GrootGroen may never have experienced as much sun as this edition in its 33 years of existence. No one would really want to complain about that, of course, but it possibly had an effect on the crowds. Growers still had work to do at their locations, and possibly the retail side was also a bit busier than usual around this time of year. At the same time, exhibitors were positive about the run-up.
Jeroen Surminski, Lenny Christiaans, and Bjorn van Megen of Euro Tree; Nathalie Borsens of MEER Plant; Joshua Beuk of Mayer; and Michel and Niels of TTA in conversation with Gert Jan and Rien of Boomkwekerij M. Koevoets
Click here for our photo report (in Dutch).
This year's tree nursery fair was held at a different location than in past years, namely at Treeport in Rijsbergen (Zundert). As usual, tree growers made up the lion's share of the stand, while several suppliers presented their solutions, including mechanization.
Steady
The market for tree nursery products can be called 'steady'; if you ask the growers, that is what you get back nine times out of ten. Arboriculture is, you could say, one of the agricultural niches that largely escapes the sustainability frenzy imposed by governments. There are no compelling calls for scaling down and buying out, no huge outliers in energy consumption, and, moreover, a product that predominantly benefits from patience and not too much interference.
As before, the fair was structured according to the IKEA principle. From a central hall, you could go in three directions, looping around and returning to the central square each time. There, novelties were presented, and catering could be found.
More information on the fair can be found here.