{"id":5435,"date":"2026-10-27T11:29:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T11:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/?p=5435"},"modified":"2026-10-27T11:33:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T11:33:32","slug":"are-cannabis-growers-automating-too-fast-insights-from-ptmc-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/are-cannabis-growers-automating-too-fast-insights-from-ptmc-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Cannabis Growers Automating Too Fast? Insights from PTMC 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"5435\" class=\"elementor elementor-5435\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-acc74c5 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"acc74c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f101bed e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"f101bed\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff7f283 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ff7f283\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-style:italic; color:#5c59f4;\">Insights extracted from a focus group discussion at PTMC &ndash; Portugal Medical Cannabis on September 10, 2026. Panellists: Natalya Gray (Lumatek), Marco Belloni (Mediplant Supplies), Adriano Fernandes (CANNA), Hugo Pires (HAGRA) and Tom de Vreugd (Growficient). Moderated by Jo&atilde;o Duarte (PTMC).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-92ca2fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"92ca2fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a860f27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a860f27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"fourteen-days-nobody-records\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Where the Value Is Created<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8184da1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8184da1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In a focus group titled &#8220;<strong>Overcoming the Challenges of Cultivation: Smarter Systems, Better Outputs<\/strong>&#8221; at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ptmc.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PTMC (Portugal Medical Cannabis) 2026<\/a>, moderator Jo\u00e3o Duarte opened with a claim that framed everything that followed: cultivation is where the value in this industry is created. Every downstream step, from extraction to the pharmacy shelf, can only preserve or lose what the grow room produced in the first place.<\/p><p>On stage were five people who see inside more cultivation facilities than most in the industry. <strong>Natalya Gray<\/strong> of horticultural lighting manufacturer\u00a0<strong>Lumatek<\/strong>, <strong>Marco Belloni<\/strong> of cultivation equipment distributor\u00a0<strong>Mediplant Supplies<\/strong>, <strong>Adriano Fernandes<\/strong> of Dutch nutrient and substrate specialist\u00a0<strong>CANNA<\/strong>, <strong>Hugo Pires<\/strong> of irrigation and hydroponics engineering firm\u00a0<strong>HAGRA<\/strong>und <strong>Tom de Vreugd<\/strong> of Dutch root-zone sensor company\u00a0<strong>Growficient<\/strong>. Between them they cover lighting, nutrition, water, data and the supply chain that ties it all together.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9a24673 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9a24673\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104-1024x552.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5440\" alt=\"A Focus Group titled &quot;Overcoming the Challenges of Cultivation: Smarter systems, Better Outputs&quot; at the PTMC Portugal Medical Cannabis 2026 conference in Lisbon, Portugal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104-1024x552.webp 1024w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104-300x162.webp 300w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104-768x414.webp 768w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/104.webp 1263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20b8a7b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"20b8a7b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The timing gave the conversation real edge. Producers across Europe are dealing with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/deutschlands-medizinischer-cannabismarkt-und-was-im-jahr-2025-gefahrdet-sein-konnte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">falling flower prices driven by import volumes outpacing demand<\/a>, a pattern earlier PTMC 2026 panels described as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/sind-cannabisinvestoren-damit-fertig-die-ausstiegsmoglichkeiten-zu-verfolgen-einblicke-aus-dem-panel-von-ptmc-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rising volume paired with falling price per gram<\/a>. At the same time,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/cannabis-anbauzyklus-von-der-saat-bis-zur-ernte-und-daruber-hinaus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EU-GMP expects every lighting rig, HVAC unit and irrigation line to carry a documented specification and validation trail<\/a>. Margins are shrinking while the compliance bar keeps rising. What the group kept returning to was that most of the pain growers feel in the grow room was actually caused somewhere else, usually much earlier, in planning decisions made under pressure to produce fast.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9bc5852 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"9bc5852\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dac1341 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"dac1341\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"the-numbers-behind-the-panel\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Numbers Behind the Focus Group<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b71ab7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4b71ab7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The figures shared around the table came from long careers on the supplier side, and they paint a clear picture of what rushing costs:<\/p><ul><li>Hugo described automating\u00a0<strong>40 hectares of precision-agriculture red fruit greenhouses<\/strong>\u00a0in the Algarve from around 2010. It took\u00a0<strong>15 years<\/strong>\u00a0before those greenhouses ran properly enough to reduce staffing and fully trust the system. He has since completed more than\u00a0<strong>500 irrigation projects<\/strong>, and said that today HAGRA earns more from retrofitting existing cannabis facilities than from building new ones.