The future of lit cultivation in the Netherlands: opportunities and rising costs

Grownetics

31 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

The future of lit cultivation in the Netherlands: opportunities and rising costs The Dutch greenhouse sector is facing a new round of uncertainty. The LichtEvent, now in its seventh edition, has for several years drawn growers and technology partners to Bleiswijk to keep abreast of the latest research findings.

Demand for greenhouse produce remains strong, and the sector's high-tech energy systems also serve a wider social function. For tomato growers who want to continue using supplemental lighting, keeping production costs under control is essential.

Why this matters: This matters when it gives operators a clearer way to manage water, nutrients, and root-zone risk. That kind of control usually improves both resource efficiency and crop consistency.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should growers evaluate before changing a lighting strategy?

They should look at crop type, canopy structure, current light distribution, energy cost, expected yield gain, and whether the new strategy improves whole-canopy efficiency.

Why is light distribution often as important as light quantity?

Because adding more photons to already saturated leaves does less work than improving how light reaches the parts of the canopy that are still underperforming.

Topline Farms avoids up to $50,000 in yield loss by managing compartment by compartment

Source: HD.com Topline Farms operates several locations in Ontario, Canada, including a 4.9-hectare (12-acre) facility dedicated to beef tomatoes. The site runs 6 climate-controlled compartments and supplies the Canadian retail market. Their grower is responsible for crop strategy, climate setpoints, and the day-to-day decisions that determine yield and

New LED lamp and LED wristband at Wivid at GreenTech

Source: VFD.com A centerpiece of the stand is the Cosmic Mini Toplight, a 600W fixture. "Thanks to the one-to-one plug-in design, growers can switch to LED quickly, without complex modifications to the installation or the power grid. That makes the Cosmic Mini particularly interesting for both new-build projects

"We observed that there was a specific tone that no insects approached"

Source: VFD.com Biocaptur, a Spanish company specializing in light-based pest control systems, is developing a new technology using light barriers to repel specific insects before they infest crops. After prior sampling to assess pest population levels in the plots, the team placed various lighting devices directly on specific crop

Vertical farm CAPEX as low as €650 per square meter

Source: VFD.com Investment figures well above €1,500 per m² of growing area have made it hard to build a compelling business case, especially when competing against greenhouse or open-field production. At medium and large scale, it drops to €730 and €650, figures that are difficult to ignore."