Plantum’s Grand Green Gala: Seeds for Food, Food for Thought

Plantum’s Grand Green Gala and Networking Event brought together media, decision makers, plant scientists, and sector organisation leaders from across the Netherlands for an afternoon of discussion in the run up to the world’s Fascination of Plants Day. Key takeaway: seeds and young plants-and thus food itself-are no longer just agricultural inputs; they are becoming strategic assets in an emerging era of great-power politics.

The event organiser, Plantum, is the industry body representing the Dutch plant reproduction material sector. It lobbies the Dutch government, the EU and international institutions on PBR, seed legislation, phytosanitary rules, trade policy and sustainability and innovation. Plantum also works with regulators such as the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and helps its members to navigate the sometimes rocky waters of export requirements, phyto protocols and market access barriers.

Industry networking and knowledge sharing are also central to Plantum’s mission, of which the celebration of the Fascination of Plants Day in the political heart of the Netherlands – The Hague – is a good example.

Leadership speakers inside a makeshift greenhouse

At the city‘s iconic Lange Voorhout, a broad, lime tree-lined avenue, known for its elegant mansions and royal palaces, Plantum welcomed industry professionals inside a makeshift greenhouse on Monday 11 May to celebrate the captivating world of plants.

Plantum welcomed industry professionals inside a makeshift greenhouse in The Hague.

To mark the occasion, the trade association hosted a mini-conference entitled ‘The Strategic Role of Food in a Changing World’ with political philosopher Paul Bosman (pictured right) of think-tank FoodFirst and Willem Schoustra, director of SeedNL as keynote speakers.

Their representation reflected a broader shift underway across Europe’s agricultural industries. Once largely insulated from geopolitical thinking, sectors such as seeds, plant breeding and food technology are increasingly confronting questions of strategic dependency, supply-chain resilience and economic sovereignty.

Great-power politics is back on the worldstage

“While industries tend to stay with the confines of their own sector, breaking boundaries is fun,” said Bosman in his initial comments. He added,  “But when you step outside your own circle and try to answer the world’s big questions you automatically enter a new era of great-power politics.”

Bosman sees geopolitical change on the horizon. He notes, “We have had a global health crisis causing massive disruption of the global supply chain, then Russia invaded Ukraine, while we are now amidst the extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz. My conclusion: disruption is here to stay and great-power politics are sadly back on the world stage.”

Bosman encouraged us to philosophise about the deeper sense of climate change, the rapid rise of technology  – what does it mean for human life, for society, for food safety, and our digital future and digital sovereignty?  “The interconnectedness of things is interesting but complex. I think it should be on the agenda of  the food, plant and ornamentals sectors. The bottom line is to become extremely knowledgeable about great-power competition just to avoid going down the same road,” he said.

Food trade is no longer neutral

Joining the conversation was Willem Schoustra, director of SeedNL and previously working as the Dutch Agricultural Counsellor to Vietnam and Thailand.

Founded in 2020, by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, Plantum, and the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO), SeedNL works as a knowledge broker and partnership catalyst in Dutch seed sector development. It aims to strengthen the seed sector in low-income countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Or, as Schoustra aptly puts it, ‘to bring the more informal world of business and the formal structures of ministries and politics together’.

Through partnership in countries such as Egypt, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the organisation does not sell any seed but focuses instead on ‘integrated seed development’ whereby it samples the sentiments in trade and politics abroad. In many countries, for example, there’s a desire to ‘sow the seeds of self-reliance’ and ultimately achieve seed autonomy.

Schoustra asked Bosman whether the return of great-power politics heralds the end of an era in which food trade was mostly neutral and seed sellers didn’t need to bother about strategic alliances?  Bosman said, “It will be increasingly difficult. We are exiting a period of relative calm in which a world of free trade allowed all of us to win. Now, conflicts are increasingly on the agenda in countries such as the USA, China and Russia as well as among other parties. At the same time in Africa, movements use anti-neocolonial themes. We should not beat around the bush in terms of our colonial legacy. Yet, if Africa shows a more assertive behaviour we can too. Tit-for-tat doesn’t need to be petty especially if it involves two winning parties.”

Power, market and  morale

According to Bosman, there are three ways to look at international relationships in terms of: power, market and morale. He observes a strong tendency to make moral judgements. “While in essence there’s nothing wrong with that, it begs the question whether this is beneficial in trade. Our reduced power might well be conflicting in the field of market and morale. At a given moment, we might no longer have the power to ask African businesses to become more sustainable or to respect women’s rights.”

To paraphrase Bosman’s words, someone from the audience used the metaphor of the merchant and the clergyman, two archetypical figures who shaped Dutch development policy. The first one approves aid for moral reasons, while the ‘merchant’ wants to see something in return.

Asked whether the Dutch should be more merchant than clergyman, Bosman said, “I reckon we should act a little more like a general. Each time we tend to move from the market to the morale and then back. Instead, we would welcome a more strategic approach. Which partnerships are we aiming for? With whom do we want to collaborate and with whom not. And which markets are too big in size?”

