Westland welcomes the world - World Horti Center
29.03.2019

Westland welcomes the world

The Netherlands exports more than 90 billion euro worth of agricultural goods every year. Greenhouse horticulture plays an important role in this. Our greenhouse horticulture is amongst the best in the world, thanks to the constant attention paid to innovation and research and the joining of forces within the sector. A good example of the latter is the World Horti Center in Westland, which was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Máxima on 7 March.

Businesses, government bodies, research institutes and educational institutions work closely together here to raise greenhouse horticulture to an even higher level. This is not just about enhanced production and greater efficiency, but also about food safety, reducing consumption of water and energy, and encouraging healthier eating. Innovation in the floriculture sector also plays an important role within the centre. For example, it has facilities to measure to 2 decimal places the amount of water and nutrients that a lisianthus consumes so that the cultivation conditions can be perfectly matched to that.

World Horti Center is an international shop window for Dutch greenhouse horticulture. Initiator Peet van Adrichem says: “The whole world comes here to see for themselves what the Netherlands has to offer across the horticulture sector. The great thing is that you also get a good overview here of how everything fits together.” Research, work and learning merge seamlessly in the building: 1,200 students are on an MBO (intermediate vocational education) course.

Published in the Royal Household 2018 annual report

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