Netherlands to set up center of excellence in Kolkata

To impart Dutch expertise in agriculture, the Netherlands government is planning to set up a centre of excellence in Kolkata in collaboration with the state government.
A Dutch delegation, led by the Netherlands ambassador to India Alphonsus Stoelinga, met senior state government officials and reached a consensus on establishing the centre here.
"This will be a platform for both the governments in creating business opportunities in agriculture and work on joint projects. We will work on how Dutch knowledge can be brought in the field of agriculture in West Bengal," Anand Krishnan, deputy counsellor for agriculture, in the Netherlands embassy said here.

During an interactive session with members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, he said the centre would work in the field of agriculture, horticulture, meat processing, food processing and floriculture.
The Dutch government is also working to establish similar centres in Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerela.
Ambassador Stoelinga said their country could play a role in the Indian agricultural market because 35 per cent of the produce got lost in the food supply chain connenting the farmer to the consumer.

"Horticulture and agro-food sector are important for both the countries. India is a huge producer as well as a market in agriculture but the problem is in the supply chain," he said, adding that they have multiple solutions in the field.

"In Netherlands, you can eat mango every morning in the breakfast. Indians also want to have it everyday and they are ready to pay for it. The supply line should be made for it," the Ambassador said.
He said they have recently come up with an incubator centre for SMEs in Delhi.
"SMEs from the two countries can collaborate together to explore business opportunities in this centre," he said, adding that SMEs will play a major role in bilateral trade in the years to come.
The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India and the two-way trade has grown significantly to 6.38 billion Euro currently.