Dutch company PDI has grown into a venture currently employing over seventy people. How do they deal with the situation in Dutch horticulture, and what have they to offer the international market?
Jeroen de Jonge of PDI describes the company’s current position as “adequate”. "The state of Dutch horticulture is restless and unpredictable. Right now, it’s just rough all over. The EHEC crisis, the Russian border, the mild winter in Spain and the banks’ reluctance to bankroll anything. Companies are on the brink, and in many ways, so are we. We’re not going under or anything, but it’s definitely a slow market. You just have to keep an eye out. There's always some construction going on somewhere, you have to make sure you’re involved."VGT, Senzaro, HAS, Gardeners Pride
In terms of involvement in Dutch projects, the company has little to complain about: with the United Vegetable Growers in Terneuzen (15 ha), dual screen is installed in the new greenhouse; for Gardeners Pride, 6 hectares is equipped with a dual screen, and the movable lettuce cultivation in Glastuin BVBA has ordered a screen, as have HAS and Wageningen University. With this list, the company is certainly not unhappy. However, the bulk of the work is going abroad.
Since the establishment of PDI, now thirty years ago, the company has been active internationally. "As a result, we now find that we have a head start. Together with our partners, we form a solid team."
Both in the Netherlands and abroad, De Jonge notices an increased preference for dual screens. The Slip-In system is also gaining popularity. Developed by PDI eight years ago, the system has been evolving ever since. “It’s slowly becoming standard," says De Jonge. “And it should. It’s efficient and safe.”
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