Both in the Netherlands and in Germany, two major events were organised for the strawberry industry last week. In Germany, growers could visit the Interaspa; in the Netherlands, the Strawberry Demo-Day was organised. We present you, of course, with photos and novelties.
Interaspa
The Interaspa is a shared event for the asparagus and strawberry industry. During this year's Interaspa at the farm Oelkers in Wenzendorf, the focus was primarily on variety development, product packaging as well as harvesting and processing technology. Despite the presence of some companies from Eastern Europe and Italy, the fair remains primarily an important meeting place for German and Dutch experts.
Nowadays, a wide range of varieties characterizes the berry sector: every year, a large number of new varieties with different product characteristics are approved on the market. Many refiners and marketers of young plants were also present at Interaspa to introduce trade visitors and interested parties to the latest, innovative varieties. There is also a lot going on in the field of varietal diversity for the berry fruits. The aim is to provide the northern European consumer with strawberries 12 months a year; strawberries that meet their needs in terms of taste, fruit size and yield per hectare.
Check out the photo report of the Interaspa here.
Strawberry growing
On the Dutch Aardbeien Demodag, varieties were also put in the spotlight, and the award for best tasting strawberry was for the Favori berry, grown by Erik van Haandel. There was more to discover though during the show: the latest test results for plant enhancers, fertilizers and substrate, for example. On the one hand, these studies are aimed at keeping the strawberry varieties healthy and resilient against pests and diseases, while at the same time examining how more can be obtained from a variety. But, as Bart Jongenelen with Delphy pointed out, a higher production is not always good. "If the harvesting performance starts to suffer, it will only cost more labor and it is precisely that it is expensive and scarce."
Get-together
In addition to a visit to the tours, there was room for a chat in the tent, on the field and on the innovation square with various suppliers with a greenhouse horticulture focus and here and there a (cultivation) technical innovation. For those who had come to Egchel to see many new things, it might have not been the most exciting year ever. It is clear innovation takes time and with the Strawberry Day alone this spring in Den Bosch and the extra attention to general horticultural fairs for the cultivation of soft fruit, suppliers cannot come up with a lot of news every time.
Six hours after the starting shot was fired at 12:00, it was time to finish and start the weekend. Janny Trouw spoke on behalf of the organizers ZLTO and Delphy one last time to the visitors and exhibitors. Next year, after two years of visiting Lemmen Strawberries in Egchel, the intention is to put on a new location, looking at a location more westerly. There will undoubtedly be another colorful mix of indoor and outdoor growers and suppliers in September 2020 after, hopefully, an (even) better season than this year.
