The French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife are making a two-day state visit to Belgium (Europe) on November 19th and 20th . The delegation visits different cities at the invitation of the Belgian King Filip and Queen Mathilde. In addition to the protocol ceremonies, solemn receptions and the state banquet, there was also an important economic part on this two-day state visit. Urban Crop Solutions was selected to present itself as a Belgian high potential innovative company in the category ‘eco technology’. The royal and presidential delegation focused mainly on the past realisations, the technology and target markets of Urban Crop Solutions in the world.
On Monday 19 November 2018, 8 entrepreneurs from 4 leading Belgian companies and 4 promising technology companies were given the opportunity to present their high tech innovations during the state visit of the French president Macron to the city of Ghent. The presentation and the Q&A session was attended by the French President Emmanuel Macron, King Philip of Belgium, the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and the minister-president of Flanders Geert Bourgeois. All selected companies’ mission contributes to 1 of 4 themes: circular economy, financial technology, nanotechnology & artificial intelligence and eco technology. Urban Crop Solutions was selected alongside with Sioen Industries in the ‘eco technology’ category. As a specialist in indoor vertical agriculture solutions, this was an excellent opportunity for Urban Crop Solutions to put its vision and innovative technologies in the spotlight.
“We are delighted to see that European leaders and our Belgian Royal family are deeply interested in promising technologies and processes that can contribute in the near future to a better world,” says Maarten Vandecruys, CEO of Urban Crop Solutions. “I personally did not expect that the Belgian King and the French President had so much questions about our technology and our target markets. They were very enthusiastic about the international potential of our venture. “
Urban Crop Solutions is a one-stop-shop for turnkey and tailor-made solutions in the field of vertical indoor farming. The Belgian company, with offices in the United States and Japan, offers besides growing infrastructures and consumables for indoor farming such as seeds, substrates and nutrients, also consulting, research, training and after sales services. The advantages of its vertical farming solutions are endless and offer huge added value in the circular economy of today. Thanks to hydroponics (soilless plant growth on water) and the use of automation and robotics in a completely enclosed environment, the use of pesticides, herbicides or other forms of polluting products are obsolete. On top of that 95% less water is consumed compared to traditional outdoor cultivation methods.
Urban Crop Solutions realized in 2016 the largest automated indoor vertical farming plant in Europe and has since then set up numerous research collaborations all over the world. This thanks to its industry-leading technology. The limited need for land due to the multi-layer cultivation structure, high water efficiency (low consumption and recycling) and local production thereby avoiding (international) transport, are key reasons why the indoor vertical farming solutions of Urban Crop Solutions are driver for a better environment of tomorrow.