Vegetable seed company Rijk Zwaan has called on the supply chain to work together to meet the rising demand for organic produce across Europe and North America.
The company says that the organic market has expanded from $18 billion to $100 billion over the last 18 years, and while it welcomes the potential market, it also warns, ‘Growing organically requires additional attention from all partners in the chain. Starting with the grower, legislation makes it challenging to grow organically. Rijk Zwaan is aware of this challenge and is helping growers to adhere to the latest regulations, but also to choose the right varieties to create an interesting range of products on the shelf.’
As a result the company has announced plans to focus on organics in its communications and forthcoming events, as well as developing some specific events for its organic partners. Heleen Bos, marketing specialist for Organics at Rijk Zwaan, said, “Our aim is to share our knowledge with our partners, to bring the organic category to the next level. Providing technical knowledge about varieties, growing conditions and legislation, as well as market knowledge and consumer trends helps everyone in our chain. We strongly believe that working together will make us stronger and ensure healthy growth in organics.
“We continue to follow trends and market information and our plant breeding department will have some very interesting varieties coming soon. Cooperation is the key for us to become stronger together to ensure healthy growth in organics.”
Picture caption: Rijk Zwaan wants to boost its profile in the organic sector
Photo source: Rijk Zwaan