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Dutch No Longer Want to Be One of World’s Top Agro Exporters

  • Priority shifts to emissions reduction and reviving nature
  • ‘We have to develop a new agricultural system,’ says minister
A fruit plantation is being irrigated in Buren, Netherlands. 

A fruit plantation is being irrigated in Buren, Netherlands. 

Photographer: Remko De Waal/AFP/Getty Images

The Netherlands has embarked on a far-reaching transformation of its agricultural sector as it pushes to cut nitrogen emissions and revive natural lands. 

The country famous for being one of the world’s biggest agriculture exporters no longer wants to prioritize exports, Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink said in an interview in her office in The Hague.