Superpower China

Regarding China’s emergence as superpower from a European perspective, Bosman says it requires courage and common sense. He noted, “There is something interesting going on in China over the past few decades. Industrially, the country has become self-reliant in commodities and energy, but food security remains a deeply rooted issue with Chinese policymakers.”
While the country is relatively self-sufficient in rice and wheat, it remains very dependent on soya imports needed for animal feed and edible oils. Meanwhile, a wealthier middle class shifted to a protein-based diet, leading to even bigger demand for soya.

Soyabeans are central to understanding China’s strategic vulnerability. The population of China represents 19.48 percent of the world´s total population which arguably means that roughly  one in every five people on the planet lives in China. At the same time, it has less than 10 percent of global arable land.

For years, the United States and Brazil became dominant suppliers of soya. This situation created strategic exposure.

During the US–China trade war, Beijing realised that agricultural imports could become geopolitical leverage. Washington imposed tariffs; China retaliated partly through agricultural purchasing decisions. Farmers became entangled in strategic competition and food imports were no longer seen as economically neutral.

Bosman says, “More recently, the Financial Times warned its readers that China’s next step will be obtaining self-reliance in food.  So, to a relative degree, our market will shrink.”

Diversifying markets

As power politics plays an important role in China’s food security strategy, one of the solutions is diversifying export markets and establishing partnerships in other countries. Alternatively, foreign exporters might build local partnerships with Chinese distributors or joint ventures to escape from national-level tensions. Either way: separating commercial relationships from political disputes is paramount.

Bosman’s advice to Dutch seed and young plant exporters: it is pointless to embark on great power politics yourself. “Take the Dutch agricultural innovation hub of Wageningen. Considering China’s market size and available venture capital, there’s no reason to believe that China is unable to replicate this model and outcompete us.”

Multilateralism is under pressure

Regarding alternative partnerships, someone from the audience asked the speakers whether the Netherlands should reap more benefits of partnerships as recently seen between Vietnam and Zambia. In March, these countries announced their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in agriculture, trade and economic development.

Bosman, “Multilateralism is under pressure whether it applies to the United Nations, FAO or other post-war institutions. They are being politicised. Either you decide to get rid of them and start doing great power politics or you reform these organisations so international collaboration will remain at the forefront.”

Schoustra, as a former diplomat in Vietnam and thus speaking on good authority, adds, “Zambia and Vietnam have a rather professional seed industry. Within the SeedNL family we often refer to these countries as an example of how letting in international companies allowed them to further their economy. Vietnam, for example, has a thriving seed sector, they breed their own seeds which can compete with the products of Plantum members.”

For the Dutch seed and young plant sector to gain or defend market share in an era of major power competition, it needs to think beyond commercial competitiveness and treat geopolitics as a strategic business variable. The sector has strong global advantages: breeding expertise, IP, greenhouse innovation, and reputation.

Securing the seed’s sector future

Final question to Bosman was how to convert those strengths into resilient geopolitical advantage. “If economies of scale no longer allow us to compete, we must specialise and deepen cooperation within the EU,” he said.

He compares the EU with a dike to protect us against international power politics. He also suggests more streamlined coordination from stakeholders such as ministries, and polishing the country’s export reputation.

In this context, Bosman recalled an African food ambassador speaking in the Netherlands on the occasion of World Food Day, who questioned the competence of the Dutch agricultural cluster, when, year after year, it cannot solve its nitrogen crisis.

For the Dutch seed and young plant sector, the message is clear: commercial excellence alone is no longer enough. In a world shaped increasingly by strategic rivalry, geopolitical awareness, resilient partnerships and deeper European cooperation may prove just as important as breeding innovation itself.

PLANTUM AT A GLANCE

Plantum is the Dutch industry body representing the plant reproduction material sector, focusing on breeding, propagation and cultivation of seeds and young plants. The Plantum ‘family’, including more than 300 members, supplies the starting material for a range of crops, grown organically, in a more conventional way or inside a high-tech greenhouse environment.  With 129 members, the ornamentals sector is typically well represented through Plantum, which this year celebrates its 25^th anniversary.

The Dutch plant reproduction material sector is a vital part of the country’s agroeconomy – with exports of vegetable seed, flower seed and young plants worth €5 billion.

While Plantum members export their products to 170 countries, more country-specific data show that Germany stayed at the top as the largest export destination, with exports worth €535,766,395. France and Spain come second and third, with export sales at €323,822,206 and €302,907,577 respectively.

FASCINATION OF PLANTS DAY

Launched in 2013, the Fascination of Plants Day is a global event (this year with the participation of 42 countries) that aims to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the vital role of plants. The event is held under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) and highlights how plant science contributes to food and nutritional security, environmental sustainability, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and human health.

The 8^th edition of the Fascination of Plants Day (FoPD), is scheduled from March to November 2026 with a traditional peak on 18 May.