'Know the local fertilizer market in Germany'

Germany can help to solve the Dutch manure problem. That is why De Boer Op Advies and Bureau Mest Afzet (BMA) organized a trade mission to the German state of Saxony-Anhalt in collaboration with the Agricultural Bureau of the Dutch Embassy in Berlin.

The 'pop-up editors' of Boerenbusiness took part in this mission and spoke to the organizers of the fattening mission.  

Germany more interesting than Poland
Lieke Boekhorst from De Boer On Advice, and organizer of the trade mission, says that many manure exporters are already finding their way in West Germany. Boekhorst: 'That is why this mission focuses on one federal state in East Germany. On paper, this is more interesting than, for example, Poland, because of the shorter transport distance.'

In a 2014 NMI (Nutrient Management Institute) report, Saxony-Anhalt emerged as an interesting state for the export of animal manure from the Netherlands. 'During this trip we try to make the wishes of German arable farmers more concrete.' The program also focuses on legislation and regulations in Germany. 'Due to its complexity, in practice this is often a stumbling block for manure exporters who want to do business outside the Netherlands.'

De Boer Op Advies mainly plays a connecting role between the various parties in the chain. Due to the good experiences, a new fattening journey is in the offing. 'Perhaps that is why we will organize a manure trip next year to, for example, Romania or France', says Boekhorst.

Knowledge of the local market
According to Kirsten Peeters, Agricultural Attaché at the Dutch embassy in Berlin, more than a quarter of total Dutch agricultural exports go to Germany. Specifically for manure export, two-thirds go from the Netherlands to Germany. Germany is therefore one of the most important trading partners for the Netherlands. Peeters: 'A good trade relationship goes further than just supplying a product, which is why we support this trade mission, which also focuses on knowledge exchange.'

In 2014, the NMI conducted a study into the export possibilities of fertilizer products to the eastern federal states in Germany. This was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Agricultural Bureau of the Dutch Embassy in Berlin. There Saxony-Anhalt emerged as one of the promising federal states. According to Peeters, having knowledge about the local agricultural structure, regulations, soil quality and nutrient requirements is important if entrepreneurs want to be able to sell their fertilizer products.

Pop-up editors
The 'pop-up editors' of Boerenbusiness reports this week from the state of Saxony-Anhalt (East Germany). There she is investigating the export possibilities of Dutch manure to that agricultural region. The 'pop-up editors' visit German arable farmers and follow Dutch manure processors and exporters.

All articles about this trade mission can be found here.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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