New lady of the house

Ronald Grootscholten

‘The wall needs a lick of paint. She wants to change every lampshade in the living room. The kitchen has to be rearranged. By now spring has sprung and it high time we id the garden. Old chores return to the list, the list is getting longer and longer and progress is stalling.’ Colleague Mike smiles as he vents. Mike has moved out of his parents’ home. Bought a newbuild. Spent every spare moment on it and still found time to fall in love. His girlfriend moves in with him as soon as the house is nigh on finished. And of course, the new lady of the house rightly wants to have her say.

It is no different after the elections in The Hague and the provinces. The lists are getting longer, the discussions more intense, progress slows and chaos builds. The horticulture sector shouldn’t expect too much from politics in the near future. It’s unfortunate but doesn’t change the challenges we are facing. Climate-neutral and chemical-free growing, clean surface water and professionally organised labour. These are big assignments, but I am optimistic. New leadership has emerged over the last two years. Entrepreneurs who embrace these themes and are intrinsically motivated to work on solutions. In fruit vegetables, strong entrepreneurs from the five distributors including their directors. In ornamentals, a group of Accelerators has formed with a shared ambition. In soft fruit, one of our important customers - horticultural enterprise winner Van der Avoird Trayplant - is a frontrunner. And in the horticultural supply business, bold leaders and companies are arising and joining forces. There is an attitude of just getting stuck in. No defensive moves, rather taking strides. Not waiting until we’ve run out of options and there’s an outpouring of measures from the unpredictable government. This is the attitude that the horticulture sector is all about: step up a gear and pick up the pace.

And Mike and his girlfriend? They’re doing the same. Everything will be ship-shape by the end of April.