GIBF E Magazine AUG-SEPT-2019 GIBF The Business Tycoons Magazine Aug-Sept | Page 27

Naturally Rich
A country with great agricultural land has natural
advantages. If it can feed itself it will not need to buy that
product from other countries, reducing import needs.
Furthermore if it has an abundance of agricultural
products, it can generate export revenues. Energy is
almost as vital
as food in the industrialised world, so countries with oil or gas reserves (and to an extent coal), such as the
OPEC nations are assured foreign exchange revenues and influence (although since oil is paradoxically a
curse, they are also assured troubled).
Economy
According to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the Netherlands was the 18th largest
economy of the world in 2012 with an estimated population of about 16.9 million inhabitants. Its GDP per
capita was estimated at roughly $48,860 in the fiscal year 2017/18 which makes it one of highest-earning
nations in the world, annual economic growth (GDP) averaged over 4%, well above the European average
of 2.5% at the time. Growth slowed considerably in 2001–05 as part of the global economic slowdown.
2006 and 2007 however showed economic growth of 3-4% per annum. The Dutch economy was hit
considerably by the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the ensuing European sovereign-debt crisis.
Main Industries : agriculture-related industries, oil and natural gas, metal and engineering products,
electronic machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
GDP –By Sector : agriculture: 1.6%; industry: 18.8%; services: 79.6% (2015 est.)
Exports : $528.2 billion (2016 est.)
Exports commodities : natural gas, machinery & equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs
Exports - partners : Germany 24.5%, Belgium 11.1%, France 8.4%, United Kingdom 9.3%, Italy 4.2%
(2015 est.)
Imports : $429.5 billion (2016 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners : Germany 14.7%, China 14.5%, Belgium 8.2%, Russia 5.7%, United Kingdom 5.1%,
Norway 4.1% (2015 est.)
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
For long-term economic stability, it is important that a balance exists between the economic
pressure on natural resource supplies on the one hand and the ability of these resources to recover
on the other. The indicators under this theme describe total supplies of renewable resources (e.g.
wood, water and biodiversity) and non-renewable resources (such as fossil energy carriers), in
both quantitative and qualitative terms.
With the size of the built-up area in the Netherlands still expanding, there is continuously growing
pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity. However, stocks of renewable resources such as forests
(standing timber) and fish are replenishing. Standing timber stocks have increased by both forest
expansion and increase in estimated wood stock per hectare. The quality of marine ecosystems is
measured in terms of the size of fish stocks. Many fish stocks in the North Sea are restored due to
catch limits set by the European Union.