In December, when the report was published, growers were asked to think about plans for improvement. There’s still no sign of the follow-up plan, which could have been here already. How can this be? Uli Schnier, chairman of Fair Produce Nederland, is to oversee the McKinsey meetings. “We’re fleshing out everything. Deliberating well is a part of that. That costs time.”
Coforta and Best of Four
The costs for the follow-up plan are 300 Euro per hectare. The bell pepper, tomato and greenhouse growers at Coforta were the first to participate. The Best of Four members followed in February.
ZON fruit & vegetables isn’t participating in the follow-up plan, however. “This sector is struggling with a lack of leadership. This situation is untenable,” Michel van Ginkel said at a meeting of the TuinBouw Businessclub. “But we see more in the regional acceleration agenda.” This agenda is a regional initiative to improve the horticulture sector in Limburg.
The pressure on Harvest House and Van Nature is rising. The two biggest producer organizations in the Netherlands have still not taken a decision whether to participate. At Harvest House, they’re waiting until all the points of discussion have been resolved. Van Nature is behind the findings in the report. Or rather, the report is behind the Van Nature findings. “We have been calling for further structuring on the supply side for a long time now,” says Hans van Luijk. Still, this doesn’t mean the organization is participating in the follow-up study. It will stay its course no matter what. “We are talking to potential partners to work together with. Yes, still talking, because this is a long-term process.”
