Feeding the future

The Netherlands is the world’s third-largest exporter of agricultural products. The Dutch food production and processing industry encompasses many globally leading companies, such as Unilever and AVEBE, the world’s largest producer of potato starch. It is therefore no surprise that the level of agricultural and agrofood research, in both academia and industry, is exceptionally high.



The Netherlands is home to one of the largest agrofood cluster in the world, in terms of the number of people employed by more than 100 research-driven companies, a large variety of academic groups, and research institutes. Together, these entities employ 10,000 researchers, laboratory and technical staff.

Seminis plants its seeds in the Netherlands

Seminis is the world’s largest developer, grower and marketer of fruit and vegetable seeds, with its corporate headquarters in Oxnard, California. The company has been active in the Netherlands since 1994, when it acquired Petoseed / Royal Sluis, a Dutch vegetable seed company with research facilities in Wageningen. Initially, the main reason for the acquisition was the availability of qualified personnel – the Netherlands is renowned for its knowledge and experience in the vegetable seed business. But according to Anton van der Ven, Seminis director of R&D, Wageningen has proven to be an excellent location because of the availability of skilled personnel and the access to a wide range of soil types within a 20-kilometer radius. In addition, the nearby resources of Wageningen University and Research Center are important assets. Seminis plans to make its Dutch research center an integral part of its worldwide research network, which spans 49 research stations in 17 countries.