Speech by King Willem-Alexander at the opening of the World Seed Congress 2024, Rotterdam
Ladies and gentlemen,
It’s a pleasure to see you all here in Rotterdam. You’ve come from all over the world to share the latest knowledge in your field. And to celebrate the centenary of the International Seed Federation.
Congratulations to the Federation and all its members on this milestone!
When the Federation was founded in 1924, there were fewer than two billion people on our planet. Today, there are more than four times as many. And that means more than four times as many mouths to feed!
Thanks to the spectacular innovations in your sector, agriculture has been able to respond to this enormous population growth. Using the seeds and varieties you develop, farmers are able to keep on improving their production.
When I started in water management – in the late 1990’s – the number of people suffering from hunger stood at approximately 800 million, the same as it is today, even though the world’s population has grown by over 2 billion in that time. Of course, 800 million is still too many, but together we’ve managed to absorb the massive increase and feed 2 billion extra mouths in 25 years.
That in itself is something to be proud of.
The Netherlands is a market leader in the development of horticultural seeds. But that’s largely thanks to our close collaboration with you. With all these fantastic partners from around the world.
During state visits and working visits, I often meet with plant breeders to see what’s happening on the ground. And everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: international connections are absolutely vital in your sector. Just as roots and vessels are vital for a plant. Without them, there would be no growth and no life.
So there is every reason to join together to celebrate your success.
At the same time, I hope you will also talk to each other about the great challenges that lie ahead. Because, yes, a lot has been achieved. But there’s still so much to be done!
Climate change is a major problem for farmers around the world. Water shortages, heatwaves and salinisation are forcing us to make drastic changes. And the need to cut our use of pesticides is becoming ever more urgent.
On all these issues, the world is looking to you for help. Together with knowledge institutions like Wageningen University and Research, it’s entrepreneurs like you who are working on solutions. Your sector is – as it were – sowing the seeds for a sustainable future.
We desperately need your entrepreneurship and innovation, now and in the years to come. We need to produce higher yields per hectare, with less water and pesticides, and more respect for nature. It can be done. If you keep innovating and working together.
I look forward to talking to some of you in more depth later, when I tour the exhibition. I hope you’ll forgive me if my first stop is the Dutch pavilion. But I can’t wait to see presentations from the America’s, Africa and Asia, too.
The whole world has come together here in Rotterdam.
I hope you’ll be able to catch up with many good friends over the next few days, and make many new ones. I wish you all an enjoyable and successful congress.
Thank you.