India and the Netherlands have had a long-standing trade relationship that has grown significantly over the past few decades.

Just a few years ago, in 2022, India and the Netherlands celebrated 75 years of diplomatic ties.

The Netherlands is a major investor in India and is reportedly India’s 11th largest merchandise trading partner globally, the largest within the European Union.

An estimated 300 Dutch companies operate in India. Having said that, the Dutch are now keenly looking to deepen their trade ties with Andhra Pradesh and work on mutually beneficial sectors.

In an exclusive interview with Vizag Industrial Scan, Netherlands Consul General for South India, Mr Ewout de Wit, highlighted some of the new key focus areas between the two countries and also their intent of fostering deeper trade engagement with Andhra Pradesh.

Edited Excerpts

How have trade relations evolved between India and the Netherlands over the years?

India and the Netherlands have had close economic relations, which have evolved significantly over the past many years. Just to give you an idea, the Netherlands is a major trading partner for India within the EU.

Some of the top exports from India to the Netherlands include petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, Agri products, engineering, and electronic goods.

In terms of imports into India, some of the key products the Netherlands exports here include high-quality machinery, agricultural equipment, and electronic equipment.

Similarly, many Indian companies have a sizable presence in the Netherlands. In the pharma space, Dr Reddy’s and Aurobindo have a significant presence in the Netherlands.

More importantly, 2025 is an important year for us as we are working on finalizing a strategic partnership with India sometime this year.

This partnership will help us elevate our relationship into many other sectors, such as security, semiconductors, health, etc. It will also foster regular meetings among our highest leadership.

What are some of the key sectors of focus between the two nations?

The maritime sector has been an area where we have had strong relations with India. Rotterdam port in the Netherlands has been an important gateway for many Indian goods.

In addition, the Netherlands has been a world leader in the manufacture of dredgers, and many of those dredgers have found buyers in India.

However, now there are a slew of new areas where we are looking to explore in India. These include renewable energy, green hydrogen, water conservation, high-value innovation in IT and Quantum computing, life sciences, etc.

The Netherlands is one of the few countries that has a unique and thriving semiconductor ecosystem, from chip design to machines that manufacture the chips.

Thus, it will be hugely beneficial as a lot of people in the semiconductor industry in the Netherlands come from India.

Just a few months ago, we had the first online semiconductor school pilot in India as a start to skilling in this space.

Our team back home is also working on a report, which will highlight the opportunities for Netherlands-based companies to participate in India’s medical sector.

AMTZ, based in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, is a good example of this, and we are very keen on exploring opportunities with them.

Connectivity plays an important role in enhancing bilateral trade and people-to-people connections. How well are the two regions connected?

It is indeed important, and both regions are well connected via the air route.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world, and we have direct flights to India.

KLM flies directly to New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, and Air India also has direct flights from here to Amsterdam.

I am also happy to inform you that beginning in July, Indigo is going to start its direct service to Amsterdam.

Apart from air connectivity, the port of Rotterdam has already been playing a paramount role in transporting goods between the two regions.

What brings you to Vizag, and how do you see trade evolving between AP and the Netherlands?

This is my first visit to Vizag, and I must say that there is a very business-friendly government here in Andhra Pradesh that is looking at investments and opportunities. So we want to explore more with Andhra Pradesh and bring Dutch companies here.

We are thus very interested in collaborating further with businesses here.

This trip of mine has been to meet with various businesses and captains of industry here and understand their varied needs, and see how trade can be further boosted between AP and the Netherlands.

We have 2 major Netherlands-origin companies operating out of Sri City, and they have been quite appreciative of the infrastructure there.

Overall, I think there are about 10 Netherlands companies that have a physical presence in AP.

Similarly, I would also like to point out that the Netherlands has had a long-standing association with this region. I had a chance to visit the Dutch cemetery here in Vizag, which shows that Dutch people have been coming here for trade for centuries.

What sectors do you foresee for growth between AP and the Netherlands?

There is a plethora of sectors wherein trade and business can be explored between the two regions.

Renewables and green hydrogen, ports and shipping, semiconductor, Life sciences, and health are some of them.

What is noteworthy is that AP too has a keen focus on these sectors, thus it will be mutually beneficial for both to collaborate on.

Similarly, I must point out that we are actively exploring partnerships wherein Dutch technology can be used in the Agri space in helping boost the overall productivity of tribal farmers and thereby increase their source of income.

Regenerative Agriculture specifically holds a lot of potential for farmers here to sell to major corporations in Europe.

In addition, the Netherlands can play a crucial role in AP’s maritime space, considering our advanced dredging technology and the significant role the port of Rotterdam has played in facilitating the movement of goods between the two regions.

I understand there is a direct connection/line from Vizag port to Rotterdam for container shipping.

Therefore, Dutch companies can certainly play a crucial role in AP’s maritime growth.

How about Education?

Yes, the higher education space is another area of many possibilities. As of now, we have about 3500 Indian students studying in the Netherlands.

I must inform you that in the last 30 years or so, most Dutch universities have English as their language of communication. In addition, the Quality of our education is good, and many of our universities are globally well ranked.

Are you planning on getting a business delegation to AP?

As a matter of fact, yes. We will soon have a delegation of Dutch businesses visit Andhra Pradesh, which will be led by the Netherlands Ambassador to India.

The Netherlands has a vibrant cycling culture and has great infrastructure to support that. Do you see any opportunities in this space?

This is a great question and something that I care about. It has taken 60 years for the Netherlands to build a robust cycling infrastructure in our country.

Today, cycling and walking are an integral part of our lives in the Netherlands. For most of us there cycling is not a mere sport but a means of clean transportation.

The Dutch government will be happy to collaborate with governments here in building a similar structure and ecosystem that is friendly to cyclists and also fosters cycling in this part of the world.