The Netherlands is a major exporter of food and flowers. About half the Netherlands’ available land is used for agriculture – 60 percent of this land is allocated to livestock farming, and another 35 percent to arable farming.
The remaining 5 percent supports other forms of agriculture such as horticulture and organic farming.
Farm-land owners have always had to protect their holdings from inundation by the sea and the floodwaters of the Rhine and Maas rivers; almost all of southern Holland composes the delta of these two rivers. The lowest point in the Netherlands lies at 6.74 meters below sea levels.
The geographical location of the Netherlands and good infrastructure links provide excellent market access to European consumers – a fact reflected in 80% of Dutch exports being to other parts of the EU.
Dairy farming takes place mainly in the Friesland and North Holland provinces. In spites of a reduction in the number of dairy cows due to EEC quotas, improved efficiency has increased production of dairy products.
Agriculture and the sectors closely linked to agriculture such as food industry, make up around 10% of GDP. The development of Netherlands agriculture and horticulture in recent decades can be characterized in terms of expansion, intensification, increased productivity and farm enlargement.
Agriculture in Netherlands
