Rabobank has a feeling for the wider social context of agricultural entrepreneurship 9 SECTOR SPECIAL F&A IN THE NETHERLANDS Conditions for Success Antoon Vermeer Antoon Vermeer A more sustainable production chain 22 ISSUE 23 MAY 2010 RI WORLD "Rabobank's international F&A focus, together with its cast- iron position in the Netherlands, makes for a very strong combination. Rabobank currently has no competition in the field of F&A, either nationally or internationally," Vermeer says. 'The strategy we have opted for is well-conceived and offers clear-cut criteria for further growth. However, in order to remain successful in the long term, the bank must meet a number of conditions. 'The first condition is that local entrepreneurship must be developed with respect to local banks. Rabobank Netherlands also assumes - to too great a degree - that it has to cater to local Rabobanks." Vermeer thinks that Rabobank will beableto provide more clarity on this subject in 2011Local banks have to bear responsibility in their field of workand shöuld do their utmost when it comes to serving their own clients. Rabobank Netherlands must focus more on disseminating knowledge so that local banks can fulfil their task optimally. Experts can then support local banks in certain situations whereby the support they provide is small-scale and better focussed. The second condition is that the bank must adhere closely to its original core task. This task has always been to ensure that people's savings are invested productively. "We have to work on the basis of this simple condition. As a bank, you always have to make choices. The two criteria we apply at Rabobank are whether it is good for the cliënt and whether it is good for the bank, so that we can continue to serve our clients in the long-term. This is the framework within which we have become, and shall continue to be, a great bank," Vermeer says. Vermeer does not only have outspoken views on Rabobank, but also on the sector in which he has become a true authority. "Never before has there been so much interest among consumers in a healthy diet and health in general," he says. "At the same time, Dutch retailers are trying to win a greater market share by slashing prices - at the expense of farmers and market gardeners, who are having to supply retailers at rock-bottom prices, at times even below cost price. Creating a more sustainable production chain would be the primary producers' salvation where this discussion is concerned," he says. "It's all about added value. Farmers and market gardeners have to cash in on this health trend - in other words they have to supply added value but at higher prices. From the food processing companies point of view, they have to concentrate on innovation and on strengthening the relationship with their suppliers, the farmers and the market gardeners." Vermeer uses the development of Omega-3 milk as an example of the relationship between processing companies and primary producers. Farmers give their animals a specific type of feed to produce milk containing fatty acids that help consumers maintain a healthy heart and circulation. The dairy companies test the milk they are supplied with and provide farmers with feedback they can use to further improve their animal feed and, in turn, the milk. In this way, the chain becomes increasingly intensive and the product continues to improve, thus fitting in better with the demands of the present-day consumer. Another good example is that of the Dutch 'star system' used to rate poultry chickens and the 'Better Leven' (meaning 'better lifeO label issued by the Dutch Animal Welfare Organisation Dierenbescherming. These chickens grow more slowly, have very few health problems and are given the space to roam freely, and consumers are prepared to pay more for that.

Rabobank Bronnenarchief

blad 'RI World' (EN) | 2010 | | pagina 22