The Netherlands
June 5, 2024
The brochure 'Dutch seeds: Innovation with a global reach' was recently published. It discusses the knowledge infrastructure and seed industry in the Netherlands. You can find more information about this brochure and where to read it in this article.
Beeld: ©Rijk Zwaan
In order to reach the Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, access to good quality seeds is essential. As Marten van den Berg, Director-General Agro at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, says in the preface, "Good, healthy seeds are fundamental for sustainable, good food production and every farmer should have access to seeds of a good quality."
The seed sector in the Netherlands
The seed sector in the Netherlands is diverse with over 200 plant breeding companies and over 7,000 propagators working in feed, arable, vegetable, fruit and ornamental crops. The sector develops new varieties and produces and markets plant reproductive materials for use in agriculture and horticulture. This includes seeds, bulbs, roots, tubers, cuttings and young plants. In 2023, the plant reproductive materials export in the Netherlands valued at over €5 billion euros.
The Netherlands has a favorable business and innovation climate, giving rise to many globally active family-owned companies and cooperatives. Many international seed companies have also settled in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the backbone of agri- and horticulture and especially the seed sector’s development has become the knowledge infrastructure in the Netherlands with excellent plant sciences at universities and a culture of public-private cooperation in research.
Dutch seeds: Innovation with a global reach
The goal of the brochure 'Dutch seeds: Innovation with a global reach' is to provide an overview of the knowledge infrastructure as well as the seed industry in the Netherlands. Written in public-private cooperation, the brochure also addreses new developments and state of the art innovation programs.
Interested in reading the brochure? You can download it here.
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