Shandong Province is by far the largest production region for fruit and vegetables in China. This can also provide opportunities for Dutch companies in all parts of the chain. Sichuan Province: wants to develop the horticultural sector rapidly, especially floriculture. For this, they receive strong support from the national Ministry of Agriculture. Dalian City: wants to become an important flower center in northeast China. Although it is still in its infancy, this ambition gets a lot ofsupport from the local government. Tianjin Province: large greenhouse project with strong support from the local government is being developed. Several Dutch companies are already involved. Hebei, Jiangsu Provinces: major greenhouse projects are in the pipeline. There are partnerships with Province of South-Holland and City of Westland. Fujian Province: high ambitions for the agricultural and horticultural sector, in close corporation with Wageningen University, making use of the Sino-European Agricultural Development Center in Zhangzhou. For the vast majority of the horticultural industry in China, the state of the art and cultivation knowledge is at a low level. For instance, the tomato production is usually only 20 to 25 kg per m2 per year, compared with 60 to 70 kg in the Netherlands. Cultivation is usually done in non-heated tunnel greenhouses or one-wall greenhouses (“solar greenhouses”). Technical improvements are slow, due to unfamiliarity with the benefits of improved technology, financing constraints and insufficient attention to cultivation knowledge.

Horticulture opportunities in China (2)