The East Netherlands, home to the Wageningen UR-Foodvalley Region of the Netherlands, will have a presence at REAP. Oost NL, the East Netherlands Development Agency, has joined Agri-TechE as a member and is keen to develop stronger relations with the UK agri-tech community by bringing a delegation to REAP 2020. The day before there will be a webinar “Meet the Dutch’ to introduce the team from Oost NL 9th November. Remco Lucassen, Trade Development Adviser at Oost NL, comments: “Agri-TechE membership was brought to our attention by one of the partners we work with in Norwich.
“As there is much to be gained for both regions from our cooperation, we are happy to be a member.
“East Anglia, in particular, is a region with a long agricultural history and very strong agro sector and we can bring expertise from, for example, Wageningen University and the agri-tech ecosystem from our region and connect the members of Agri-TechE to our region.” The East Netherlands attaches high value to relations with the UK. Marloes de Goeijen works as advisor new business UK at Oost NL.
She adds: “Hopefully, we can add synergy by acting on behalf of our region and co-create with Agri-TechE to foster new partnerships and innovative events.”
International scope
For Agri-TechE the membership of Oost NL strengthens further its international bridge building, as director Dr Belinda Clarke explains:
“By building links with centres of Agri-tech innovation worldwide we are creating mutually beneficial relationships. For early stage technology companies overseas expansion can be time-consuming and risky. By creating an environment where insiders introduce them to the ecosystem reduces these barriers. Our farmer members can also benefit from sharing best-practice and export opportunities.” The Wageningen UR-Foodvalley Region in the Netherlands is a primary knowledge-intensive agrifood ecosystem, characterized by many world-class innovative agrifood and food-related solutions and by cooperation between companies, knowledge institutions, education, and governments. Remco continues: “In this area you will find the largest concentration of innovative agrifood organisations. The collaboration possibilities between organisations, the availability of talent and the presence of Wageningen University & Research, has made the region the ‘place to be’ for innovative agrifood companies.”
The East Netherlands has particular strengths in:
- Agtech and innovation: stimulated by Wageningen University and the ecosystem that’s in place to accelerate innovations
- AgriTech Solutions: the University Twente
- Poultry related industry: Barneveld is the poultry capital of the Netherlands
- Animal Feed: large feed companies like De Heus, Agrifirm and ForFarmers are present
- Veal industry and processing of meat and food
- Fruit growing industry: Betuwe
- Food logistics
- Alternative proteins: there is a large concentration of companies active in plant based/ alternative proteins / Meat replacers such as Vivera, Beyond Meat, Ojah, Unilever.
Ahead of the REAP conference, REAP conference, Marloes will present an overview of East Netherlands and the agri sector and highlight the services available for British companies that are interested in European expansion (see details below about the webinar.)
We’re delighted to announce that the following businesses from the Netherlands will be exhibiting at REAP. All are particularly keen to connect with other REAP attendees and exhibitors and are looking forward to welcoming visitors to their digital booths. If you would like to schedule a meeting at the conference with any of the businesses listed below, please contact Alex Dinsdale.
AgriProgress supplies consultancy, training, and interim management to support businesses looking to develop into European maerkets. They are looking to meet UK companies exploring these markets, in particular, those involved in precision agriculture, soil sensors and robotic machinery and equipment.
AgriWatch BV supplies geospatial services for precision agriculture, based around affordable remote sensing and data acquisition, to help its customers make better decisions. They would be keen to speak to UK farmer & grower businesses interested in learning more about the opportunities offered by remote sensing, and businesses which provide technical support services to farm businesses.
Amstel Agro manufactures fertiliser products which provide, and improve uptake by plants of, silicon and silicon compounds, for better crop development, improved resilience and higher yields. They’re interested in talking to both UK agro-chemical distributors and end-users, in particular businesses growing tomatoes, apples and roses.
Drone4Agro supplies drones with extra-large payloads of up to 500kg, for use in irrigation & spraying. Controlled using GPS, the drones automatically take off, fly and spray crops with 2 cm accuracy. They’re keen to speak to farmers & growers who are interested in automated and targeted watering and chemical application (including fertiliser), for example on inaccessible land inaccessible such as slopes, orchards and wet ground.
Huizing Harvest BV offers technical support, operator training, harvest optimization, equipment checks, installation of machines and machinery modifications to machinery businesses establishing operations in new geographies. They are looking to meet manufacturers and exporters of agricultural machinery and equipment who are looking for HR support in other markets (service engineers, installation specialists etc).
Kubota Innovation Center Europe focuses on the creation of new business ventures, products, and services in agriculture. The Center acts as a venture arm of the Group and invests in promising agri-tech start-ups & advanced technologies, with a focus on specialty crops including fruit, vegetables & wine, as well as in hay & forage automation. They’re really keen to speak to agri-tech start-ups and early-stage businesses looking to expand in Europe, as well as those seeking investment. It is also seeking collaboration opportunities with existing businesses.
RMA BV provides decision-support for irrigation and crop protection in arable, vegetable and fruit crops. The company employs a range of sensors, related software, forecasting, disease models and agronomic advice to support growers in managing irrigation and controlling disease & pests. RMA BV would like to speak to farmers & growers, and companies providing technical & agronomic services to farming businesses.
You’ll be able to ‘swing by for a chat’ the digital booths of these exhibitors on the day itself but if you’d like to schedule a meeting in advance please contact Alex Dinsdale
Webinar – Meet the Dutch – 9th November
You can find out more about opportunities, and the agri-tech sector in the Netherlands at a webinar on Monday 9th of November, 10am – 11.30 GMT. You’ll get to hear from various guest speakers at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in London, and the Dutch mission delegates (described above) will also be presented. The webinar is free to attend and will be run via MS Teams. Click here to register by email.
- Opening – Michiel van Deursen, NBCC
- Presentation about the East Netherlands Region – Marloes de Goeijen, Oost NL
- Opportunities for Dutch and UK companies – Bas Harbers, Agricultural advisor Dutch embassy London
- Introduction Dutch Trade Mission Participants – Michiel van Deursen – NBCC
- Supporting words – Andrew Wood, Dutch Honorary Consul in East Anglia
- Practical information and Q&A – Michiel Martijn, NBCC/Oost NL
For more information and to reserve your place, click here to register by email.
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