Harvest robots? Irrigation is what it's about at GrowTech Antalya

For the horticultural trade show GrowTech, which is organized this week in Antalya, Turkey, Thursday was an even better day, with a radiant and sunny weather, and even more visitors than the already well-attended Wednesday.

During a tour of all six halls of the fair, where, we heard, there is a struggle for booth spaces (also for the coming years), many large booths were completely full. Busy conversations took place at the tables.

For Chris van der Wel of the Turkish branch of Van der Knaap, it is a home fair.

During a tour of the fair, another noticeable thing was the enormous number of water technology providers. We quickly stopped counting drip hoses and pump systems, while there was also ample supply of various smaller plastic parts. Also made of plastic: barrels for, for example, crop protection agents or biostimulants. There were many providers of these products, as well as providers of crop protection agents and biostimulants.

One of the many booths with water technology.

Noticeably less represented compared to horticultural fairs in Western Europe or North America were suppliers of automation solutions and robotics. Of course, machines were on display, but with cheaper labor, at least in the Turkish market, it seems to be less of a major focus.

Who starts growing doesn't have to start big, although this fair setup is, of course, meant to show how you can set up hundreds of meters away.

Stefano with P-Tre

The question is also whether there is money for such investments. The exchange rate of the Turkish currency, the lira, makes importing products difficult and more expensive than before. On the other hand, it is also true that companies in Turkey can better invest the money in the construction of, for example, apartment buildings (plenty to see on the way to the fair) or the construction of greenhouses than leaving the money in the bank where it becomes less valuable.

Tim, Gödze, and Dylan from Debets Schalke.

Also today, as Growtech day three is underway, a small photo impression of the fair. On Monday, the complete photo report will follow, as four days of the fair will conclude on Saturday.