Elevated Agropolis to serve as pilot project for agriculture

Spray lines were implemented on Thursday to start the reclaiming of a 35-hectare piece of land in the Kinrooi municipality. This area, which currently forms part of a gravel exploitation pool, will soon rise as Agropolis: an agricultural business site that will accommodate the first innovative businesses in two years’ time. It was initially planned to reclaim the entire 70 hectares, explains agricultural alderman Wim Rutten, but at the express request of the province it was eventually decided to elevat only 35 hectares to leave a large enough pool big for sailing competition races. In return for the 35 hectares that were left alone, the municipality received an impressive 4.15 million euros, which was then used to invest in the Agropolis pilot project to develop new agricultural techniques and crops.
“We plan to germinate seeds that we can replant elsewhere in the surroundings,” explains Rutten, who adds that the non-profit organization Boterakker was established with this in mind. A portion of the 4.15 million euros will be invested in a rolling fund to invest in business start-ups which could set up shop at one of the new Agropolis buildings scheduled for completion from 2015 onwards. The large shed can also accommodate the seeding and harvesting machines distributed by the two local agricultural co-ops, who will eventually merge to form a single co-op that will experiment with innovative machinery and techniques such as GPS-driven spraying.” In addition to the shed, Agropolis will provide ample space for other stakeholders. It is as yet unfilled, but one of the options for the site is a biomass power station that will use mud, wood cuttings and manure from the environment to process pellets for power stations. Agropolis will also be open its doors to the local population, schools and tourists, who will be able to enjoy the visitors’ centre.