HZPC Honors Outgoing CEO with Donation and Unveils New Sustainable Agriculture Focus
During its annual Potato Days event, Royal HZPC Group bid farewell to former CEO Gerard Backx and unveiled its “Resilience Revolution” initiative. Backx, who led the company for 23 years, was honored with a donation to the Paul Speijer Fund, which supports African students in studying Plant Sciences at Wageningen University & Research.
The former CEO passed the leadership baton to Hans Huistra, who brings a strong background in global food and agricultural organizations, including Friesland Campina and Cosun.
The Resilience Revolution initiative addresses the pressing issue of crop loss. HZPC emphasized the urgent need to enhance crop resilience to counter the effects of climate change, water scarcity, and agricultural pests, which collectively lead to almost half of global crop losses. The new initiative encourages the development of robust potato varieties that can withstand these challenges, aiming to maximize crop productivity and ensure food security as the global population grows. At Potato Days, HZPC showcased resilient potato varieties and facilitated discussions with industry leaders on advancing resilience strategies for sustainable agriculture.
HZPC’s Resilience Revolution is part of its broader commitment to sustainable food systems and collaborative innovation. More information is available on HZPC’s official Resilience Revolution page.
