Wallonia | Business opportunities | Agribusiness

internationally valued expertise borne from a long tradition

The environmental wealth of Wallonia's high quality agricultural land is steeped in tradition and enhanced by knowledge and expertise passed on from generation to generation. Providing over 20,000 direct jobs and many other indirect jobs in equipment, maintenance, packaging, transport etc., the agribusiness sector is the second largest industrial sector in terms of employment.

Its 1,700 companies (major internationally renowned players, cutting-edge medium-sized companies and micro companies) constitute an exceptional source of growth and dynamism.

Providing 14% of the total turnover from all industries and a sectoral turnover of 5.7 billion euros, agribusiness is the third largest industrial sector in Wallonia. The sector boasts several flagship products: Chocolates (GALLER, Belgian market leader in production of artisan chocolates, JACQUES, CÔTE D'OR, etc), artisan beers, luxury goods (UPIGNAC), etc. These companies have successfully combined tradition with modern, high-performance tools to produce top quality products.

innovative training in agri-food sciences

Gembloux’s Agricultural University provides specialist training for agricultural engineers, teaching them to how to change and adapt their skills to a wide range of sectors and find creative solutions to new issues facing the agribusiness sector.

The university has always been international in focus. Today, 1050 students from 40 countries study at the faculty, which enjoys an international reputation for the quality of its education and research. Its graduates work in no less than 60 countries worldwide.

Gembloux University is an active participant in the economic development of the Wallonia Region and the companies based in the area. It develops numerous partnerships with the private sector - including continuous scientific training programmes - and participates in applied research and product development programmes in the life sciences and agribusiness domains.

The establishment of close ties between the universities and local business is greatly facilitated by the existence of university interface bodies – true platforms for cooperation between the worlds of business and basic research.

Wallonia's agrobiopole

Gembloux’s Agricultural University is a partner of Wallonia’s Agrobiopole, a centre of excellence in agriculture and biotechnology with over a thousand researchers, technicians, scientists and experts working in close collaboration with partners from economic, political, and institutional circles.

Wallonia’s Agrobiopole is located in the Crealys science park in Gembloux. This exceptional site is dedicated to life sciences and technologies (agribusiness, therapeutic healthcare, diagnostics, biotechnology, the environment) as well as new IT and communication technologies, new materials and electronics.

an inspiring natural environment

Wallonia’s agricultural expertise, its well preserved countryside which produces quality raw materials, its strategic location in Europe, and its outstanding logistics infrastructure are all extremely valuable assets for region's agribusiness companies.

It is hardly surprising therefore that such groups as Valvert (Perrier-Nestlé group), Danone, Materne-Andros, Ferrero etc. have chosen Wallonia as a base for expanding their activities.

agribusiness as an area of competitiveness

The Marshall plan for economic regeneration drawn up by the Wallonia Region identified the agribusiness industry as an area of competitiveness. This involves promoting and funding innovative projects based on partnerships between the worlds of business and science, thus enabling companies to achieve competitiveness in foreign markets in the areas of applied research/innovation and training/export. The strategic priorities of this area of competitiveness project are divided into four main categories of innovation: “agrihealth”, “technological developments”, “bio-packaging for food use” and “sustainable food industry networks”.

Two types of collaboration project for research/innovation have been planned for these four categories: transversal and federative projects, and projects geared towards cutting edge innovations.

agribusiness sector - key figures

some benchmark companies

Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Ferrero Ardennes, Galler, Interbrew, Van den Broeke – Lutosa, Spa, Chaudfontaine, Bru, Cheese: Herve, Orval, Chimay, Beldem, Mydibel, Belovo, Biopole, Corman, Cosucra, Dena, Enzybel, Galactic, Sipal, Perlarom, Prayon, ….