Growth specialist since 1921, that is the text under the new logo of Van Iperen. Van Iperen itself certainly lives up to that name. Recently, the Dutch company from Westmaas acquired Mol Agrocom, De Witte Agro as well as Gebr. Dijke. "These acquisitions were not an end in itself, but we did not avoid them either", director Jan Bakker says. "It fits in with the trend of scaling-up in our sector. Look at the mergers of chemical companies, but also at our customers. A farmer with 100 hectares used to be very big, now we have tomato growers as a customer with an acreage of over 100 hectares. It's eat or be eaten. To remain a discussion partner, also in the future, you have to have a certain volume behind you."
Starting this month, all companies will continue under the name Van Iperen. Including the new companies, the company in the Netherlands has 170 employees, an increase of 50 persons. The agricultural supplier serves the livestock sector, horticulture, fruit growing, bulb growing, agriculture and landscaping. When asked whether it would be difficult to remain focused, John replied: "The focus is clear. For generations, we have collaborated with our customers for the growth of healthy and profitable crops. In a way that is good for people, animals and plants. Whether it is with our fertilizers, pesticides, plant stimulants or soil improvers. We always ensure optimization of the crops."
From Product- to Market Economy
It certainly is a challenge to integrate the cultures of the various companies. "That requires specific expertise and experience. In recent years we have recruited staff who have these qualities," Jan says. "As a company we have made a shift from product- to market economy. In particular for people who have worked with us for decades, this is quite a change. Fortunately, we see that this is picked up well, there is an increasing synergy emerging between the different business units. Thus we export knowledge about fertilization of tomato cultivation directly to the potato- and fruit cultivation and that yields surprising results. Thereby we conclude that horticulture is 'leader' in the transfer of knowledge. That really is growing per square meter, and that must be profitable."
Van Iperen mainly conducts tests at their own testing ground in Oude Tonge, at PPO, at Proeftuin Zwaagdijk and at growers on site. The Netherlands is by far the largest market for Van Iperen BV. The international activities of Van Iperen are carried out by Van Iperen International. "This branch is growing very rapidly and is mainly focused on trade in fertilizers. We supply our international customers primarily through distributors. We have offices in Canada, France, China, Serbia and Lebanon and have customers in more than 80 countries around the world. Since it is logistically impossible to supply fertilizer as liquid everywhere, we supply our international customers with fertilizer in solid form. It just isn’t the Westland, where we are able to supply growers directly from our liquid fertilizer factory in Europoort."
"We have as key objective the greening of the sector. That we do in part with biological pesticides, but also by focusing firmly on fertilization; it comes down to keep the plant as vital as possible, making it less susceptible to disease and pests. A substantial challenge we are facing is the approval of new substances. Sometimes substances are banned, while there is no alternative available. Our influence on this admission policy is limited, but together with partner organizations and within Agrodis we try to exercise our influence. Our approach here is that we focus on greening, but that it must be achievable. For us it is important that we together as a sector, find answers to this issue and do not oppose each other at each discussion."
Last year, Van Iperen launched its vision of precision agriculture with the TT + concept. The objective is to get a ten ton higher yield per hectare within five years by maximizing the growth potential of the soil. "We want to help growers to improve yields of crops in a sustainable way, with respect for the earth and nature," Jan argues. "The development of precision agriculture is developing very fast and the results are promising. By mapping out a parcel, you sometimes might conclude that there is simply no room for improvement, but in other places we achieve phenomenal results. For growers this often requires a different way of growing. They must learn to rely on data and on their equipment."
Bio- and regular cultivation closer together
When asked if there is a future in organic farming, John replied: "We see an increase in organic cultivation, we have contacts there and we learn from it, but rather expect that organic and conventional cultivation will come closer together. In the coming period we expect major steps here." New initiatives in areas such as Urban Farming are followed closely by Van Iperen. "It fits in the trend to achieve a more sustainable production. That will result in a reduction of the number of pesticides. But one thing is certain, whether one uses the light from the sun or from a LED lamp, plants do need fertilization!"
For more information:
Jan Bakker
Van Iperen
Smidsweg 24
3273 LK Westmaas
Tel: +31(0)186-578888
bakkerja@iperen.com
www.iperen.com