<\/li><li>HAGRA&#8217;s cannabis projects take a minimum of\u00a0<strong>two years<\/strong>\u00a0of preparation before the first day of installation work, time Hugo says is spent making sure every supplier&#8217;s system will actually work together.<\/li><li>Natalya flagged that\u00a0<strong>consolidation and bankruptcies in the equipment sector<\/strong>\u00a0are now making growers hesitant to invest at all, because they cannot be sure warranties and technical support will still be honoured a few years down the line.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd29a8f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"dd29a8f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106-1024x552.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5442\" alt=\"Natalya Gray, CEO of Lumatek, speaking at a focus group at PTMC Portugal Medical Cannabis 2026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106-1024x552.webp 1024w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106-300x162.webp 300w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106-768x414.webp 768w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/106.webp 1263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-54212d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"54212d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Auf\u00a0<strong>under-canopy lighting<\/strong>, Natalya was candid that it always raises electricity costs, a serious consideration in high-energy-cost markets like Germany, but that for the right facility it produces a more homogenous plant with more A-grade flower and less B-grade and popcorn, raising the value of the whole crop from the same footprint.<\/li><li>Marco, with 11 years in the industry, said\u00a0<strong>overproduction is already a reality<\/strong>\u00a0in parts of Europe, repeating the pattern seen in Canada when producers scaled too fast. Distributor estimates on stage put typical under-canopy additions at around 140 watts per square metre, with some suppliers promising yield gains of 25 to 30%.<\/li><li>Tom put a number on sensor-driven efficiency: cutting one hour of daily manual monitoring, such as lifting pots to judge irrigation, by half saves 30 minutes per worker per day, an ROI that can be calculated directly against salary. Growficient&#8217;s sensors track\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.growficient.com\/en\/how-irrigation-data-helps-portuguese-cannabis-growers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">substrate water content, EC and root-zone temperature in real time<\/a>, replacing what he called a manual &#8220;snapshot&#8221; taken only while staff are on shift.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee09e63 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"ee09e63\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aeb7094 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"aeb7094\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"5-key-takeaways\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">5 wichtige Erkenntnisse<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36d9222 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"36d9222\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105-1024x552.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5441\" alt=\"Joao Duarte, moderating a focus group at the PTMC Portugal Medical Cannabis 2026 conference in Lisbon, Portugal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105-1024x552.webp 1024w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105-300x162.webp 300w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105-768x414.webp 768w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/105.webp 1263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33acfe8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"33acfe8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol style=\"padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><span style=\"color:#5c59f4; font-weight:700;\">Most cultivation problems start in the boardroom, not the grow room.<\/span> Adriano argued that for many small and medium producers, the struggles showing up in cultivation are the consequence of planning decisions made at the very beginning, often without a long-term vision. Fixing those decisions later is expensive, and many producers no longer have the capital to do it.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><span style=\"color:#5c59f4; font-weight:700;\">Automation assists growers, it does not replace them.<\/span> Tom warned that newer licensed producers often treat automation as a holy grail for cost efficiency and try to automate everything at once. Hugo, who spent 15 years getting a fully automated greenhouse operation to run properly, put it simply: automation is there to give you better information and help you act faster, but you still need to be there tending your plants.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><span style=\"color:#5c59f4; font-weight:700;\">New technology only pays off if the maths works for your facility.<\/span> Natalya refused to quote headline yield gains for under-canopy lighting, pointing out that higher electricity bills and tight cash flow can make it the wrong investment for some growers. Spending next month&#8217;s payroll on new equipment, she said, is not a solution.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><span style=\"color:#5c59f4; font-weight:700;\">Cutting costs blindly under price compression usually costs more.