Mission shows potential of Chinese horticulture

The Netherlands is again proving to be a very substantial partner in the development of China’s promising horticulture and agriculture sectors. Last week, during the Dutch Economic Mission to China, about 248 million euros in business was sealed as part of the 36 contracts and MoUs that were signed.

The Ridder Group also successfully participated in the mission and signed a total of five MoUs in the presence of Dutch PM Mark Rutte, Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten and several high placed Chinese officials. The MoUs will enable the Ridder Group to jump-start several advanced projects and foster strategic partnerships with their Chinese counterparts.

Strong demand for adaptive technology
“During this mission it once again became very clear that the horticulture market in China is growing rapidly, generating a strong demand for smart and adaptive technology from the Netherlands”, said Klaas van de Poppe, CEO of the Ridder Group. “The industry thrives and due to many projects and investments there is a lot of demand for the supply of both knowledge and technology.”

New projects and partnerships
The signed MoUs and contracts cover a variety of new projects and partnerships. Fulco Wijdooge, GM of Ridder China, explained that a lot of the new developments in the Chinese horticultural industry are capitalized by investors from outside the horticulture industry. “After helping to successfully implement their initial horticultural projects, we are now working on optimizing their new greenhouses and vertical farms, strengthening our strategic cooperation to supply China with more tasty, healthy and abundant vegetables.”

Modernization
Among the new projects are several partnerships with local Chinese universities and strategic partners to upgrade and expand China’s modern agricultural sector and enhance innovation and education. Besides, a contract was signed for the development of commercial indoor plant factories with artificial light. Another agreement disclosed a large scale multi-acre greenhouse project.

Strong local support
“Combining our technologies with service and support from our local office were essential to gain the trust of our Chinese clients and partners”, said Wijdooge. This was also affirmed by Van de Poppe; “The signing of the MoUs are the result of the commitment of our local office in Shanghai led by Fulco and his team. These new contracts will give us a good starting point for new projects with our Chinese partners.

For more information:
Ridder Group
www.ridder.com