01 Message from Hans Huistra

Royal HZPC Group B.V. consists of two strong trading centres, HZPC and STET, and is a leading breeder. That is a fantastic combination; we create amazing new varieties, know how to introduce them effectively and understand how we can support the market.

We remain committed to further growth. The Netherlands is still the largest exporting country of seed potatoes worldwide. We cherish our home market and continue to strive for growth here too. A high payout price is essential in this context, so that it remains attractive for our growers to grow seed potatoes despite the risks and challenges.

The potato remains the crop of choice to feed the world's growing population. Especially when you consider water requirements, yield per hectare, nutritional value and the fact that you find the potato in cuisines all over the world. The global market is growing and we can still expand our market share. In doing so, besides the Netherlands, we also focus on our robust markets in Europe, such as France, Germany, the UK, Poland and Finland. We are also concentrating on accelerated growth in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Licensing is our main growth driver and is essential for investment and acceleration in research.

Resilience Revolution, our theme today, is all about agility and resilience. You should see that clearly reflected in varieties, but also in the organisation, where we are all driven to take a step forward every day. Our organisation could be even faster, more agile and more customer-oriented. This will allow us to accelerate by bringing new varieties from classical breeding and hybrid varieties to the market. Resilience Revolution is also the sum of all the collaboration in the chain. Our CSR programme focuses on working with our chain partners to develop varieties that are resistant to climate change, suit local growing conditions and contribute to sustainable yields. This revolution is not just about genetics and innovation, but about strengthening the whole chain - from knowledge sharing to fair cooperation - so that we contribute to a more stable food supply worldwide. The momentum and necessity exist already. Our vision of contributing to feeding the world motivates us every day.

We are increasingly good at growing our varieties. With new cultivation techniques, you can achieve even more with existing and new varieties. However, good genetics and solid resistance packages alone are not enough. To ensure we all grow together in this context, we support growers by facilitating knowledge, expertise and cooperation, while always ensuring the grower’s freedom is maintained.

My first year as CEO of Royal HZPC Group B.V. is now complete. On 1 September 2024, I took over from Gerard Backx and he and his management team made sure I got off to a flying start. I also made a tour of all the company's fields. It is clear that we have a robust organisation. Together with our employees, growers, customers and partners, we work every day to build an agile and resilient future. And I look to the future with confidence.

Hans Huistra