On Wednesday night, October 2, a group of 27 young people from Tuinbouw Jongeren Westland (TJW) left for a knowledge trip to Portugal led by Meghan Lagerwerf, Jim Schoenmaker, and Rick van Schie from the board.
Company visits
The first stop was Citrina, a British family company that has been operating in Portugal since 1980 with 30 hectares of citrus plants by now. Here, the participants received a guided tour. The company's processes range from germination and grafting to trimming the plants. The company distinguishes itself by growing a compact plant in pot size 12 and introducing new varieties. Due to the moderate water quality in the area, they use reverse osmosis. More than 99% of the plants are sold through their location in Aalsmeer, because of the good distribution possibilities. This is also where the sales team is based.
After a lunch of Portuguese specialties, the group left for Buijnink International, a family-owned company that has developed from 9 to 300 hectares of eucalyptus. The company is planning to expand by another 300 hectares. With ever-increasing rates and critical availability of water from the reservoir that supplies the entire surrounding region with fresh water, the family is investing in large water basins to build its security with water availability. In periods of drought, ornamental plant growers are one of the first to be restricted in water availability from the reservoir with current laws and regulations.
A varied programme
Day 2 kicked off with a visit to the Portuguese branch of AltaNova, which grows Mandevilla & Heatherberry, among others. Here, they used a local residual flow namely granules of olive kernels to fire the bio stove.
Next, the group visited Amigo Plant, specializing in succulents, where they saw the cultivation process of succulents. The area's climate is favorable for growing them. The facility is located less than a kilometer from the Atlantic Ocean which makes it cool at night this ensures that the succulents are hardened off.
The next destination was Frestia, where the group was welcomed by 2 of the company's Dutch owners. With a modern 19-hectare greenhouse for snack peppers and mini cherry tomatoes, Frestia is among the most modern horticultural producers in southern Europe. Challenges such as labor migration and water management were discussed during the presentation. The day ended with dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Rounding off the trip
The final day started with a visit to Florensis, which focuses on the production of unrooted Calibrachoa and Sedum cuttings. Due to EU import restrictions, Calibrachoa cuttings are not grown in Africa where Florensis is also based but in Portugal.
The program continued at Hortensia specialist Sjaak van Schie B.V., with a tour of the greenhouses, outdoor field, and the nearly one-hectare cold store constructed in 2021. The company is also based in the Netherlands. However, the primary reason for establishing a facility here is because of the sun. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, plant deliveries can be spread better over the year, so much so that year-round delivery is possible.
The trip ended with a cultural bicycle tour of Lisbon, after which the group returned to Westland. It was an inspiring and educational experience for all participants, during which they gained new insights into international horticulture.
TJW is organizing an overseas excursion for the first time in years. Where the next trip will go, they don't know yet, but that there will be a sequel is obvious indicates Jim. "Organizing a trip like this takes a long preparation, but the nice feedback from the members and the positive feedback from the companies after the visits gives the energy to think further about a destination for 2025," he says. In any case, on the way back there was already busy speculating about the destination of the next trip."
TJW also recently made a trip, to Denmark. Read back their report here (in Dutch).
For more information:
Tuinbouw Jongeren Westland
www.tuinbouwjongeren.nl/