Netherlands hits bumper agriculture exports in 2016

The Hague - Dutch agricultural exports set a new record in 2016 at almost €94b ($100bn), ensuring the tiny country remains the world's number two exporter of such goods after the United States.

The Dutch agricultural ministry announced on Friday the country of just 17 million people had exported some 85bn euros of agricultural goods and almost €9bn in "materials, know-how and technology" in the sector.

The bumper crop ensures The Netherlands retains its place as Europe's biggest exporter of agricultural goods, the statistics office said in a statement.

"We don't have a lot of available space in The Netherlands," Caspar Itz, agriculture ministry spokesperson, told AFP.

"We have had to invest heavily in innovation and research in order to get maximum profit from our agriculture."

The "Made in Holland" label is "no longer just synonymous with pretty tulips and good cheese," said Deputy Agriculture Minister Martijn van Dam, adding in a statement that the agricultural sector made up almost 20% of the low-lying country's total exports.

The biggest successes are potatoes, fruit, tomatoes and vegetables, followed by livestock and meat, floriculture and then dairy products and eggs.

About a quarter of all exports head for Germany, with much of the rest going to Belgium, Britain and France.