Starting end of 2020, Bosman Van Zaal is realising a complete vegetable irrigation system for vegetable grower Enviro-Flor in the Lusaka region in Zambia. With a terrain of 1,439 hectares, of which 400 is irrigated land and 10 hectares is covered with a film covered greenhouse, Enviro-Flor produces several types of vegetables.
Extension of vegetable irrigation in greenhouse and outside field
The relationship between Enviro-Flor and Bosman Van Zaal started in 2014. Back then, Bosman Van Zaal installed a drip installation, gutters, and silo ready for future expansions at the site. In October 2020, a new order was signed, including; an extension of the drip irrigation to include the middle part of the greenhouse, drip irrigation for the outside field covering 370,000 m2, two fertilizer units, two fresh water storage silos of each 818 m3 in the water technical room, control panels, and an expansion of the iSii Hoogendoorn process computer.
Collaboration between Enviro-Flor and Bosman Van Zaal
“Working with Enviro-Flor is like coming home. I have visited the site three times before, and if it was not for Covid-19, I would have definitely been there during the installation,” says Geert Nell, Technical Sales Consultant. Luckily, Covid-19 did not hinder the planning. “We are so grateful to be working with Bosman Van Zaal, who has helped us to streamline our work, and make a great growing environment for our plants to thrive!”, says Enviro-Flor. The irrigation system for the greenhouse is expected to be ready in February, and the outside field is expected to be ready in April or May. Enviro-Flor is currently in the process of switching one outdoor field from potato production to the production of peas for export to the Netherlands. And the greenhouse is getting ready for seed cultivation and further expansion of the irrigation installation.
Committed to quality in produce and employment
Enviro-Flor’s founders, Watze and Angelique Elsinga, both originally from the Netherlands, started as rose growers somewhere else in Zambia, until they settled on an old Tobacco plantation near the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. There, they continued their rose nursery, until they switched to fruit and vegetable production in 1995. Their son, Hidde Elsinga, recently graduated from his university in the Netherlands and is their designated successor. With the brand name ‘It’s Fresh’, Enviro-Flor shows its commitment to producing the freshest, highest quality vegetables possible. This commitment to quality also shows through in their relation with and to their employees and family members.
Enviro-Flor provides a permanent income to approximately 200-250 people and ensures a good working and living environment. They provide housing, a hammer mill, a shop, a school, a community hall that offers daycare, a library, and church services, and entertainment and sports activities. Bosman Van Zaal gladly delivered an irrigation system for and sponsors the football field on the Enviro-Flor terrain as well. “William, the captain of our football team, is so happy to have received the irrigation system from Bosman Van Zaal. Now, he and his team are taking care of their football field, and feel that they can really win the tournaments this year, thanks to the new grass and irrigation system that will help it to be an amazing football pitch.”
For more information:
Bosman Van Zaal
+31 297 344 344
sales@bosmanvanzaal.com
www.bosmanvanzaal.com