Fargro's Richard Hopkins on drones, sustainability and fairness in the supply chain

The second part of this conversation with Fargro's managing director, explores drones, sustainability and fairness in the supply chain.

Fargro's interest in drones is part of a number of projects on data-driven decision-making for protected horticulture "to try and give a holistic view for agronomists and growers so they actually get some actionable insights" to help them prioritise their activities.

Hopkins talks about the shortage of agronomists and how they are trying to attract a new generation of 'digital natives'. But the new technology puts power and information directly into growers' hands.

On robotics, he expresses a sense of "frustration" with the slow progress, especially in robotic harvesting. He talks about the funding struggles for the sector to help them bring new tech to market. He discusses how unlike in agriculture, horticulture still relies on "not cheap" manual labour. He calls for the Government to step up with Innovate UK funding but he anticipates "a long haul".

On sustainability, he advocates first efficiency measures, but also discusses the need to improve plastic reduction and recyclability. "The problem is that [non plastics] nearly always cost more than the plastic alternatives" he says, though he believes often suppliers could absorb some of these extra costs.

Increased use of organic and controlled-release fertilisers are yielding good results and also enjoy a cost advantage, he adds.

With the ascension of King Charles III to the throne, Royal Warrant holders, including Fargro, are having to re-apply and "there's a huge emphasis on sustainability and the whole environmental social governance element of it - ethical trading as well." In the transition away from peat he percieves the change is being led by retailers and consumers, though "it's all about perception as well as the reality of sustainability".

Fargro has put together a consortium of waste operatives and recyclers to work with growers to make collection and recycling of plastics easier. But above all he believes the key question is "Is there an economic benefit to it? and how can we use that to drive the sustainability agenda?"

On fairness in the supply chain, he heard Rishi Sunak promise improvements for fresh produce in a very "uneven playing field", but coming behind dairy, poultry and eggs, he wonders how quickly horticultural growers can expect meaningful change. He expects ornamental growers to "be ignored entirely" and face a battle to protect or improve their margins.

Hopkins talks through business changes, including consolidation in the customer base and signs that glass is being taken up by growers.

Fargro itself is looking to diversify including to improve its amenity offering.

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