"As we enter the first weeks of 2025, we are at that time of the year when everyone in the horticulture industry – regardless of whether they have done well or badly during the previous 12 months – profoundly hopes this year is going be better. Well, let me tell you now: 2025 is going to be worse than 2024, and in many ways", says Pharis Rico, general manager of Mexican propagation company Plantanova.
"The climate crisis is unpredictable, and inflation is rampant in many markets. That's to say nothing of tightening budgets and the threat of tariffs for those of us based in North America.
As a player in a competitive industry, you are expected to emphasize the positive and announce new developments while pretending nothing is happening behind the scenes. But we all know that what gets said 'off-the-record' doesn't paint such a rosy picture.
So what's the solution? Throw in the towel and admit defeat?
Yes, the current situation is difficult and unlikely to improve in the short term, but every industry player should ask, " How do we turn this into an opportunity?"
We have a saying in Mexico you might have heard: "A río revuelto, ganancia de pescadores" – which more or less translates as, "there's good fishing in troubled waters." In other words, opportunities are always hiding in even the most complex, difficult situations – and are there for the taking for companies willing and able to take advantage of them. And that's especially true for a country like Mexico. If the waters were perfectly tranquil and crystalline, many of the opportunities we have identified in Mexico wouldn't exist. "
"Secondly, certain phenomena are happening in and around our industry, and we have to accept that they are not only going to get worse but that there is little—if anything—we can do to alter them. An example is global warming. Weather is going to get more extreme, and there will be more heatwaves and flooding—it's a situation that is only going to become more challenging.
We have to also accept that politically, and economically, things could be about to get a whole lot more problematic, in terms of policies, possible tariffs, international trade, exchange rates, to name but a few.
So how do we convert such a challenging outlook into an opportunity? In the case of Plantanova, we chose to close to our doors for two months in November 2024 to prepare for eventualities that are likely to become a reality in the coming months or years, so that when they happen we are better prepared and able to offer our customers answers they don't have.
What is the reason for changing a piece of equipment, which is good but not great? Or in accepting a business relationship that is barely satisfactory, just because it exists?
The problem is that many companies in Mexico are not investing in the future and are continuing with the 'good enough for now' approach hoping that this difficult period is temporary and everything will return to 'normal.' The hard truth is that's not going to happen.
We know that more – and more severe – heatwaves are coming and that water will be in even shorter supply. At the same time, unexpected events, such as sudden hailstorms, are happening more frequently, and can have negative consequences for companies who are unprepared."
"At Plantanova, we have taken the decision to prepare for a complex, uncertain future where climate change, and new social and political challenges are a reality. We can complain and keep quiet or we can do something about it by preparing for these challenges.
The first step has already been taken at Plantanova Mexico's nurseries in Tuxpan, Michoacán where we have completely renovated the hydraulic system – from filtration to irrigation – in our greenhouses, with the aim of becoming one of the few Mexican companies to invest in water recycling.
At the same time, we have a new, integrated remote climate control system which enables our team to verify that temperature and humidity settings are correct for any area of our greenhouses at any hour of the day or night. We have also become the first plant nursery in Mexico to install PAR Perfect screens, ClimaFlow fans and supplemental lights – another illustration that we are going further than 'good enough.'
Plantanova has further become one of very few companies in Mexico to invest in renewable energy, despite the fact that energy in the country is subsidized. Why? We can't control the climate or what political legislators plan to do, meaning there are a lot of factors outside our control.
However, it's not enough just to invest in technologies, knowing how to use them is just as important. That's why we are also investing in our team and inviting people to join us who have the right expertise that we require.
If we prepare for the unexpected, the unpredictable today, we are sowing the seeds for success tomorrow."
For more information:
Plantanova
horticonnect.com.mx/plantanova