The number of Dutch trade missions more than halved in 2024 compared to the year before, broadcaster NOS said on Thursday, based on figures from the Netherlands enterprise agency RVO.

Last year there were just six trade missions and no state visits by the royal family, compared with a total of 14 in 2023. Participation in trade missions under caretaker cabinets – like much of last year – also influenced the numbers because companies feel they are less likely to strike deals, the RVO said.

Doubts about where the new cabinet was heading also stopped companies from making plans involving doing business abroad, the organisation said.

Estimated revenue resulting from trade deals agreed during missions topped €2 billion in 2023 but fell to under €1 billion last year.

Trade missions are organised by the foreign ministry to enhance Dutch trade, usually in sectors the Netherlands excels in such as logistics, water management, energy and horticulture.

The programme includes seminars, visits to local businesses and talks with potential business partners. A minister or junior minister will often accompany a mission or, as in the case of the current state visit to Kenya, the king and queen.

Foreign trade minister Reinette Klever (PVV), who is in Kenya, admitted the number of trade missions has been lagging behind. “It’s the change to a new cabinet when nothing much is planned,” she told the broadcaster. “I also needed time to become used to things before I could go on a trade mission.”

“The presence of the king and queen attracts people you wouldn’t normally see,” seed exporter Rutger Groot said. De Groot, who is looking to set up a seed-growing business in Kenya, said he had been asked by several potential contacts if they could meet the royals.

Klever said she aims to have some 12 trade missions a year. “This year we are trying to organise more missions. A third of Dutch revenue results from foreign trade, so it remains important to help companies do business abroad.”