On Monday, November 6, outgoing Minister Piet Adema of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality visited Van der Avoird Trayplant, the winner of the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award 2023. The minister received an explanation of the four-layer cultivation system in which one hectare of raspberry plants has the same yield as a 240-hectare outdoor cultivation.
The minister appeared impressed: "Horticulture faces major challenges in terms of water use, climate and environmental protection. Van der Avoird Trayplant shows that with current technology, it is possible to grow almost entirely sustainably, add value for society, and thereby create an earnings model for the future."
Minister Adema, Peter van der Avoird, and Michiel van Ginkel on the minister's working visit to Van der Avoird Trayplant.
The minister visited Van der Avoird Trayplant, a propagator specializing in growing strawberry and raspberry plants, at their site in Molenschot. He explained the four-layer system and took a walk through the adjacent area that Peter gave back to nature. Peter van der Avoird: "We are proud to be able to inspire with our vision: putting less of a burden on nature but still meeting the growing need for food. We work on tomorrow's food but keep an eye on the planet with our farmer's senses."
"It is precisely entrepreneurs like Peter who help our sector move forward and prove that sustainable horticulture fits into the future image of the Netherlands," said Michiel F. van Ginkel, chairman of the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award Foundation.
Minister Adema, Peter van der Avoird, and Michiel van Ginkel on the minister's working visit to Van der Avoird Trayplant.
Good farming gives energy
The minister also talked to Peter and previous winners and nominees of the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award about Peter's initiative 'Good Farming Gives Energy to Nature and Society.' Peter: "In the Netherlands, a lot of agricultural companies get stuck between urban/industrial expansion and nature. Within this project, we are looking at whether the agricultural company can fulfill various components that we are addressing in the Environment Act."
Minister Adema, Peter van der Avoird, and Michiel van Ginkel on the minister's working visit to Van der Avoird Trayplant.
Energy supply, water storage, biodiversity, green space, and even education (in the agricultural field) are sectors that Peter says involve a lot of money, often more than the agricultural product itself. "Locally, one can look at which incorporation and which challenge is best. The agricultural product to be grown then no longer becomes the core business for the company. Fortunately, there are still plenty of areas where we can still do agricultural business. However, it is precisely the 'postage stamps' where this is no longer possible that are increasingly common." Peter recommends looking at this to see if we, as a sector, can do business differently.
Minister Adema, Peter van der Avoird, and Michiel van Ginkel on the minister's working visit to Van der Avoird Trayplant.
There will be another Horticultural Entrepreneur Award in 2024, as well as a theme award, Circular Entrepreneurship. Candidates can apply from November 8 to December 20, 2023.
For more information:
Tuinbouw Ondernemersprijs 
Sluiswachterstraat 47
2694 CA, 's-Gravenzande
Tel.: +31 (0) 6 13579079
[email protected]
www.tuinbouwondernemersprijs.nl
Van der Avoird Trayplant 
De Leeuwerik 1
4859 AC, Bave
Tel.: +31 (0) 161 451 427
[email protected]
www.trayplant.nl