The 23rd HortiflorExpo IPM was held successfully from 15 to 17 April in Shanghai. This is the second-largest trade fair worldwide, and the largest in Asia for Floriculture, Horticulture, and the garden industry. This year, there were 26 Dutch companies that joined the Netherlands Pavilion, and there were even more Dutch companies outside of the Netherlands Pavilion.
The Netherlands Pavilion is the largest international group in the HortiflorExpo IPM. The orange-colored Netherlands Pavilion attracted many visitors. Mr. Liangping Zhao, Vice President, China Flower Association, the organizer of the HortiflorExpo IPM expressed his appreciation for the Netherlands Pavilion and the exhibitors from the Netherlands.
During the fair, the Consulate General in Shanghai and the Embassy in Beijing organized a Seminar on “Sustainable Pathways towards the next generation of Horticulture – Examples in the Netherlands”. The team shared four topics with the exhibitors and visitors:
1. Next generation of new technologies in the Hi-tech Greenhouse in the Netherlands.
2. Application of digital cloud computing in facility agriculture.
3. New strategies on sustainable plant breeding.
4.Opportunities for future Sino-Dutch cooperation in facility agriculture.
The seminar was well attended and presenters had informative interactions with the audience. The seminar is supported by the Shanghai Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commission (SARAC). Mr. Guoyu Wei from SARAC delivered a keynote speech on promoting the high-quality flower industry in Shanghai. More than 70 people from all over China participated in this seminar.
Roundtable discussion
The team also organized a roundtable discussion for Dutch Companies in Facility Horticultural industry. Mr. Changji Zhou, the Deputy Director of the Planning and Design Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, introduced the financial instruments and provincial policies for greenhouse builders and local farmers. Mr. Zhenhe Zhang, the Former Chief Expert of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, introduced the variations of the market for vegetable, fruits, and flowers production. China has the largest area for facility agriculture and the Netherlands owns the best practices and technologies in this field. The potential market for the Dutch companies is large but with great challenges. Two experts indicated the future challenges for facility horticulture development in China and they provided suggestions for Dutch companies to develop their business in China in the future.
Bilateral corporation
On the first day of the 23rd Hortiflorexpo IPM, Mr. Wouter Verhey, Agricultural Counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing had a close discussion with Mr. Liangping Zhang, Vice President of the China Flower Association on bilateral corporation in Horticulture sector. In 2022, the International Horticulture Expo - Floriade Almere 2022 will be held in Almere, the Netherlands. And China is planning to participate with a Chinese Garden. During the meeting, they discussed the status of the preparation and further needed steps for the Chinese Garden.
The Netherlands and China are collaborating on horticulture and the facility agriculture sector for almost three decades. Nowadays, the cooperation in facility agriculture is slowly shifting from only exporting equipment and products to also providing training and knowledge. There is demand for not only high-tech but also medium-tech greenhouses in China. The need for training farmers to operate the greenhouse exists. There are opportunities for Dutch companies in this sector but challenges also exist.
For more information:
Ministry of agriculture, nature and food quality of the Netherlands
www.government.nl/en