up of 34 innovations for the GreenTech Innovation Awards 2023. You can find even more new solutions at the pavilions Start-Up, Robotics/AI, and Renewable Energy. And don’t underestimate the power of all the leading companies presenting themselves with their experts who gained new insights for production last year while working with and for growers worldwide.”

What’s the most exciting emerging greenhouse technology you see impacting greenhouse horticulture?

“There are several, not just one! Energy balancing solutions in Europe (e.g., minimising costs, without losing product quality, and renewable energy), but we also see many developments in successful integrated pest management and new AI and robotics developments to combat labour shortage.

Next to greenhouse technology, you also see a strong interest in sustainability overall ignited by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, translated into Corporate Social Responsibility objectives in business and the increase of biodiversity in horticulture”

Also exciting is the attention GreenTech receives from dignitaries and government authorities. What high-profile visits are on the agenda?

“There are 14 official trade missions registered so far; this is next to the individual visitors we expect from 120+ countries. The delegations come from all directions of the world: Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Canada, and Colombia, to name a few. They all have a mix of high-profile visitors from the government, businesses, and universities.”

For all the excitement surrounding AgTech, there is also a harsh business environment. How has Covid-19, the energy crisis, rising inflation, and Russia’s war against Ukraine changed the landscape for technology adoption in greenhouse horticulture?

“That is a good question. The different crises have put food production in the spotlight, which is a good development overall. Awareness to ensure local food production is enhanced (less dependency on imports, better use of local recourses), innovations to lower the use of fossil fuels and improve renewable energy receive a powerful push now, and the system of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is effective. You can put it everywhere and adapt it to your available inputs (energy, labour, crops etc.). So, we must tell this positive story to the public and continue improving sustainability on all levels possible. Technology is key to that. And spreading the news is GreenTech.”

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‘Proactive and successful producers implement [tech]. they know that standing still means decline’

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GreenTech’s technology stage will host a presentation on plant compounds in cannabis production. Canada was one of the first countries to make recreational cannabis legal, and everyone, including GreenTech, seemed to want to break into the market. Now, nearly ten years later, what do exhibitors tell you; did cannabis bring the growth in sales and profits ‘horti-preneurs’ anticipated?

“GreenTech focuses on technologies to produce crops sustainably. Plant compounds and cannabis as part of that, especially for human intake (health, beauty) you want to produce in the best circumstances possible. For that, CEA technology can contribute. Recreational is only allowed in some places; medicinal in many countries, including the Netherlands. The market has yet to open as expected, so with the number of growers and the sales possibilities, this crop is no longer attractive. However, successful growers still focus on this crop; many have changed their facilities towards more profitable crops like soft fruits.”

Your newly appointed chairwoman of the GreenTech Innovation & Concept Awards, Jolanda Heistek, says that horticulture is home to many innovative companies. However, she rightly noted that we could go one step further if we bring in even more knowledge and technology from other industries and use it to our advantage. How to increase GreenTech’s cross-pollinating factor?

“I agree 100% with Jolanda, and we have been stimulating cross-over connections since GreenTech started in 2014. We need to team up with experts from further than our industry. The robotics/AI, logistics (automotive), health, and energy sectors are industries where we need to collaborate to combine our strengths and work on new products and services. We make room for these cross-over stakeholders in our exhibition, on stage in our theatres, and by inviting them as visitors.”

Concerning the prestigious GreenTech Awards, their value is mainly exposure of innovative ideas to a wide and well-targeted audience and external validation of the innovative character of young companies and products. But frequently, innovative technologies are ahead of what horti-preneurs are ready to adopt. How does GreenTech help fill this gap?

“Well, perhaps some of the growers or horti-preneurs, as you call them, are only recently adopting, but I see a big group of strong, proactive and successful producers implementing. They know that standing still means decline.

So, by sharing the knowledge, we bridge the gap. We stimulate the technology suppliers to collaborate with growers who use their technologies and show their solutions’ benefits. Grower to grower, PEER to PEER. In the presentation in the theatres, we include as many growers as possible to show what the technologies contribute to their greenhouse production. It is up to the entrepreneurial audience to decide if it is worth investing in and if the technology fits their business model.”

RAI is already hosting a successful GreenTech show in Queretaro, Mexico. Why not set up a GreenTech show in Asia, the Middle East or South America?

“My strategy is to roll out with GreenTech, strengthening the brand. It should enhance the importance of Amsterdam, with a worldwide focus, and the show in Mexico, with a regional (Latin America) focus. For sure, all the regions you mention could be interesting for expanding. No specific show is planned yet, but it is undoubtedly an option that will change in the future.”

This article was first published in FloraCulture International in June 2023.