Hazera recently organized its 8th Onion Study Tour. During this week the organization welcomed key relations, like onion growers, processors and packers, from all over the world for an onion program in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is a global leader in onions and is well-known as a year-round exporter of high quality onions. Currently the Netherlands holds twelfth position on the global list of onion growing countries. In global export however, the Netherlands is the market leader, holding 15% market share with export to over 130 countries worldwide.
Onion Study Tour
The Onion Study Tour started with a visit to our Allium breeding Station in Rilland, where Hazera exhibited their breeding program and their research facilities in the Extra Long Day segment.
Hazera is committed to creating new varieties with better yields, disease resistances, storage and processing qualities. Alongside high yield and quality, their breeders focus on characteristics such as earliness, storage performance, firmness, dormancy and uniformity. To develop the varieties of the future, breeders work in close collaboration with the whole chain.
On Wednesday, a presentation was given by Wiskerke Onions, a company that specializes in processing, packaging and distribution of a wide range of onions worldwide.
Afterwards the tour group visited Kloosterboer, a company that offers sustainable solutions in the supply chain for temperature-controlled food products. The group ended the visit at Kloosterboer with a small tour through the harbor of Vlissingen, a strategic location for the export of Dutch onions.
In the afternoon the group went to see MSP Onions, an exporting company who are now working on constructing a brand new processing and packing facility.
On Thursday the tour group went to Waterman Onions. The company dries, sorts, packs and ships around 120.000 tons of onions across the world each year.
In the afternoon, the program featured several guest speakers. Chris de Visser from Uireka began the talks. Uireka is a three-year project with the aim to improve and strengthen the export position of the Dutch Onion. To achieve this, the forces from the entire chain have been combined.
Afterwards Hans van den Oever from Mooij Agro talked to the group about ventilation and storage solutions, and climate control systems.
The afternoon was concluded by Peter van Duijn from Koppert Biological Systems. He discussed the use of natural enemies and micro-organisms to combat pests and plant diseases, bumblebees for natural pollination and bio-stimulants that support and strengthen the crops above and below ground.
We ended the week with a visit to Flevotrade, an exporter, grower-packer and shipper of Dutch Onions, as well as other products.
Of course, fun leisure activities were also in the program, including a boat trip through Rotterdam and a visit to Neeltje Jans, an enormous surge barrier that protects the province of Zeeland against flooding.
For more information:
Hazera
Caroline Schonck
Tel: +31 162 680 970
Email: caroline.schonck@hazera.com
www.hazera.nl