From 27 September to 2 October, Minister Silvio Erkens from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature will be visiting India. The purpose of the visit is to further strengthen the relationship between the Netherlands and India, especially in terms of international cooperation in the areas of agriculture, horticulture, sustainable food processing and innovative value chains.
‘India is a rapidly growing country and the agriculture sector is very important from an economic perspective,’ Minister Erkens explains. ‘And when it comes to agrifood innovation, India is quickly becoming a major world player. This presents economic opportunities for the Netherlands, owing in part to the country’s scale. We have a lot to offer India in terms of knowledge and innovation in areas such as seed improvement and greenhouses. The aim of this trip is to strengthen our trade relations and our broad partnership and to open the door for Dutch business in India.’
Trade partners
The Netherlands-India partnership focuses on sustainability, innovation and trade. More than 350 Dutch businesses are active in India, for instance in the potato and seed sectors, the poultry sector, the dairy industry and in horticulture. Opportunities for Dutch entrepreneurs in India lie mainly in the areas of seeds, sustainable crop protection, logistics, technology and knowledge sharing. The 18 Dutch businesses and organisations participating in this trade mission are all hoping to explore opportunities and strengthen ties in one of the most dynamic economies in the world.
First government visit
This will be the first time since the announcement of the Strategic Partnership between the Netherlands and India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in May that a member of the government is travelling to India. It will also be the first visit by a minister from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature since 2018.
In January 2026 negotiations on the EU-India trade agreement were concluded. This is important for the Netherlands, the EU and India from both geopolitical and economic perspectives. Now is therefore a good time for this visit and for the Netherlands to foster relations and strengthen cooperation with India.
Programme
The visit will begin on Monday 28 September with a substantive programme at the official residence of the Dutch ambassador in Delhi, and will include meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
On Tuesday 29 September Minister Erkens will visit Mumbai, where there will be a round-table breakfast with key business players, followed by the opening of the Anuga FoodTec expo, meetings with the Maharashtra government and a meeting with the seed sector.
From there the minister will head to Bangalore for a trade visit on Wednesday 30 September with a delegation of 18 Dutch businesses and an informal meeting with the Minister of Horticulture of the state of Karnataka.
On Thursday 1 October Minister Erkens will open the Agricon HortiConnect Expo and the Dutch pavilion. He will also visit the cold chain company NewCold from Breda, which is working hard to pave the way for the professionalisation of cold chain transport in India. The minister will conclude his trip with an agrifood innovation event with start-ups and scale-ups.