The Off Topic Topic

[mongers]

The second largest exporter of agricultural products is....the Netherlands!!

In the world? Or in Europe?

Bound to be in the world; the Dutch do a lot of very clever food science and masses of food processing. 

[celedhring]

That is a lot of tulips.

That's actually part of the story indeed. A friend of mine runs a flower shop and most of their stuff is sourced from the Netherlands.

[Maladict]

The second largest exporter of agricultural products is....the Netherlands!!

In the world? Or in Europe?

In the world, but measured by value I think. Probably doesn't even include the flowers.

[Admiral Yi]

World!!!

Blows my mind that a country the size of an American state exports more than ag powerhouses like Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.

[celedhring]

World!!!

Blows my mind that a country the size of an American state exports more than ag powerhouses like Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.

The trick is that it probably doesn't export "more", rather "pricier".

[Maladict]

Interesting article explaining it:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming/

[Admiral Yi]

Paywalled!

[mongers]

Paywalled!

Graphic and link for you!



https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2017/01/20/agri-food-exports-achieve-record-high-in-2016

The export of agricultural products rose by over 3.6 billion euros (+4.4%) to 85 billion, the largest increase since 2011. The exports were mainly foodstuffs, such as vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat and processed products, in addition to high-quality floriculture. A noticeable factor is the increasing demand for Dutch agricultural materials, innovations and high-quality technology. Exports in this area totalled nearly 9 billion euros. Examples of such exports include energy-efficient greenhouses, precision agriculture systems (via GPS and drones) and new discoveries that make crops more resistant to the effects of climate change and diseases. In 2016, the import of agricultural products rose by 1.6% to 57.1 billion euros.

Minister for Agriculture Van Dam: "We have successfully reinforced our leading position in Europe and the world. Agri & food exports have significantly grown once more. "Made in Holland" is no longer a label reserved only for tulips and cheese. Our worldwide reputation in the field of agricultural knowledge and technology also continues to grow. In the future, we want to continue contributing to effective, healthy and sustainable food provision around the world. And our smart, innovative products and technology will allow us to do exactly that."

[celedhring]

Ah, of course, flowers and cheese 

[Valmy]

Wow. The Netherlands exports 8.7 billion Euros of tulips.

[Admiral Yi]

It's a bubble!

One thing that's odd is that the flower market in the US is a low margin industry we outsource to countries like Colombia.

Though that could be the difference between cut flowers and potted.

Surely farm equipment is not included in the total mentioned by the Economist, is it?

[crazy canuck]

Note that their largest export in the category is materials and tech.

[dps]

Note that their largest export in the category is materials and tech.

That would seem to include farm equipment.

[Valmy]

Note that their largest export in the category is materials and tech.

Just barely more than the flowers though.

[derspiess]

Aged Gouda is some damned good stuff.