To be published: May 2020
Agricultural output and productivity have significantly increased over the past sixty years and plastic agricultural film for silage, mulch and greenhouse applications has contributed to this development. Plastic films have enabled the extension of cultivation in terms of the growing season and the location through the use of protective mulch and greenhouse films. They have also gained traction within the horticultural industry, in the storage and improvement of the quality of silage and have been contributing to continuously increasing crop and milk yields.
This is a challenging market with many conflicting trends. According to the UN, there will be more than 9 billion people on the planet by 2050, but in 2014 there already were some 800 million people living in chronic hunger. Climate change, pollution and scarcity of resources such as water, agricultural land and soil have put food production under increasing pressure. All these factors are making sustainability, innovative agricultural techniques and smart farming top priorities within both the public as well as the private sector involved in agriculture.
It has never been more important for players in the market to be armed with the best possible information in order to develop successful strategies and benefit from market opportunities as they arise.