Statement of the day: Groningen must become our grain republic again

The war in Ukraine makes painfully clear how much we depend on the import of foreign grain. Should Groningen become our grain republic again?

Every year we need about 5 million tons of grain in the Netherlands, but we only grow 1 million tons of that on our own soil. The rest comes from abroad.

Now that the grain harvest in Russia and Ukraine threatens to fail because of the war, we are paying a high price. Literally, because grain prices are going through the roof. Dutch arable farmers still sow spring wheat here and there to take advantage of the high prices, but that is only a drop in the ocean.

The granary of the Netherlands

Groningen was once the grain republic. It was the breadbasket of the Netherlands. Almost a quarter of the domestic grain and a quarter of the domestic barley still come from this province (and Drenthe accounts for another 22 percent of the national barley cultivation).

Grain Republic

So a lot of grain still comes from the North, but that is not enough to guarantee our food security. Does it have to be different? Should farmers in Groningen, with government support if necessary, a lot grow more grain? Or, in other words: should Groningen become our grain republic again?