New Members' Council member Luuk van der Burg: 'I hope more young growers get involved'

Before writing this column, Luuk van der Burg (37) knocks the last of the snow out of his hair: he has just returned from a ski vacation. This sporty grower also plays soccer - mainly for fun - in De Lier. In his column, this new Members' Council member talks about his commitment to the cooperative.

"In the Members' Council there are few young growers. I find that strange. Because what is discussed in the Members' Council is largely about the future. Our future. And for young growers, its course is even more important than for growers who have already completed a large part of their career. It directly affects how we deal with major challenges ahead. How we run our businesses and how we pass them on to our successors.

Heads together
That was an important reason for me to become a Members' Council member. There are many challenges facing the industry. It hasn't been this exciting in ages: aging, certification and the image of our sector to the outside world. Just look at the farmers. If we don't show a different side, we may well be next.

Of course, with all these challenges, it is very easy to criticize from the sidelines, but that doesn't help anyone. In the end, we have to put our heads together to find a way to properly deal with these challenges. So that we also stay on course in the future.

Happy with the good basis
As far as I am concerned, the cooperative plays an indispensable role in my and our future. We have arranged things so well. For example, I am in a club with entrepreneurs from other sectors. When I hear how much trouble they sometimes have to go through just to get their invoices paid - we don't have those worries. It saves us so much time. But also barrels, the location: those kinds of practical things we have very well taken care of. But precisely because everything goes so well, it is sometimes difficult to realize how well things are arranged. Only when something goes wrong do we notice it. But I think we should appreciate more what we have.

That doesn't mean, by the way, that we don't have work to do. As I wrote, there are plenty of challenges that require good, strategic solutions. And that's what I like to contribute to as a Members' Council member. We are uniting, and as a result, we are tackling the big challenges we face as one sector. Individually is not a good strategy: together we are strong.

Gold for young and old
As a young Members' Council member, I naturally hope that more young members will feel actively involved in the cooperative. Their input is badly needed to set the course. Involvement has been instilled in me from home, and I hope that as a young face I can also encourage others to be active.

That is not to say, by the way, that I underestimate the value of the more experienced members. It is precisely their experience that is indispensable. Our cooperative consists of a diverse membership: large and small, mass products and niche offerings, flowers and plants, old and young. And I think we need to nurture it all. That's how we keep our marketplace attractive and vital. Now and in the future."

Luuk van der Burg owns nursery Vlasman, and grows Saintpaulia.