The Dutch seed sector - an overview

The close collaboration in the Dutch seed sector between the business community, the government, inspection bodies and the research and education sector, and its strong international focus, is what makes it unique. Building on this strong home base, the Netherlands is supporting the development of domestic seed sectors in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Quality seeds and strong domestic seed sectors all contribute to food and nutrition security.

Of the international trade in seeds for the horticulture sector, 40% originates in the Netherlands. For seed-potatoes, this percentage is as high as 60%. Dutch seed companies have branches in a hundred different countries, involved not only in sales but also in the production of seed. Niels Louwaars, director of industry association Plantum: “The internationalisation of the Dutch seed sector is proceeding rapidly. The number of branches of Dutch seed companies outside Europe has increased exponentially over the past few years.” That is not just good for the Dutch economy, but also for farmers and horticulturists worldwide. Quality seed is essential for them. Wherever you are, globally speaking, if you talk to a farmer, you will soon find the conversation turning to seed. Good seeds from good varieties, provided they have been properly cultivated, result in better harvests and resistance to prevalent diseases and pests, and give farmers and consumers value for money. Varieties that have been especially bred to contain higher vitamin or mineral levels combat malnutrition, and varieties that are more resistant to drought or have shorter growing seasons can offer a solution to climate change. Improving plant propagating material such as seed and seed-potatoes is therefore not only important for farmers: it also contributes to securing the food supply for a growing world population. A thriving seed sector – with businesses that are supported by sound government policy on issues such as plant breeders’ rights, effective inspection services and strong knowledge institutions – contributes significantly to a number of different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2, ending hunger.


“The Netherlands boasts a unique combination of strong, internationally eminent seed companies, an excellent regulatory framework that promotes innovation and guarantees quality seed and groundbreaking public-private research programmes,” says Geert Westenbrink, Senior Policy Officer at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. “The Netherlands also plays an active and often leading role in developing the various international treaties on seed,” adds Marien Valstar, Senior Policy Officer at the same ministry. This leading position is evidenced, for example, by the Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) ranking published by the World Bank, which evaluates the efficiency of countries’ agribusiness policies and regulations. The Netherlands is the number-one where seed regulations are concerned. The World Bank looks at aspects such as the availability of plant breeders’ rights, the ease with which new varieties can be registered and released and the quality of seed control measures.

That is why foreign governments are keen to work with the Netherlands to develop their own seed sectors. Partnership projects have been launched in many countries. Often, these will focus on improving the seed production chain. “Seed is not a simple input that comes from a factory, where you can adjust production to the expected demand, as with artificial fertilisers and pesticides,” Westenbrink explains. There is a whole chain of activities, from breeding to multiplication and distribution, that needs to take place before a farmer can access quality seeds. The seed sector is a sector in and of itself, and is a source of income for many farmers and seed companies.

The improvements realized in the partnership projects in turn stimulate Dutch companies to step up their investments and activities - not only by selling seeds and providing a wide range of high quality seeds, but also by producing seeds for the international market. The development of a thriving national seed sector ensures that farmers and horticulturist have access to a broad palette of quality products. The cooperation and trust built in partnerships also helps to solve any issues that Dutch business run up against. “In the seed sector, more so than in other sectors, sector support and the growth and development of seed companies can go hand in hand,” Westenbrink says. “By selling quality seed worldwide, and by supporting the development of local seed sectors in different countries, the Netherlands is contributing to achieving the SDGs.”


The business community, government agencies and other stakeholders need to join forces in order to create a well-developed seed sector and, by doing so, contribute to greater food and nutrition security. Westenbrink says this requires a good enabling environment: responsive government policy, well-functioning inspection services and a strong research and education sector. These areas have traditionally worked together effectively in the Netherlands.

Plant breeding is a knowledge-intensive industry. On average, Dutch seed companies spend about 15% of their turnover on R&D in order to guarantee improved plant varieties and seed quality, with some companies even investing nearly 30%. This shows that business continuity is dependent on innovation. The Netherlands is at the forefront of research and education in the plant sciences, due in part to the ongoing support it receives from the government. Wageningen University’s Plant Breeding degree programme is very popular among international students, and the Plant Sciences programmes in Amsterdam, Nijmegen and Utrecht also have very good reputations.


Inspection services that thoroughly monitor and review seed quality are indispensable to the seed sector. “The Dutch inspection bodies are world leaders,” says Valstar. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has final responsibility for the phytosanitary inspection of all imports and exports of plant material. The inspections are carried out by three bodies: the Netherlands Inspection Service for Horticulture (Naktuinbouw) for the horticulture sector, the Dutch General Inspection Service for Agricultural Seed and Seed Potatoes (NAK) for agricultural crops and the Flower Bulb Inspection Service (BKD) for flower bulbs. These services facilitate the worldwide export of propagating material and also contribute to the capacity building of inspection services elsewhere in the world.

Seed companies want to recoup their investment in the breeding of new varieties. To this end, it is important that appropriate arrangements for plant breeders’ rights are in place. The Netherlands plays a significant role in the development and promotion of plant breeders’ rights at the international level. Access to genetic resources is important too. After all, companies or public breeders can only breed new varieties if there is sufficient opportunity for the international exchange of genetic material. “The Netherlands plays a prominent role internationally in knowledge and policy development relating to propagating material, plant breeding and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture,” says Kim van Seeters, the National Authority on Access and Benefit-Sharing for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The objective is to ensure the proper implementation of the international agreements that are in place, so that breeders have access to diversity and the countries from which the genetic resources originate get a fair share of the benefits arising from their use. Funding the storage of seeds for the distant future – for example in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – forms part of this policy.

The Netherlands’ prominent position is the result of extensive consultation and coordination between the business community, inspection bodies, the research and education sector and policymakers, Marien Valstar concludes. “In the Netherlands, we’re used to taking a pragmatic approach to things – without making any compromises where the maintenance of quality standards is concerned, of course. The various parties involved work together closely, but it’s important that everyone remains aware of their own specific area of responsibility.”