<\/span> When prices fall, the instinct is to strip out inputs without understanding the economics. Adriano&#8217;s warning was that removing quality or labour-saving inputs can lead to failed batches, which are far more expensive than the savings. His approach is to take the numbers straight to the CEO and CFO, not just the head of cultivation.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><span style=\"color:#5c59f4; font-weight:700;\">Integration beats buying the best of everything.<\/span> Hugo described facilities that bought the best lights, the best sensors and the best irrigation, with nobody making sure any of it worked together. Tom made the same point about data, arguing every facility needs one central hub instead of a wall of separate dashboards. The fix the group agreed on: get your suppliers talking to each other from day one.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-017ad85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"017ad85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c336354 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c336354\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"notable-quotes-from-the-panel\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Notable Quotes from the Focus Group<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-756b7a4 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"756b7a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"Cultivation is where the value is created in this whole industry. When we analyse the value chain, all the value is created at this point.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Jo\u00e3o Duarte, PTMC (moderator)<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b1f497 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"2b1f497\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"If anybody tells you that under-canopy is the solution for every single facility right now, then they're probably trying to sell you something. We sell under-canopy. I'm definitely a proponent of it, but I'd like to start with some of the more difficult elements of it.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Natalya Gray, CEO, Lumatek<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3088bfb elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"3088bfb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"One of the big issues that we see is equipment providers selling equipment to facilities that simply doesn't do what it says, and then you're left with facilities that no longer have the investment money to re-buy. So honestly, it's a very simple answer: we don't lie about what our product can do.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Natalya Gray, CEO, Lumatek<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-037f741 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"037f741\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"One of the biggest challenges is to contain your feelings, your enthusiasm, when it's time to overextend your production. We've seen it abroad, in Canada, with many people trying to extend their production too fast, and overproduction is already a reality.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Marco Belloni, International Sales Manager, Mediplant Supplies<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad1e01d elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"ad1e01d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"As a European player, we're still looking a little bit too much at what's going on overseas and not really valuing what we have on our continent. The moment somebody is doing something, everybody follows, and that is sometimes beyond appropriate valuation of cost and efficiency.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Marco Belloni, International Sales Manager, Mediplant Supplies<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3938a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c3938a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107-1024x552.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5443\" alt=\"Marco Belloni from Mediplant Supplies and Tom de Vreugd speak at a focus group at PTMC Portugal Medical Cannabis 2026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107-1024x552.webp 1024w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107-300x162.webp 300w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107-768x414.webp 768w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/107.webp 1263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6bd1117 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"6bd1117\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"I don't like the term master grower, to be honest with you. A cultivation manager is a more appropriate term, because you're managing the operation, instead of trying to touch every plant every single day.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Tom de Vreugd, Grower Success Manager, Growficient<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-196906a elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"196906a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"If you don't have insight into the root zone, you're basically flying blind. You're trusting manual lifting of pots and subjective measurements, which only take place when the lights are on and people are working. It's a snapshot.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Tom de Vreugd, Grower Success Manager, Growficient<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c728b6 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"1c728b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"For the majority of small and medium-sized producers, the challenges with cultivation are the consequence of something else that has nothing to do with cultivation. Maybe in the beginning, the planning was wrong, the decisions were wrong, and that is expensive to fix.