€1.5 million European subsidy for asparagus robot

Europe has made a subsidy of €1.5 million available. This is for the asparagus robot, Sparter. This robot was developed by the Dutch technology start-up, Cerescon. The subsidy will make it possible put Sparter on the market. The European subsidy contract was signed in Brussels last week. The project will start in July 2018 and will run for a period of two years.

Sparter's market introduction

The first Sparter has been operational at an asparagus grower in France since the start of the season. Currently, the second one-row Sparter is being used for a three-year application investigation. This is being done in collaboration with the LimGroup and the University of Wageningen. Cerescon is also building a three-row Sparter. It will be demonstrated in the second half of the asparagus season. This will be done for interested local and international growers. Thérèse van Vinken, General Manager and co-owner says, "There is enormous interest in the Sparter. This season, growers from as far afield as Peru and Dubai are coming to see the machine in action."

Cerescon will use the subsidy to demonstrate Sparter in different countries. This will be done with varied soil types and various asparagus varieties. The high-tech start-up will also show Sparter at various trade shows and congresses. Horizon 2020's project's final goal is to offer a selective asparagus harvesting machine that is proven to work in an operational environment.

SME Instrument
No fewer than 1.163 European small and medium enterprises (SME) submitted project applications in this round. After a tough selection process, the best companies were invited for a second assessment. This was done in the form of an interview in front of a panel of innovation and business experts. Ad Vermeer and Thérèse van Vinken pitched their project to a jury of seven experts. Cerescon is one of the 57 SMEs that were awarded a subsidy. "The granting of this subsidy to us, indicates that Cerescon is one of the most innovative and promising European SMEs ", says Ad Vermeer. He invented the Sparter and is the co-owner of Cerescon.

Horizon 2020 is a European subsidy programme that runs from 2014 to 2020. With a total budget of almost €80 billion, the European Commission hopes to stimulate innovation and research. Only high-quality innovative projects with technical as well as social interests are considered. There is a lot of competition. The cumulative success rate for SME-phase 2 is only 5,5 %.

Working asparagus harvesting robot
Sparter is a unique concept. It has a patented underground detection method. It also has integrated modules. These are for cutting the asparagus, plastic handling and soil-bed repair. The cutting robot cuts the asparagus off from the top of the bed. It removes these in one smooth motion. It then shakes the soil off the knife and places the asparagus on a conveyor belt. For the grower, cutting costs are halved when compared to manual harvesting. This method of detection and cutting also means less damage to the asparagus. This, in turn, results in a higher yield. The asparagus also does not bloom or discolour. Mechanical harvesting does not only yield more but also better quality asparagus.

For more information
Cerescon
Thérèse van Vinken
5 De Geestakkers
5591 RC Heeze
info@cerescon.com
www.cerescon.com