News

Cultivation of protein-rich crops increased slightly in Netherlands

Alfalfa
Dried Common Bean
Soybean
Netherlands
Published Sep 30, 2022

Tridge summary

The cultivation of protein-rich crops such as alfalfa, field beans and soybeans has increased slightly in 2022. The Dutch acreage increased by 1 percent compared to a year earlier. The acreage of soybeans in particular increased. This year, soybeans are grown on 185 hectares, more than twice as much as last year. This is apparent from provisional figures from the CBS agricultural census 2022.

Original content

In the Netherlands, protein-rich crops are grown on 9.5 thousand hectares. The cultivation is for human consumption, as animal feed or as green manure. These crops are receiving a lot of attention because of the role they play in the food transition (more vegetable proteins in the diet) and circular agriculture (home-grown protein for concentrated feed). Soybeans and lupine beans are mainly grown in the Netherlands for human consumption, for example as raw materials for meat substitutes. Field beans and field peas are grown as forage crops. The protein-rich crops take up about 0.5 percent of the total Dutch agricultural area. The acreage consists mainly of alfalfa. The acreage of alfalfa has been declining for a number of years. In 2022, the surface area will be 6.7 thousand hectares, 8 percent less than a year earlier. Lucerne is used as animal feed and as green manure. There was growth in the fields of field beans and lupine. The area of field beans grew by 538 hectares to 2,020 ...
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