OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2008. The Netherlands intends to participate in a number of investment projects in the Belarusian agricultural industry, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands to Poland and Belarus on concurrent Marnix Krop at the first Netherlands-Belarus scientific and practical forum on November 27. The event is hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB).

According to the diplomat, Dutch businessmen and entrepreneurs working in agriculture praise Belarus’ intentions to modernize its agriculture and introduce latest technologies. “The Dutch business circles are ready to offer all this and invest their own money in the Belarusian economy on mutually beneficial terms,” Marnix Krop underlined.

“The Netherlands is not just a country of tulips and roses, it products all kinds of agricultural products, including high-yielding potatoes and cereals and high-producing breeding stock. The Netherlands is world’s second largest agricultural exporter (after the United States) for a reason,” the Ambassador underlined.

According to him, the agricultural potential of any country is determined by the level of raw materials processing. The analysis reveals that Belarus strongly needs new technologies in the processing and storing of vegetables and potatoes. Dutch companies are ready to offer Belarus such technologies.

The companies actively operating on the Belarusian market include Agrotech Didam B.V. (greenhouse supplies), Klubnikoplantax (production of strawberry), Heineken (feed grain sales) and other companies.

The Ambassador underlined that the Netherlands is a co-founder of the European Union and leads the European food quality policy. By investing in the Belarusian agricultural sector, representatives of Dutch companies will contribute to the promotion of the Belarusian production on the European market, he said.

Apart from that, the Netherlands has acquired a considerable experience in breeding high-producing dairy herd and is ready to share new cattle-breeding technologies by organizing special master classes in Belarus.

According to the estimates of international experts, Belarus is becoming most promising CIS country in terms of investment. Belarus has a stable economic development, attractive investment climate and projected legal framework for investment, Marnix Krop underlined.