De Lier, The Netherlands
August 11, 2008
 Dutch
vegetable seed developer Rijk
Zwaan has secured a key role in supplying a number of
vegetable varieties to the Beijing Olympic Games, which starts
on Friday 8 August, according to the company’s coordinator of
international projects Jan Doldersum.
The company is understood to be supplying tomatoes and mini
cucumbers to the Olympic Village, where more than 23,000
athletes and officials will be based during the Olympic and
Paralympic Games. “Around 150km outside of Beijing, there is a
special Olympic vegetable production base covering 200ha where
most of the vegetables for the Olympic Village will be grown,”
Mr Doldersum revealed.
The management of the Olympic farm operation has chosen Rijk
Zwaan’s Beril tomato as it is the main ‘intermediate’ tomato
variety grown in the area.
“With Beril, they know they will have good harvest security and
product quality.” Mr Doldersum said. “The operation will have
around 20ha planted with the Beril variety and this means that
Beril will be the main tomato to be supplied to the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, Delastar, one of Rijk Zwaan’s mini cucumber
varieties, has been selected for production on a separate unit
outside of the main Olympic farm. “This variety is also well
adapted to the local area and it yields good quality product,”
added Mr Doldersum.
China represents a significant long-term interest for Rijk
Zwaan, which since 1999 has been breeding vegetables
specifically for the Chinese market through its subsidiary
breeding station subsidiary in Qingdao, Shandong Province.
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