Plantum director Michiel Klompenhouwer, in the office with fittingly plant-themed wallpaper. Photo: Steijn van Schie
Without seeds there is no harvest. The trade association Plantum ensures that Dutch plant breeders can continue to supply and renew their propagating material worldwide.
‘This sector is not about today or tomorrow, but about the long term’, says Michiel Klompenhouwer, who has been director of Plantum for ten months. The trade association represents more than three hundred companies active in the breeding, propagation and growing of seeds and young plants. Ranging from one-man operations to multinationals, they span the full breadth of agriculture, food production and ornamental horticulture. ‘Our role is to create an ecosystem in which members can do what they do best: develop varieties and supply propagating material that forms the foundation of our food supply.’
Heavyweight
That foundation is of global significance, Klompenhouwer explains. The Netherlands supplies 30 to 35 per cent of the worldwide trade in vegetable seeds, half of all seed potatoes, and is also a heavyweight in ornamental horticulture. ‘The plant breeding sector is a true gem in the Netherlands. We export billions’ worth of seeds and plants every year.’ The Netherlands is also at the forefront of innovation: companies invest an average of 15 per cent of their turnover in research, and in vegetable seeds that figure can rise to 30 per cent.
To maintain that position, Plantum must constantly adapt. The association advocates for its members’ interests in The Hague and Brussels, maintains relationships with agricultural attachés abroad, and works to ensure smooth market access. ‘Without proper agreements, our seeds simply don’t get through customs. And without clarity on phytosanitary rules and variety registration, trade grinds to a halt.’
Legislation on intellectual property also plays a major role. Plant breeders’ rights with a breeding exemption enable innovation, but patents can block access to genetic material. ‘We support protection, but not when it stifles innovation. It is crucial that the gene pool remains broadly accessible.’
Urgent
Developing robust crops is an urgent issue. Europe has set itself the ambition of reducing the use of chemical crop protection products by around 50 per cent by 2030, relative to the 2015–2017 period. ‘Breeders are therefore investing heavily in resistance to diseases and pests – that is by far the highest priority for our members’, says Klompenhouwer. Critics question whether the sector is making that transition quickly enough. Klompenhouwer acknowledges that the reality is challenging: ‘Everyone wants to meet that target, but we have to be realistic. During major outbreaks you still need to be able to intervene, otherwise too much is lost. And the approval of biological control products needs to be faster and simpler. Otherwise 2030 will be very ambitious, if not unachievable.’
‘You need to work together to breed for complex problems, such as abiotic stress tolerance’
New techniques can also help. New genomic techniques (NGTs), such as CRISPR-Cas, make breeding more efficient and precise, but in Europe they still fall under strict GMO legislation. ‘That is frustrating, because elsewhere they are already being applied. We have a great deal of contact with Members of the European Parliament to explain why that legislation is not appropriate for NGTs.’
Alongside advocacy, Plantum functions primarily as a knowledge centre. More than half of its activities consist of advising members through knowledge sessions and symposia on market developments, legislation or research. Crop-specific working groups and thematic committees bring members together. ‘Smaller companies in particular benefit, because they do not always have the capacity to follow every dossier themselves. By sharing non-competitive information and tackling common issues together, members strengthen one another and the sector as a whole.’
Stress tolerance
That interplay is what makes the association unique, according to Klompenhouwer. ‘It is a broad sector, from potato to carnation. But some issues affect everyone. Climate change, for example, is forcing the development of varieties that can better withstand drought, salinisation or temperature fluctuations. You need to work together to breed for complex problems, such as abiotic stress tolerance.’
For Klompenhouwer himself, the transition from twenty years in banking to the world of seeds has proved surprisingly natural. ‘I am an environmental economist, not a plant breeder. But this has now become entirely my world. It is fascinating to see how our members work on solutions for food security and sustainability. Without good propagating material, not a single grower or farmer anywhere in the world can produce anything. Plantum wants to ensure that members can continue to supply that propagating material – now and in the future.’
COMPANY: Plantum
PRODUCT: advocacy, knowledge sharing and sector development for the seed and plant industry
STRUCTURE: trade association (non-profit organisation)
LOCATION: Gouda
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 21
YEAR FOUNDED: 2010 (merger of various trade organisations)
TURNOVER: not applicable
WEBSITE: plantum.nl
NOTABLE FACTS: represents more than three hundred companies in plant breeding, propagation and growing; from sole traders to multinationals