“Available potting soil could become an issue”
What kind of company do you run?
“Together with my brother and two sons, I have a flower bulb business and hyacinth forcing facility. We grow flower bulbs on about 80 hectares, mainly hyacinths. We also focus on growing tulip bulbs and narcissi. The flower bulbs mainly go into dry sales – in other words, these are the bulbs that end up in gardens. A further share goes to traders and colleagues who use them in their forcing operations.”
And you have a forcing facility as well?
“We use around 60 to 70% of the hyacinth bulbs in our own forcing facility. To make all of this happen, we employ an average of twenty staff throughout the year. Half of them are on permanent contracts with us, the other half work via an employment agency.”
What are your future plans for the company?
“For the past thirty years, I have been running the company together with my brother. Now he is gradually stepping back and my two sons, aged 24 and 28, have since joined us in the business. They will be taking over the company in the future.”
Where does the next generation want to take things?
'“We want to build an additional hall for our forcing facility. At the moment, half of our hyacinths are forced in potting soil and half on water, but we want to move to 100% water. This will allow us to produce even better: more volume, more efficiently, more sustainably and with more automation. We also expect the availability of potting soil to become an issue in the coming years. In some countries growers can no longer use potting soil, because they are no longer allowed to cut peat for it. I can see the same thing happening in the Netherlands.”
Why are you a member of LTO Noord?
“There are many issues that don’t come into the immediate vision of us entrepreneurs, but which still need to be arranged in order to maintain a good business climate. It is important that, by being united, we ensure that the right people are at the table, and that the right people can do good lobbying and governance work. At local level, as a farmer you can still make some difference, but issues at provincial, national and European level quickly become more distant.”
What are important issues, in your view?
“In the bulb sector, crop protection is a hot topic. Everyone just throws their opinions and actions out there. Too many people are pulling the levers, including people who don’t know what they’re doing. Fortunately, advocacy organisations such as LTO and the KAVB do a great deal in this area. Good lobbying is needed – not only to retain the products we have, but also so that greener products can be authorised more quickly.”
“In addition, as a sector we are dealing with migrant workers’ housing and sustainability. These are complex issues where LTO will hopefully be able to provide good guidance.”
Do you have any tips for LTO Noord?
“Make sure you keep young people engaged. Don’t forget them; give them a voice and a bit of responsibility. They are the future.”
Naam: Rob van Haaster [55]
Company: Company: flower bulb and hyacinth forcing company
In: Vijfhuizen [nh]
Member: 'From father to son'
Text: Sandra Kuiper. Image: Jan Jong