RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 66
More areas of focus
The company clearly wants to focus on other
Not just exports are being paid a lot of attention
areas. In order to strengthen across the board and
at this time – the breeding business is also under-
spread the risk, the new Board recruits employees
going a structural change. A 1971 survey of the
that will focus on a specific breeding area. This
strengths and weaknesses of the range of horti-
means that there will be ‘specialists’ at Rijk Zwaan
cultural seeds reveals that Rijk Zwaan is facing
in areas such as cucumber, tomato and sweet
a decline in the sale of a number of crops:
pepper crops.
lettuce and pole beans, broad beans, all types
of cabbage, tomatoes and carrots. Remarkably,
Sales force
with this inventory, discussed at a Board meeting,
Rijk Zwaan adapts its sales force to the new
founder Rijk Zwaan already foresees the potential
circumstances. This is in particular response to
of Dutch sweet peppers – which at that time were
the rise of plant breeders, which are becoming
not often available in the shops:
increasingly important for lettuce cultivation.
The price implications of this new development
for Rijk Zwaan have already been described. The
New Year advertisement highlighting
the company’s 50th anniversary in 1974.
‘This is an item that has been picking up fast
problem of an increasing proportion of sales
in recent years and is wholly owned by the
finding their way to a relatively small number of
Van den Berg 昀椀rm. It could be an important
wholesale customers and the consequences for
item. In The Westland alone, 100 hectares of
the sales force have already been touched upon.
sweet peppers are already being grown. In my
In the new situation, where the plant breeders are
opinion, if we adopt an intensive approach this
an important link between the growers and the
could also be an opportunity for our company.’
seed traders, Rijk Zwaan will continue to focus
directly on the growers. After all, it is the growers
who ultimately decide which variety to buy from
the plant breeders.
Economic stagnation
in the seventies
In the early 1970s, a large part of the business community had to contend with the consequences of sharply increased (wage) costs. The almost ceaseless growth since the Second
World War is giving way to stagnation and prompting reconsideration. Economic growth also
appears to have negative effects in other areas, including harmful effects on the environment.
The loss of fossil raw materials as a result of the oil crisis in 1973 further increases this
environmental awareness. Horticulture is also affected by the consequences of economic
stagnation and concern for the environment. The industry is looking for more efficient
cultivation methods, especially for energy-intensive greenhouse horticulture. The gardeners
know how to produce more with less and less surface area. Nevertheless, the total production
of horticultural products in the Netherlands is declining. In particular, lettuce cultivation,
which is important for Rijk Zwaan, showed a declining trend in the 1970s.
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Rijk Zwaan | Moving forward together
