Agriprogress

Agri & Food

Pieter Helfferich (www.agriprogress.com) has been active in the international agribusiness since the nineties of the last century. He began by auditing compound agricultural and feed companies and implementing improvement plans in the Netherlands and Germany. Helfferich: “In the Netherlands, this is something we do very well, while the Germans can still learn a thing or two.” Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, Pieter became active in Eastern Europe. Pieter: “We were mostly picking up the pieces left behind by communism.” With the contribution of knowledge from the Netherlands, the Eastern European agriculture industry as well as the food industry were reformed. Pieter actively seeks to leverage these opportunities for Dutch businesses. In Eastern Europe, the focus is on increasing productivity and improving yields. In the Netherlands, they aim to work on new concepts with nature, including farms, circular economics, sustainable energy, fair prices and animal welfare.

Agricultural opportunities for Romania

In addition to Ukraine, the Netherlands and Bulgaria, the focus is particularly on Romania. Pieter holds office in Bucharest: ‘Agriprogress SRL’. Agriprogress support two clusters, Holland Dairy House and Holland House of Horticulture, in their market development (23 leading companies). Pieter: “In the Netherlands, there is scarcely any leeway for growth, it is more likely to shrink. There is still ample opportunity in Romania for this. Proper agricultural land is sold for € 3,500 per hectare there, in comparison to the Netherlands, where it costs € 55,000.” Agriprogress helps companies to export from and to Romania, by creating export plans, on-site support and selecting distributors.

Import and export and Starters International Business

Although Agriprogress is mainly active in Romania at the moment, they are also working on the development of agriculture and horticulture in the Netherlands, Iran and Africa. Feasibility assessments and business plans are being made for investors. Pieter has good contacts with many financiers, including the RVO. Pieter is registered as a business coach for the grant scheme Starters International Business by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Under this title, SME-entrepreneurs can get a grant of 2,400 euros for his support to internationalise.

The future

In addition to consultancy and project management, a business sector will be developed. There are amply of opportunities in the growing economy of Romania. Worldwide: feeding 10 billion mouths in a sustainable way is a big challenge! Entrepreneurs with investment plans are welcome in Deventer or Bucharest to discuss the possibilities!