PIB Helps Dutch Company Increase Food Safety and Improve Horticulture in India

Meteor Systems, based in Brabant, has been producing and distributing cultivation systems and irrigation systems to the global greenhouse horticulture industry for over 25 years. They supply systems for the cultivation of vegetables, soft fruit, cut flowers, leafy vegetables, herbs, and, more recently, medicinal cannabis from their factories in the Netherlands and North America, as well as their office in China.

Their most recent developments include the creation of multi-layer racks for indoor and vertical farming, sustainable floats for Deep Water Culture (DWC) and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), and low-substrate cultivation.

"Meteor Systems come into play when growers realize that there is too much water when growing in the open ground and that significant savings on the water can be made in other cultivation systems. Our goal is to transform traditional horticultural knowledge into cutting-edge technologies "Meteor Systems' Commercial Director, Peter Lexmond, explains. Meteor Systems is one of the companies that will participate in the Partners for International Business (PIB) programme, which will focus on India.

Partners for International Business (PIB) is a public-private partnership programme that helps Dutch companies realize their international ambitions. The PIB India is coordinated by the Innovation Quarter and the Dutch Greenhouse Delta (DGD).

'The PIB India will bring the benefits of Dutch horticultural technology and knowledge to investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers in India, and will demonstrate and present the technology's success stories,' says Desh Ramnath, Business Developer at DGD. The cluster currently consists of nine parties involved in national and international (greenhouse) horticulture, offering a variety of complementary products and services and representing the entire Dutch horticultural chain.

Meteor Systems Commercial Director Peter Lexmond and Account Manager Marc Staring explain why Meteor Systems participates in the PIB India: "Water is a major issue in India, and growers have realized that by moving cultivation out of the ground and using cultivation systems, they can save a lot of water." They are progressing toward mid-tech and, at times, high-tech. As a result, we are receiving an increasing number of requests from India, but these are individual projects with little structure.

“However, India is a large country with a fragmented market made up of many states, each with its own culture and characteristics. We see the value in approaching marketing in a structured and phased manner, as well as collaborating with other Dutch horticultural companies to establish a solid position as a partner for India. Governments and investors prefer to deal with a single point of contact who represents a group of businesses.”

Affordable Food Safety

Meteor Systems has already supplied a number of projects in India. This is demonstrated by the 60-hectare modern Simply Fresh facility. Simply Fresh is India's largest cutting-edge hydropic nursery, focusing solely on affordable and safe food free of pesticides, herbicides, and contamination. Meteor Systems manufactured and installed steel gutters for the cultivation of vine tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, and turmeric in this location.

Food safety is also a priority for the Indian government and PIB India. With India's massive population growth and ambitious export goals, the country will need to produce more food in a more efficient, sustainable, healthier, and safer manner.

The demands and desires of India's rapidly growing middle class reinforce this. They want pesticide-free food that is safe, fresh, and grown locally. India's current agricultural system is incapable of meeting this growing and shifting demand.

Dutch technology and knowledge have the potential to make a significant contribution to the provision of fresh, healthy, and sustainably grown food. India has a number of densely populated cities where there is a high demand for food. This also allows for vertical farming, which saves a lot of water and allows for a consistent product to be delivered close to the consumer.

"We can see that India is on the verge of a technological war in agriculture and horticulture. The government has a significant impact on how quickly the market transitions from mid-tech to high-tech. They have the key "as stated by Peter Lexmond "With the help of this PIB India, we hope to gradually become acquainted with India, build a network, and eventually achieve annual growth."