The area agricultural land for the production of seeds and breeding material (such as young plants) has increased significantly in the period 2002 - 2018. The area of seeds and such for the so-called open field vegetables reached a record high of 2240 hectare in 2018. The area for the production of seeds for growing greenhouse vegetables increased a lot, by two thirds to 490 hectare - just a bit less than record year 2017, reports the CBS based on the Landbouwtelling in 2018.
The area agricultural land for the production of seeds and breeding material for open field vegetables increased significantly in 15 years. From 2002 up to and including 2014, the production are increased by 63 hectare annually on average. From 2015 to 2017 the average increase was 61 hectare. The periods 2002 - 2014 and 2015 - 2017 cannot be compared easily. For companies that produce seeds and breeding material for open field vegetables, a series breach occurred in 2015.
The area for the production of seeds and breeding material for greenhouse cultivation increased in the period 2002 - 2017 by 16 hectare on average.
Largest area for the production of spinach seeds
On about a fifth of the area for the production of vegetables seeds and breeding material for the open field cultivation, spinach seeds were bred, almost 425 hectare. Asparagus and winter leek held the second and third spot, with a cultivation area for seed production of respectively 380 and 250 hectare.
In 2017, the entire cultivation are for the production of vegetable seeds and breeding material in the open field cultivation was 2147 hectare.
Mostly in Limburg, North Brabant and North Holland
Almost all cultivation of vegetable seeds and breeding material for the open field in 2017 came from Limburg (32 percent), North Brabant (21 percent) and North Holland (15 percent). These three provinces together represent almost 70 percent of the total area for seed production in the Netherlands. The area increased in all provinces in the past 15 years.
Source: CBS