As the final hours of Fruit Logistica pass and many visitors and exhibitors have already departed, we can say that better times are not immediately on the horizon for the global horticultural sector, but cautious optimism is emerging. Combined with a well-attended fair and plenty of evening events, many are returning home satisfied, albeit a bit tired.
Yesterday, the Berlin party, an annual event organized by Cultilene, Enza Zaden, GreenTech, Van Iperen, Viscon Group, Priva, Svensson & Van Dijk Heating, brought together numerous international greenhouse growers. Although HortiDaily covered the event, challenges with the German internet connection mean that photos will be postponed until Tuesday. First, on Monday, we will present the complete photo report of the exhibition.
Start-ups
Anyone still making the rounds at the fair today should definitely stop by Hall 5.1 to check out the start-ups. In alphabetical order, you'll find Bloomfield Robotics, Cargo Produce, Dockflow, Fotoniq, Freya Cultivation Systems, Gardin, Holocene, Konzept Green, Logistikbude, MiFood Robot, Noda, PEAX Data, Polybee, RapidAIM Pty, Skone Labs, SMAPP Lab, Treetoscope, Tunable, Useeble, and Voltiris, of whom several are especially relevant for the greenhouse / indoor farming industry:
- Fotoniq developed PAR+, a high transmission diffuse spray coating for existing and new glasshouses.
- Voltiris created photovoltaic modules compatible with glasshouses.
- Polybee has developed a method of pollination that works for strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants in both indoor farms and greenhouses.
- Gardin is a cloud-based crop intelligence system with high-tech optical sensors, measuring plant physiology in real time using chlorophyll fluorescence.
- Freya Cultivation Systems created a new cultivation platform with what they aim to rival NFT and hydroponic systems by doubling active cultivation area per same greenhouse space.
Special attention for the Fotoniq team - they are relatively new in the greenhouse industry, did not leave the Berlin party soon, and are present today at the Start-Up Pavillion to present their 'diffuse glass in a bottle.' Say hi to Willem and Bob in 5.1; A-50.
The team from Meteor Systems made the fair particularly special. Thanks to their Chinese colleague Junyi Xi, they celebrated the fact that they will be building a "remarkable project" with a local greenhouse builder and the grower. Further information will follow, our on-site reporter conveyed.
The industry's primary concerns revolve around two major WHY's: ROI and AI. Source.ag has gained renown for addressing the latter to enhance the former.