'Farmer can play the supermarket online himself'

Ordering food online should be the combining force for the Dutch agricultural sector. Farmers and horticulturists can optimize contact with consumers and citizens by offering their products locally via an online platform. "The farmer can play for supermarket online himself."

This is what Kees Maas, one of the initiators of Boer Bewust, said on Tuesday 12 October an expert meeting on the occasion of Thank a Farmer Day and Dutch Food Week. The central theme there was how the appreciation of the farmer and horticulturist, both socially and in the food chain, can be further improved, literally and figuratively. According to Dirk Duijzer, chairman of the Agri&Food Top Sector, the Dutch citizen's appreciation of the farmers is fine. Polls consistently show the agricultural sector as one of the most respected sectors.

Added to this is the rapidly growing popularity for regional markets and farmers' shops, notes Ron Methorst, Lecturer for Environmentally Inclusive Entrepreneurship at Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten. "In the corona crisis, these local markets are booming been. Citizens wanted to go back to the origin of the food. That is very alive. Farming diversity can be used to respond to this. Create your own added value with your own products."

Your own supermarket within a year
In this trend Maas also sees the seeds for a possible joining of forces between agricultural entrepreneurs in agriculture and horticulture. After all, farmers and horticulturists can set up an online platform themselves, where they offer their products locally. Maas makes a comparison with online supermarket Picnic. "With current technology and knowledge of logistics and distribution, we can set up our own supermarket within a year."

This is confirmed by Ruud Tijssens, Director Public & Cooperative Affairs at Agrifirm. He also sees farmers 'developing a huge number of initiatives' to sell their products directly to citizens and consumers. "We are looking at how we can help them as Agrifirm. The focus is then mainly on strengthening the regional connection through local retail."

The 'local-for-local' trend is a good way to better inform consumers about the origin and production of food. Because this knowledge is still chronically lacking in generic terms, all participants of the meeting agreed. "The Dutch consumer does not really know where food comes from and what it contains. There is also a lack of appreciation for food and the farmer. The origin and production method must be made clearer than now," says Anita Scholte at Reimer , head of quality and sustainability at supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

Distribution of margins in the chain
The problem is that Dutch citizens are not aware of the value of food, notes Carin van Huët, Food&Agri director at Rabobank Nederland. Citizens think they spend about a quarter of their budget on food, but in reality this is 8%. "And that for the safest food produced. We need to change that perception." That is quite a task, says Gert Sikken, director of agro development at Cosun. "People have the feeling that food is quite expensive, but they spend relatively little on it."

The discussion is not so much about how much the Dutch consumer spends on food, but, according to Kees Maas, more about how the margins are distributed in the chain. "Thanks to the farmer, Dutch citizens only have to spend 8% of their income on food. We should be grateful to him for that." It is not easy to find out how more money can flow to the farmer for his sustainable food performance. Scholte op Reimer notes that Albert Heijn works together with fixed groups of farmers in closed chains for, among other things, chicken and dairy. "They receive a fixed fee for the extra performance they deliver and in this way we return the appreciation of our customers to the farmer. We now work with a thousand farmers in our fresh supply chains, so it is not a solution for all farmers. Consumers abroad should also appreciate the Dutch product."

There is still much to be gained in communication between farmers and citizens in order to further improve trust in each other. Aeres lecturer Methorst says that it is good to turn the image around as well. "What do farmers actually know about the citizen? Do they know why the citizen thinks this way and what keeps the citizen busy? That mindset is also necessary to know for yourself what you want to radiate and tell."

Technical solutions not always right
From that perspective, the agricultural sector does not always manage communication well, Menkhorst notes. "The sector is busy innovating, but sometimes forgets things. What about the meadow birds, what about the insects? These are things that we have to communicate well to the outside world." Agrifirm director Ruud Tijssens agrees. "It is a key point to also learn to listen and to ask the follow-up question: why are you saying this? We as a sector always respond technically, for example with a Recycling Guide or a Biodiversity Monitor. But that is not the real answer in communication to the citizen ."

Farmer Aware initiator Kees Maas also sees a polarization of the debate due to the current discussions about nitrogen and recent nitrate, in which the agricultural sector seems to be moving further away from the citizen. "We don't seem to be able to have a fair discussion with each other. The farmer doesn't feel that appreciation, because he speaks and hears people who promise him even more restrictions and rules."

A political toy
Casper Holl, head of agro-economic policy and food security at the Department of Agriculture, acknowledges that this is a complex issue. "In general, there are concerns about trust. The dialogue between the government and farmers has been complicated. The frontrunners in the agricultural sector like to sit at the table with us, but how do you get the middle group on board? That's what it's all about. We have hard European borders in some areas that we have to adhere to. Then we have to be strict and the farmer understands that. But farmers want clarity for the long term. As a civil servant, that is sometimes also frustrating when we don't because of the political choices that are made in The Hague or Brussels or sometimes elsewhere. You are sometimes a plaything of that. Continuity is really our top priority, although there are sometimes problems with hard deadlines that need to be solved. tension."

If the Dutch agri and food sector wants to maintain its current strong position, it must continue to play a strong role nationally and internationally. Only then can our country show its current innovative strength, for which it is internationally appreciated. "One thing that characterizes our sector is the international focus with high-quality export products," says LNV'er Holl. "The natural production boundaries in the Netherlands are coming into view or have sometimes been exceeded. What does that mean for the approach abroad? Should we operate less internationally and focus more inwardly? And what does this mean for the footprint of Dutch food imports, because 70% of the agricultural land we consume lies outside our national borders. Do we want to change that too?"

Change of the political frame
In these transitions, such as making business operations more sustainable and in protein, it remains important to keep the Dutch innovative strength at full strength, according to all participants. The fact that the Netherlands is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world, partly due to re-exports from the port of Rotterdam, is irrelevant in this regard. "If you want to remain an agricultural innovation country, you must be able to carry out all developments and transitions here. An innovation here can also be a solution to a problem elsewhere," says banker Van Huët. "The goal is not to be the number 2 exporter in the world", Casper Holl adds, "but the goal is to make our system more sustainable. That is a change of the political frame."

Eric the Thrush

Eric is a member of the editorial staff of Boerenbusiness. As a descendant of an arable family, farmer's blood flows through Eric's veins. He considers himself a generalist, but with a preference for economics, trends, markets and marketing.

e.delijster@boerenbusiness. Nl

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