State Secretary Dijksma visits Koppert México

Sharon Dijksma, Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs, paid a two day official working visit to México on 2 March 2015. Dijksma was accompanied by 25 Dutch organisations on a trade mission focusing on the agricultural sector. Koppert México was part of the programme.

Dijksma visited Koppert Biological Systems together with Dolf Hogewoning, the Dutch ambassador to México. Rigoberto Bueno Partida, the general manager of Koppert México, provided an extensive tour that naturally included the innovative bumblebee production centre. The production of bumblebees at Koppert México is the largest in North or South America.

'Koppert México's success is partially due to our close collaboration with our headquarters in the Netherlands. In addition to our high-quality standards for natural enemies, our focus on service and quality enables us to deliver our products throughout México in perfect condition,' explains Bueno Partida. He goes on to say, 'Koppert is continuously looking to collaborate with nature in every branch of the chain. This is reflected, for example, in our collaborations with Ceickor Rappel, Ceickor University, and Ceickor Berries. Our relationships with companies like Nature Sweet, Rancho La Mision and Los Pinos are also important factors in our collaboration with nature.'

Koppert's new mission and its tagline 'Partners with Nature' appealed personally to State Secretary Dijksma. Dijksma explained that, in her function, she is responsible for supporting nature and biodiversity. Every day she looks for ways to stimulate the partnership between nature and both the agricultural and horticultural sectors.

During the trade mission, Dijksma spoke with Mexican Agriculture Minister Enrique Martínez about key themes such as cooperation in the field of agrologistics and agroparks, access of Dutch pears in the Mexican market, and collaboration between the poultry and horticultural sectors.

Dijksma not only believes that México is an interesting market for the Dutch agricultural sector, but also that the Central American country offers an alternative to the Russian market. As she says, 'The Russian boycott of horticultural products makes it clear that you shouldn't put all of your eggs into one basket.'