Embassy of the Netherlands for India, Nepal & Bhutan | #NLIndia News in SDGs, Water, Agriculture, Health, Human Rights, Innovation | Ambassador @marisagerards।
New Delhi
Joined October 2013
- Tweets3.6K
- Following1.1K
- Followers9.4K
- Likes2.6K
To mark the beginning of the festive week, Ambassador Marisa Gerards inaugurated a Durga Puja pandal in Ballygunge, Kolkata. This pandal uniquely hosted the work of Dutch artist Femke van Gemert, who is in India as part of the Embassy’s Rembrandt Residency programme. Femke’s has used discarded fabric and fishnet scraps to create a magnificent wave, titled “Five Oceans, One Eternal Source of All Life”. This is a beautiful reflection of India – Netherlands cultural ties!
We wish everyone a joyful Durga Puja to spend time reconnecting with family and loved ones.
#Durgapuja2026
Seventy years of the Delhi–Amsterdam route ✈️
On 29 September, the residence of Ambassador Marisa Gerards was lit up in KLM blue 💙 as we marked seven decades of connectivity between India and the Netherlands, thanks to our friends from KLM.
We were delighted to host Stefan Gumuseli, General Manager Air France KLM India & Middle East, and Laure Daynié, Country Manager India, whose teams keep this route flying every day.
KLM has been a bridge for so many businesses, students, friends and families. With this anniversary, we celebrate the airline and the bridge it has built between our two countries, bringing people and ideas closer together.
On Gandhi Jayanti, we reflect on the enduring power of non-violence, dialogue and peace. Gandhi’s legacy reminds us that meaningful and lasting change can be achieved through understanding, resilience and peaceful action.
#गांधी_जयंती #GandhiJayanti.
Photo by Vikas Rohilla on Unsplash
Today, the Minister continued his visit to Mumbai, with a full day focused on strengthening cooperation across India and the Netherlands’ agricultural and food sectors. 🇳🇱🇮🇳
He had a working breakfast with business leaders and deliberated on how the Indo-Dutch Business Ecosystem in agri value chain can be strengthened
Later, at the Anuga Exhibition, the Minister joined the inauguration as Guest of Honour, interacted with the Dutch Companies and their Indian Partners at the expo.
At Mantralaya, he held a joint meeting with the Ministers of Marketing and Protocol and Minister of State for Agriculture, discussing synergies across the agricultural value chain.
The programme continued with the India - Netherlands Seed Sector Business Roundtable, bringing together stakeholders to explore opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment in the seed sector.
The day concluded with a reception at the Residence of the Consul General of the Netherlands, bringing together partners from across the agricultural and business communities.
Minister Silvio Erkens met Hon'ble Minister Shri (Prof.) S. P. Singh Baghel from Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and had fruitful interaction on the closer cooperation in the livestock sector and how to expand knowledge and technology exchange in areas such as animal feed and nutrition and vocational training for mid‑sized farmers, to support better animal health and productivity.
The key outcome of the meeting was to set up an Indo‑Dutch Centre of Excellence on Dairy Training at CEAH, Bengaluru and to strengthen skills and innovation in dairy. Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC) for the export of live horses from the Netherlands to India was exchanged during the meeting.
Minister Shri (Prof.) S. P. Singh Baghel highlighted the progress India has made in addressing the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenge in the livestock sector.
🇳🇱 🇮🇳 advancing sustainable livestock and dairy together.
Our Minister Silvio Erkens started his visit to India today and met with the Hon’ble Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan , Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for a bilateral discussion on India–Netherlands cooperation in agriculture. Minister Erkens was accompanied by the Director General Mr Marten van den Berg, Ambassador Marisa Gerards, Agriculture Counsellor Marion van Schaik and senior team members.
The two Ministers spoke about the long partnership between both countries and the need for more innovation to make farming resilient and future‑ready. Minister Erkens shared his Ministry’s Agrifood Innovation Agenda and plans for an Innovation Summit in the Netherlands in May 2027. Both ministers agreed to discuss the innovation agenda further at the 9th Indo‑Dutch Joint Agriculture Working Group meeting.
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also underlined the impact of the Indo‑Dutch Centers of Excellence, which have trained 27,000 farmers and supplied 14 million planting materials so far.
🇮🇳 🇳🇱 strengthening agricultural innovation together.
We look forward to welcome our Minister Silvio Erkens from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature visiting India- New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru from 27 September to 2 October.
Press Release: government.nl/latest/news/20…
Minister Silvio Erkens is accompanied by a trade delegation of 18 Dutch companies, knowledge institutions and public organisations with expertise in areas including protected horticulture, water management, greenhouse technology, seeds, training and sustainable production methods. Meet the Dutch organisation at the Agricon HortiConnect Expo and Dutch pavilion in Bengaluru. Click here for more information: nlplatform.com/mission-horti…
Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C R Patil held a bilateral meeting with our Vice Minister Jaap Slootmaker. The two Ministers discussed how the India-Netherlands Strategic Water Partnership has moved from strategic discussions to concrete projects, combining Dutch water expertise with India's local knowledge and priorities. This reflects a shared commitment to building smarter, more sustainable water solutions. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Marisa Gerards, Water Commissioner Sander Carpaij, Delegated Representative Water Maurits Bosman, and Senior Policy Officer Nishi Pant.
