Wouter Kuiper, CEO of KUBO Group, was recently a guest on the radio program 'De top van Nederland' on BNR Nieuwsradio, presented by Thomas van Zijl. During the interview, they discussed various challenges and innovations within the greenhouse horticulture sector.
Kuiper emphasized that rising energy and raw material costs are putting considerable pressure on many growers, which also affects KUBO Group. These increases are causing growers to postpone or reconsider their investment decisions. Despite these challenges, KUBO continues to invest in innovative technologies to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their greenhouses.
In addition, Kuiper and Van Zijl discussed the cabinet's new migration policy, which aims to drastically curtail labor migration. According to Kuiper, this could have a major impact on the greenhouse industry, as many growers depend on migrant workers. A reduction in this could lead to labor shortages, which could reduce production and profitability. KUBO is anticipating this change by further automating and investing in technologies that reduce reliance on human labor.
Kuiper also spoke about the role of government in supporting greenhouse horticulture companies in the areas of sustainability and innovation. While there are some initiatives, he sees room for improved and more targeted support to help companies transition to more sustainable business models.
One of the highlights of the talk was the introduction of KUBO's CO2-negative greenhouse. This breakthrough innovation, successfully tested in KUBO's Blue Lab, not only dramatically reduces its own CO2 emissions, but also removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits. This promises to be a major step forward in sustainable agriculture.
Finally, it was discussed whether artificial intelligence (AI) can completely replace the role of the grower. Kuiper believes AI can play an important role in optimizing cultivation processes and reducing dependence on human labor, but sees it more as a complement than a complete replacement.
About Thomas van Zijl
Thomas van Zijl, financial journalist and presenter at BNR, presents daily "BNR Zakendoen," a program focusing on economic news and business insight, and is one of the creators of the podcast "Onder curatoren".
