Shouguang Vegetable Industry Holding Group, known more commonly as CSV, has started work on a major new commercial centre near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, underlining China's increasingly important role in the global horticulture business.
CSV is understood to have purchased a 50,000m2 glasshouse facility in Lansingerland, between Rotterdam and Zoetermeer in the west of the country, at the end of last year and has invited Dutch firm Eekhout Bouw to construct what will be its European headquarters alongside the facility.
Based in Shandong Province, over the past 15 years the group has established itself as a major player in the Chinese vegetable industry and now sees good potential to expand its reach into the European market.
'Our overall ambition is to build a platform for cooperation and exchange between the horticulture sectors of China and the Netherlands,' commented Ding Junyang, vice-president of CSV. 'By investing in Lansingerland and building this platform, we are convinced that both the WestHolland region and CSV will reap the fruits of enhanced cooperation between China and the Netherlands in the area of horticulture.'
As well as growing and packing a range of vegetables – including value-added lines – at the new centre, the company said it also planned to carry out research and development for seed breeding and vegetable production, as well as offering training courses on food safety.
According to Mr Ding, the reasons for investing in the Netherlands were clear. 'Lansingerland is one of the most advanced and developed greenhouse areas in the world, where many vegetable growers apply high-tech methods to grow their products,' he explained. 'Also, many leading greenhouse companies and research institutes are located in this region. Therefore we chose Lansingerland to locate our business and become part of the Dutch horticulture industry.'
CSV's working relationship with local partners including the WestHolland Foreign Investment Agency has been extremely pleasant, according to Gérard van Bracht, CSV's Dutch representative.
'From the moment our company showed interest in investing in the WestHolland region, they helped us acquiring information, finding a suitable location and ensured a soft landing for our company,' he noted. 'They also helped us in bridging the cultural gaps and avoiding some pitfalls that foreign companies encounter when investing abroad. Once we were settled in Lansingerland, the WFIA continued to support our business by establishing new contacts, providing a vibrant networking community, answering practical questions and more generally getting connected with the Netherlands.'