A major highlight of the meeting was the signing and exchange of two MoUs between Deltares and TU Delft each with the Central Water Commission and Gujarat State on Kalpasar cooperation. This agreement deepens government-to-government collaboration on coastal resilience, river basin modelling, and water infrastructure. It reaffirms our 🇳🇱 role as a trusted partner in India's water journey.
NL Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan🇮🇳🇳🇵🇧🇹 retweeted
With FM @DrSJaishankar, I discussed our growing cooperation on semiconductors, technology, and security within the frame of our Strategic Partnership. Looking forward to continuing our conversation during my visit to India later this year.
NL Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan🇮🇳🇳🇵🇧🇹 retweeted
|| 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 ||
Speaking exclusively to #AkashvaniNews, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to India, Marisa Gerards, said that water collaboration is a vital pillar of the India–Netherlands strategic partnership. She highlighted joint efforts in flood protection and cleaning water, adding that the Netherlands is showcasing its advanced knowledge and expertise at the India International Water Week.
@IndinNederlands @MEAIndia #IndiaNetherlands #Netherlands
NL Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan🇮🇳🇳🇵🇧🇹 retweeted
On 23 September 2026, the 9th India International Water Week 2026 featured the CF-3 session on the theme “Success Stories of Countries in Water Management, Food Security and Source Sustainability” at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The session was chaired by Mr. Jaap Slootmaker, Vice Minister, Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, with Shri Ashok K. K. Meena, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DoDW&S), Ministry of Jal Shakti, as Co-Chair, followed by insightful discussions on international experiences and successful approaches in water management, food security and source sustainability.
The discussions underscored the importance of sharing experiences and strengthening cooperation to advance sustainable and climate-resilient water management.
📍 Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
The Netherlands pavilion has been officially opened by Ambassador Marisa Gerards, Hon’ble minister of Jal Shakti C. R. Patil, Commissioner Sander Carpaij and Vice Minister Jaap Slootmaker from Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat at the 9th edition of India International Water Week.
With 25% of the country below sea level, necessity has driven the Netherlands to innovate and revolutionise the water management field. Our pavilion, showcasing 10 Dutch companies, reflects our dedication to transforming the Netherlands India Strategic Partnership 🇮🇳🇳🇱 on Water from ambition into action.
Our Ambassador Marisa Gerards together with the Dutch delegates welcomed Minister of Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwani Vaishnav and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Shri Jitin Prasad to the Netherlands Pavilion at Semicon India 2026.
We are grateful for the engaging discussion they had with the Dutch companies showcasing the work and highlighting our dedication to the 🇳🇱🇮🇳 strategic partnership.
NL Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan🇮🇳🇳🇵🇧🇹 retweeted
#WATCH | Delhi | SEMICON India 2026 |Lars Reger from NXP Semiconductors in Netherlands, says, "The interaction was very good, not only with the ministers but also with the Prime Minister. Yesterday, we had a very fruitful CEO roundtable as well... The focus was on how we can build systems that enable a complete Indian electronics industry, not just a semiconductor industry. What we are looking at worldwide is a future that anticipates intelligent systems all around us—small robots and connected devices everywhere... We have all this silicon, but we need to train our customers and help them apply it quickly. This is an area where the Indian market is expanding rapidly at the moment, and we need to educate and support as much as we can..."
He also says, "From both the government side and the industry side, we are discussing the next steps needed to support a broad student base, customer base, and startup ecosystem. We are running startup competitions, and I am actually on my way to one now that we are organizing together with Minister Goyal, to ensure that the ecosystem receives the support it needs. My comparison has always been that the Indian market is like a tiger that is ready to jump. Everyone knows India as a major R&D hub. For the past 50 years, NXP and its predecessor companies have been involved in research and development here, including hardware and software development. That is already well established. What is emerging now is the growing demand within the Indian market for electronic systems. That is extremely exciting, and we need to be well prepared to serve that market and ensure that people understand what is possible. It is a technical exercise, but it is also a communication exercise, and that is what makes it so exciting."
NL Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan🇮🇳🇳🇵🇧🇹 retweeted
#WATCH | Delhi | On attending SEMICON India 2026, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Marisa Gerards, says, “I'm very happy to be here for the Semicon India. It's of geopolitical significance and we are proud to partner with India on the strategic subject. And I do want to wish Prime Minister Modi a very Happy Birthday."
Wishing Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi a happy birthday from the Kingdom of the Netherlands! 🇳🇱 🇮🇳
The signing of our strategic partnership during PM Modi's recent visit to the Netherlands in May 2026 elevated our existing bilateral collaboration and has continued to grow and strengthen our ties.
