Jan Doldersum Rijk Zwaan

Jan Doldersum

An official trade mission to China by a Dutch party, led by minister Verhagen from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, will be marked this week by a Beijing event celebrating agricultural development in the Netherlands.

The Sino Dutch Agricultural Innovation Conference is aimed at sharing knowledge with the Chinese agricultural segment that will aid the country in coping with an increased demand for high-quality, safe and convenient food, as purchasing power increases among an expanding middle class.

One of the companies participating at the event is Rijk Zwaan, with chain manager Jan Doldersum taking to the stage alongside Tesco's Alastair James to explain how chain management could play an important role in the development of the Chinese vegetable sector.

'Together with a consortium of Dutch companies and research institutions, Rijk Zwaan is keen to share its knowledge and key technologies with the Chinese agricultural sector,' said Doldersum. 'By making our expertise in vegetable growing and marketing available to China, we are able to contribute to a very topical and challenging issue in the country - metropolitan food security.'