The government will stimulate the cultivation of bio-based building materials as much as possible. Outgoing Minister Hugo de Jonge of Housing and Spatial Planning reminded the House of Representatives of this during a debate on circular construction.
Member of Parliament Cor Pierik (BBB) demands more effort from the cabinet. 'Whether growing raw materials for construction becomes a new revenue model for farmers depends on the market. There does not yet appear to be a market for substantial production of agricultural building materials. We ask for more attention to be paid to encouraging the use of home-grown biobased building materials.'
Pieter Grinwis (Christian Union) argues for financial support. 'As long as the market for biobased building materials is not there, we must support farmers in the Netherlands. This can be done, for example, by including the cultivation of bio-based materials in the eco scheme or by supporting farmers through carbon credits. This is how we have to bring the market to maturity.'
Revenue model insufficient
Minister De Jonge acknowledges that the business case for cultivation for construction is currently insufficiently profitable. He refers to Agriculture Minister Piet Adema. He is working on a scheme to increase the earning capacity of these crops. According to De Jonge, the fact that bio-based building materials, for example fiber crops, are now usually more expensive than standard alternatives is a matter of scaling up. 'We have to take this out of the pilot atmosphere and try to turn it into a new industry.'
How this should take place is stated in the National Approach to Biobased Construction that the government presented at the end of last year. This plan is based, among other things, on stimulating demand, conducting research and sharing knowledge. The government is taking the lead in this.
Large-scale cultivation
The approach must lead to the large-scale cultivation, processing and application of biobased materials. The aim is to have at least 2030 producing chains of farmers, processors and builders by 25. The cultivation of fiber crops for building materials must then increase from approximately 2.000 hectares to 50.000 hectares.
De Jonge states that Adema is working on plans to further increase its earning capacity. He also points to a project in which a construction company makes long-term agreements with farmers for the production of bio-based building materials.
Source: Nieuweoogst.nl
Photo: Paul van de Velde
