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The Netherlands is eyeing the Indian market for post-harvest technology and distribution solutions as the country gets ready to implement the Food Security legislation that promises cheap food to the poor.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Netherlands, Lilianne Ploumen, who was in India this week leading a delegation of representatives from 39 Dutch companies, said her country is looking at “everything” connected with the Food Bill. “I think Dutch entrepreneurs can play a significant role in making sure that the post harvest process can be improved and wastage is minimised,” the Minister told Business Line .
In India, wastage is largely connected with storage, lack of infrastructure and lack of facilities, the minister said.
“We can provide both technological expertise as well as our expertise in terms of how to organise distribution. I do think that there is a lot we can offer to India,” she said. Specialised companies in fields such as harvest optimisation, preservation, cold storage and transportation and optimal food processing were part of the minister’s delegation. “We have niche companies here that have made their mark in Netherlands. We have had a lot of fruitful meeting with Indian companies,” the Minister said. Ploumen, who met Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma during her visit, said both the countries saw many opportunities for growth in bilateral trade and have agreed to come up with a more formal framework of bilateral relations. “We have decided to come up with a Government to Government committee to deal with economic issues and to see how to expand the agenda for the meeting,” the Minister said.
India’s exports to the Netherlands in 2012-13 grew at 15.44 per cent to $10.56 billion whereas imports fell 8.16 per cent to $2.45 billion. The country is the sixth largest investor in terms of FDI inflows into India.
Dutch companies dealing with food security consultancy that were part of the delegation include ATS Koudetechniek, Ecorys, Kadaster and Schouten Europe. The delegation also had a host of companies dealing with transporation and infrastructure such as cold storage and irrigation such as Bosman, Broekman Logistics and Deltares - Soil and Groundwater Systems.
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