The Belgian Center for Fruit Growing (Pcfruit), together with the Universities of Hasselt and Maastricht, is starting a study on the usefulness of fruits in the production of building materials or textiles. This is reported by the Dutch Fruit Growers Organization (NFO).
Fibers from plants such as hemp are already being used as insulating material in construction. Pcfruit wants to explore whether substances found in fruit varieties could also find new uses. For fruit growers, this can be useful when, for example, there is an additional destination for fruits that are currently being processed industrially.
This includes ferulic acid. “This acid is found in several types of fruit. For example, it can be used in the textile industry to make clothing biodegradable,” Pcfruit Managing Director Dani Bylemans told VRT radio.
In addition to Pcfruit’s collaboration with the Universities of Hasselt and Maastricht, the pilot center is collaborating with the textile innovation center Centexbel in Ghent and Compas Agro in Venlo. The province of Limburg, Flanders and the European Union are jointly allocating 4 million euros for the study. This period is three years.
Bio-based building on the rise webinar – an opportunity for farmers?
Biologically based construction is in vogue. The government wants to promote bio-based construction. This opens up opportunities for farmers involved in farming. But what exactly is a biologically based design? What do politicians want to achieve with bio-based building? What can cultivation, research and supply chains do about it? Is it possible to profit from growing fiber crops? BO Akkerbouw, Duurzaam Praktijknetwerk Akkerbouw (DPA) and Nieuwe Oogst are organizing a webinar for arable farmers about the opportunities this new development offers. This will be an extensive program with speakers from Biobased Innovations Garden, Ballast Nedam, Van De Bilt zaden and vlas, Building Balance, Rabobank, Triodos and LTO. January 24 from 19.30 to 21.00. You can register here: Biobased construction on the rise, an opportunity for farmers?
Il-maġġoranza l-kbira tal-membri tal-FNV li jaħdmu fl-ortikultura tas-serra ma jaqblux mal-proposta finali ta’ min iħaddem.
Skont il-union, hemm differenza sinifikanti bejn l-offerta finali ta’ min iħaddem u r-rekwiżiti tal-pagi tal-FNV. Ir-rappreżentanti ta’ min iħaddem qed jipproponu żieda ta’ 3 fil-mija fil-pagi mill-1 ta’ Jannar 2023, u bi 2 fil-mija mill-1 ta’ Lulju 2023. Id-Direttur Linda Slugter tal-FNV Agrarisch Groen ssostni li b’din il-proposta, in-numru ta’ impjegati ċertament se jonqos b’5 fil-mija. .
Slagter isejjaħ li d-deċiżjoni tal-membri tal-FNV ma jaqblux ma’ dan kuraġġuż. Temmen ukoll li l-lealtà tal-impjegati lejn min iħaddimhom spiss titqiegħed għall-prova. "Aħna diżappuntati b'dan u qed nitolbu lil min iħaddem biex joħroġ b'offerta aħjar."
Kumpens ġenerali tal-prezz
L-FNV trid li ż-żieda fl-ispejjeż tal-għixien tkun riflessa fil-pagi. Barra minn hekk, it-trejdjunjin tipproponi li tinkludi kumpens ġenerali tal-prezz fil-ftehim kollettiv. Slugter tgħid li l-FNV tifhem li l-ġardinara tas-serer qed ikollhom żmien diffiċli wkoll, iżda tara wkoll li aktar u aktar impjegati ma għadhomx jafu kif jappoġġjaw dan finanzjarjament.
“Dan qed iwassal għal nuqqas ta’ sodisfazzjon fuq il-post tax-xogħol, u l-proposta finali ta’ min iħaddem għal ftehim ta’ negozjar kollettiv ma ttejjebx is-sitwazzjoni,” qal il-kap eżekuttiv tal-union. Skont l-FNV, medja ta 'madwar 35,000 impjegat huma impenjati fl-ortikultura tas-serra. Matul l-aqwa staġun, dan in-numru huwa ħafna ogħla.