Growing vegetables, fruit or herbs without soil, with only water. In other words, hydroponics. Samantha Biharie and Vinod Baldew saw the potential of this innovative technique and decided to start their own company. Funding problems seemed to throw a spanner in the works. But the government offered a solution with a starter loan through the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF).
There are two ways to grow on water: in a pond with 15 to 20 centimeters of water or via a system of PVC pipes through which water flows. Biharie and Baldew chose the first technique. In August 2019 they hope to open the doors of their H2O Dutch Greenhouses company in Paramaribo.
Surinamese dream
"Vinod's father was an agricultural engineer," Samantha Biharie begins. "He saw a future in it years ago already. Some time ago we started to delve into it and we understood why. We think it is the method of the future. That is why we decided to take the risk and start our own company."
Biharie and Baldew both have Surinamese roots. But that was not the only reason why they quickly decided that they wanted to establish their company in the Surinamese capital of Paramaribo. “Because of the high temperature there are no heating costs," Biharie explains. "And in Suriname, labor costs are about half of those in Holland. Moreover, we also want to do something for the local population and the Surinamese economy. We can offer a job to at least 15 people."
Starting in Suriname
The Dutch government encourages entrepreneurs who want to spread their wings abroad. The Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) helps Dutch entrepreneurs, such as Biharie and Baldew, expand to developing countries and emerging markets with financing or credit risk insurance. Suriname is one of these countries.
H2O Dutch Greenhouses is a Dutch company that invests its production process abroad. "Dutch banks were therefore reluctant," says Biharie. "And borrowing money in Suriname is, because of the high interest rate of 20%, impossible anyway." After some research on the internet, they found a consultant who referred them to the DGGF.
And now: getting started
"Without this loan we would not have been able to start on this scale," according to Biharie. "Now that it has been granted, we can buy all the equipment we need and prepare hydroponics training for our staff. We can hopefully achieve our dream within a few months."
Source: RVO