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Adriano Fernandes, Head of Growth and Business Development, CANNA<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a0c18c elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"7a0c18c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"We don't sell products really. The product is just a gateway to what we have of the most value to offer. That is the knowledge, that is the research, that is doing this for many years in a very successful way.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Adriano Fernandes, Head of Growth and Business Development, CANNA<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f86a5f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2f86a5f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108-1024x552.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5444\" alt=\"Adriano Fernandes of CANNA and Hugo Pires from HAGRA speak at a focus group at PTMC Portugal Medical Cannabis 2026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108-1024x552.webp 1024w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108-300x162.webp 300w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108-768x414.webp 768w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/108.webp 1263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ba7809 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"3ba7809\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"The most important lesson we learned is that automation is not there to do your job for you. It's there to assist you, to give you better information, to allow you to act fast. But you still need to be there and grow and tend your plants.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Hugo Pires, CEO, HAGRA<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-15f636c elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"15f636c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\"If they told me five years ago that I would make more money out of retrofitting than out of building new facilities, I wouldn't have believed it. But it is true, because it's a new industry, and people are still learning.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Hugo Pires, CEO, HAGRA<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cfdb842 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"cfdb842\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb3eb53 elementor-widget-divider--separator-type-pattern elementor-widget-divider--no-spacing elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"fb3eb53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\" style=\"--divider-pattern-url: url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&#039;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&#039; preserveAspectRatio=&#039;xMidYMid meet&#039; overflow=&#039;visible&#039; height=&#039;100%&#039; viewBox=&#039;0 0 126 26&#039; fill=&#039;black&#039; stroke=&#039;none&#039;%3E%3Cpath d=&#039;M3,10.2c2.6,0,2.6,2,2.6,3.2S4.4,16.5,3,16.5s-3-1.4-3-3.2S0.4,10.2,3,10.2z M18.8,10.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.4,3.2,3.2s-1.4,3.2-3.2,3.2c-1.7,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2S17,10.2,18.8,10.2z M34.6,10.2c1.5,0,2.6,1.4,2.6,3.2s-0.5,3.2-1.9,3.2c-1.5,0-3.4-1.4-3.4-3.2S33.1,10.2,34.6,10.2z M50.5,10.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.4,3.2,3.2s-1.4,3.2-3.2,3.2c-1.7,0-3.3-0.9-3.3-2.6S48.7,10.2,50.5,10.2z M66.2,10.2c1.5,0,3.4,1.4,3.4,3.2s-1.9,3.2-3.4,3.2c-1.5,0-2.6-0.4-2.6-2.1S64.8,10.2,66.2,10.2z M82.2,10.2c1.7,0.8,2.6,1.4,2.6,3.2s-0.1,3.2-1.6,3.2c-1.5,0-3.7-1.4-3.7-3.2S80.5,9.4,82.2,10.2zM98.6,10.2c1.5,0,2.6,0.4,2.6,2.1s-1.2,4.2-2.6,4.2c-1.5,0-3.7-0.4-3.7-2.1S97.1,10.2,98.6,10.2z M113.4,10.2c1.2,0,2.2,0.9,2.2,3.2s-0.1,3.2-1.3,3.2s-3.1-1.4-3.1-3.2S112.2,10.2,113.4,10.2z&#039;\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;);\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a50c225 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a50c225\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"references\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Referenzen<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e2f1b3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9e2f1b3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol style=\"padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/deutschlands-medizinischer-cannabismarkt-und-was-im-jahr-2025-gefahrdet-sein-konnte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lumino, &#8220;Germany&#8217;s Medical Cannabis Market &ndash; And What Could Be at Risk in 2025&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/sind-cannabisinvestoren-damit-fertig-die-ausstiegsmoglichkeiten-zu-verfolgen-einblicke-aus-dem-panel-von-ptmc-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lumino, \u201cSind Cannabis-Investoren damit fertig, auszuplaudern? Einblicke aus dem Panel-Workshop PTMC 2026\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/cannabis-anbauzyklus-von-der-saat-bis-zur-ernte-und-daruber-hinaus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lumino, &#8220;Cannabis Cultivation Lifecycle: From Seed to Harvest and Beyond&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growficient.com\/en\/how-irrigation-data-helps-portuguese-cannabis-growers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growficient, &#8220;How Irrigation Data Helps Portuguese Cannabis Growers Achieve Consistency and Quality&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Insights extracted from a focus group discussion at PTMC &ndash; Portugal Medical Cannabis on September 10, 2026. Panellists: Natalya Gray (Lumatek), Marco Belloni (Mediplant Supplies), Adriano Fernandes (CANNA), Hugo Pires&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-european-cannabis-events","category-european-cannabis-industry"],"views":25,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5435"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5452,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435\/revisions\/5452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luminorecruit.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}