Chain information to support Dutch supply chain effectiveness

For Dutch horticultural products, global competition is getting fierce. Information from the chain can support Dutch growers to develop competitive strategies. The goal of this project was to collect information from distribution chains of Dutch horticultural products, in order to support chain effectiveness. On the basis of literature and expert opinions, a list of twenty products specific and of twenty supplier specific characteristics was developed. All these criteria can play a role in the decision making process of buying products for certain markets. The list was used in a semi-structured interview among Dutch traders of roses, sweet peppers and organic glasshouse vegetables. For horticultural products, freshness, absence of diseases and damage and a good product-quality/ price ratio are very important. Within a few years, ensuring the hygiene of edible products will also become an important issue. Concerning the suppliers, exchange of information and willingness to make long-term agreements is already important. For the future, cooperation between growers and traders will be more intense. Growers should implement quality systems on their farms too. We found out that Dutch growers are able to produce high quality products, but that they have problems to supply large quantities, at uniform qualities and at low prices. With our method it is possible to get insight in present and future demands on horticultural products and on the services of their suppliers. This information can be used by Dutch horticultural industry to develop customer driven production and distribution strategies.