At the 2025 Agri Food Tech Forum in Naju, Manuel Madani, Asia CEO of Priva, a leading Dutch company in greenhouse environmental control, shared his insights on the real drivers of innovation in agriculture. He explained, "The development of high-tech greenhouse farming in the Netherlands wasn't driven mainly by business or technology, it was driven by government policy."
Madani spoke during the "Food AI Farm Tech" session at the forum, which was organized by the World Food Tech Council under the theme "The Future of Agriculture and Food Tech in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)." The event was held alongside the International Agricultural Fair, hosted by Jeollanam-do Province and Naju City.
According to Madani, technologies such as wireless sensors and data-based climate control systems became successful not simply because of innovation in the private sector, but because the Dutch government created strong policies to support them.
"The Dutch government recognized early that agriculture must make the best use of limited resources," he said. "Back in the early 1970s, it even introduced laws recommending hydroponic farming instead of traditional soil watering. This policy-driven shift led to a 25% increase in greenhouse productivity as hydroponics became widespread."
Read more at Maeil Business Newspaper