EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

Albania

Small Scale Irrigation Rehabilitation Project1996-97 Ted Watt was Chief Technical Adviser to the Project Co-ordination Unit. Duties included preparation of work plans and budgets, training of staff, establishement of office, administrative, disbursement and reimbursement procedures and the co-ordination of multi-disciplinary experts.

Horticultural Marketing 1996 Peter Clarke carried out a survey to identify problem areas and to suggest infrastructure improvements and a market information system

Critical Imports Project1993-94 Ted Watt was alternate to the resident Project and Procurement Manager who were also supported by short-term inputs including an agro-chemicals specialist, a credit specialist and a poultry specialist. The project was part of the PIU to plan the importation and distribution of goods and services for agriculture. Assistance was provided to the Ministry of Agriculture and regular contact maintained with the Ministry of Finance and Economy to co-ordinate the CIP with other donor financed projects. The specialists procured US$47.4 million of equipment, advised on storage and the safe handling of pesticides, established operational procedures and training for agricultural credit programmes, and advised on production and processing of poultry and chick procurement.

Armenia

Food Industry1997 John Taylor was food technology and packaging specialist on tomato and fruit processing, storage and packaging - covering everything from the farm to the retail pack. Also advised on mineral water packaging.

Azerbaijan

Cotton Study1993 Jim Watson, cotton agronomist, Brian Jackson, ginning expert and a lint marketing specialist undertook a detailed study of investment and trading opportunities in the cotton sector.

Bulgaria

Sugar and Oilseed Processing 1991Jim Watson provided the oilseed production and processing input into the project which covered technical, financial and economic analyses of the sugar beet and soya sub-sectors. Proposals for restructuring and privatisation including the preparation of detailed enterprise business plans were prepared.

Hungary

Preparation of Marketing Plans 1995Peter Clarke investigated improved marketing for horticultural industry in local government areas. Developments initiated included better information systems, improved wholesale marketing facilities and export development

 Investment Conference 1990Jim Turnbull was invited by the World Bank to participate in Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) sponsored conference to promote foreign investment.

 Kazakstan

Agricultural Management, Market Information System & Pilot Wholesale Market1996-98 Hugh Coulter was team leader and economist providing assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture in developing a national agricultural management and market information system through public and private sector channels. Also planned and established a pilot wholesale market in the capital city, Almaty, through sourcing public and private sector funds. Provided comprehensive training to support the technical advice.

Food Industry Reform1995 Dan Nicholson was food processing and packaging specialist on a team advising co-operatives on changing to a free market economy. He visited soft drinks plants, bakeries, sausage producers, a plastic film converter (for carrier bags etc) and a small scale PET bottle producer

Cotton Industry Study1993 A project identification mission covered the structure of cotton production (Jim Watson), processing (Brian Jackson) and marketing to identify areas requiring technical assistance and investment.

Macedonia

Southern and Eastern Regions Rural Rehabilitation Project1996 Ted Watt was management specialist advising on the establishment of the Project Co-ordination Unit. Tasks included recruitment of staff, selection of offices, the procurement of equipment and the preparation of annual work plan and budget.

Moldova

Food Quality Seminar1996 John Taylor was food technology and quality control specialist and made his presentations in Russian. Topics covered included hygiene (RSH examinations), HACCP lectures plus applications workshop and factory assessment, rapid testing methods, GMP, due diligence and the major multiples requirements from suppliers.

Poland

Livestock Feed, Oilseed Processing and Project Preparation Mission1990 Colin Sayers reviewed government proposals for investment in oilseed crushing, feed mixing by-products rendering, concentrates and animal feed production. Production parameters, technical information and financial analysis were included.

Oilseed Crushing 1990Colin Sayers participated in a pre-investment study to establish the structure of the industry and the possibilities for privatisation.

Investment Mission 1990Jim Turnbull participated in 40 person private sector delegation.

Romania

Grain Storage 1997Bernard Giles prepared a pre-feasibility study for the construction of new bulk storage facility for UK farmers / investors.

Russia

Food Distribution Project - Pushchino 1993-95 Hugh Coulter was the Team Leader / Economist with a twenty person team which undertook a study of the milk, fruit and vegetable sectors and establishment of a food control programme in Serpukhov Rayon, a hundred kilometres south of Moscow

Vologda Food Distribution 1992-93 Specialists in meat processing (Richard Norris) and information technology (Paul Watson), were part of a project to improve food distribution in the Vologda Oblast. The project concentrated on the fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat sectors and covered the whole food chain from production to consumption.

Slovakia

Livestock Training1997 Andrew Friend provided training in dairy and beef breeding programmes, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer.

Ukraine

Large Scale Farming: 1998/99 Yoop Murre was manager of a farming project to develop seed potato production.

Grain Handling1997 Bernard Giles undertook the technical and financial co-ordination for a low cost ship loading facility for sunflower seed and wheat.

 Review of Top Fruit and Vine Production 1996Peter Clarke reviewed horticultural marketing on five large farms being restructured with assistance ffrom the UK Know How Fund. Opportunities for possible joint ventures in processing and a new marketing structure were proposed

Uzbekistan

Agro-industrial Reform 1996/97Dan Nicholson was Food Processing, Packaging, Q.C. and Production Management Specialist covering fruit and vegetable drying / bottling, tomato paste production, raison production, dairy processing and fibre board carton manufacture. A seminar was organised on ISO 9000 and HACCP training.

Market Reform 1995Dan Nicholson was packaging specialist advising on the setting up of a Technical Advisory Team to help cabinet ministers with policy making in the new free market economy environment Cotton Processing & Textile Feasibility Study 1993Jim Watson, cotton agronomist and Brian Jackson, ginnery engineer, joined a multidisciplinary team for an analytical study of the cotton textile manufacturing operations. The study focused upon the main issues related to the conversion of domestically grown cotton fibre into textile products, with the objective of defining projects suitable for investment.

For further information contact JWTurnbull@bmc-ltd.com

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