Browse Data and Analysis

The exporter guide provides an economic and market overview, as well as demographic trends and practical tips to U.S. exporters on how to conduct business in the Netherlands.

Over a dozen Caribbean countries are Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. With an aim toward meeting their obligations under this agreement, many have been working toward establishing their National Biosafety Frameworks for many years.

This report assesses the agricultural biotechnology sector in the Netherlands, and covers related production, trade, and policies. It includes topics related to genetic engineering and innovative plant, animal, and microbial biotechnologies.

Dutch apple production is expected to be down by 12 percent while the pear harvest will increase by an estimated three percent. Unfavorable growing conditions in the beginning of the growing season resulted in lower yields for apples.

Sales in the Caribbean Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional (HRI) food service sector increased by 11 percent in 2022.

Hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) foodservice industry sales in the Netherlands rebounded in 2022, valued at $15.6 billion, and exceeded the pre-pandemic (COVID-19) levels. In 2022, sales in all segments saw an increase but the limited...

On July 1, the Netherlands introduced a Single Use Plastic (SUP) levy. The new measure stems from the European Union’s (EU) Directive on Single Use Plastics (SUP), which aims to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment.

Sales in the Caribbean retail grocery sector decreased by 1.7 percent in 2022, primarily as the result of closing retail outlets in the French West Indies.

The turnover of the Dutch retail sector was valued at $48.7 billion in 2022. The sector is relatively consolidated, with the two largest food retailers controlling almost 60 percent of the market. Retail prices of some basic shopping items increased by 15 percent, resulting in consumers visiting multiple supermarkets and increasingly choosing private label products.

Since the Netherlands lifted all COVID-19 related restrictions at the end of February 2022 and most people returned to the workplace, new opportunities continue to emerge for U.S. agricultural products. Consumers are especially interested in healthier, more convenient, nutritious, and high-quality products.

The turnover of the Dutch food processing industry in 2021 (most recent data available) was valued at $83 billion. There are more than 8,000 food processing companies active in the Netherlands and together they account for an estimated 150,000 jobs.

The Caribbean’s rebound from the economic downturn induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has been slow. Anxious for better times, the region is looking ahead at 2023 and hoping for improved tourist arrivals that will spark a return to more robust economic growth.