NEWS

BMC has a contract to establish the land use potential for growing robusta coffee in Laos. Wayne Borden departed on the 26th January and will look at both plantation and small holder scale.

BMC has a contract to develop a business plan for a privately owned wildlife reserve and wilderness area in northern Kenya. Jim Turnbull made the first visit in October.

BMC has a contract to develop a farm for horticultural production, food processing and tourism in Romania. Phase one of the business planning process concluded that the farm alone was not viable and Phase two was completed to include tourism. Phase Three will now develop the tourism marketing strategy in more detail.

BMC have a contract in Sierra Leone to carry out an environmental impact assessment and agricultural development project. Wayne Borden and Michael Tinne completed the preliminary EIA in in 2006 and are now working on the detail.

Jim Turnbull is a founder member of the Fundatia ADEPT, a charity established in Romania and the UK whose objectives are protection of natural and cultural heritage, linked to economic regeneration of the area, such that each supports the other. Monthly visits are currently being made with good progress on many fronts, including the introduction of the  Slow Food movement to Romania. The ADEPT project is the first public-private partnership for a development project in Romania and has already been recognised as innovative by Bucharest Business Week. Funding to 2009 has been secured by grants from the Defra Darwin Initiative and Eastern Europe Fund and from Orange Romania under their Corporate Social Responsibility programme. See www.fundatia-adept.org for more information.

Duncan Turnbull, founder and managing director of Cairn Foods Ltd is advising on product development and presentation and transport logistics for a number of projects and in particular will provide a route to the UK market for the ADEPT project. For further information visit www.cairnfoods.co.uk

BMC are members of the consortium led by Transtec SA of Belgium who have been awarded the EU funded Lot 10 Global Framework Contract to provide support for industry, commerce and SME development.

BMC are members of the consortium appointed by DFID to run an Economist Resource Centre. The consortium is led by Enterplan.

The aim of Talking Shop is to meet monthly (now in its 8th year), for a pint and a sandwich, share tales of travel, successful projects and disasters, topical issues, IT tips, business opportunities and more. The objectives are to improve networking and to overcome one of the major problems facing those of us who no longer work in a large organisations - the need for regular contact with like minded consultants.

The aim of the TAA (Tropical Agriculture Association) Specialist Agribusiness Group is to build on these monthly meetings, and to attract new participants from within the TAA membership who are interested in the commercial aspects of development. It is hoped that real business opportunities will emerge to the mutual benefit of those who attend. If appropriate, the group will nominate seminar topics for the London and South East Region to consider. Visit the TAA web site by clicking www.taa.org.uk to find out about other TAA activities (which are not limited to the Tropics as the name might suggest) and consider individual or corporate membership.

Regular Talking Shop meetings continue to be held on the last Friday of the month in the Shepherd's Crook, Crowell, Oxon. No need to book - just turn up at 1230. Click here for directions and a photograph of the pub.

Any news items from those of you unable to attend in person will be most welcome. Click here to e-mail JWTurnbull@bmc-ltd.com with your contributions and any comments about the web site or to request further information about BMC or the TAA Specialist Agribusiness Group.

The next meeting will be on Friday 25th April at 1230.

BMC is listed on the UK National Business Link Consultant Register.

BMC is a member of British Expertise and have a page on their web site at www.britishexpertise.org The TAA Agribusiness Group are also members of the British Expertise

BMC is a member of Partners for Environmental Cooperation in Europe (PECE) - working together for a sustainable future. See www.pece.org.uk for further information.

BMC is a member of the Tropical Growers Association and the of Southern Africa Business Forum (SABF). Membership of SABF brings automatic membership of the British African Business Association (BABA).

BMC recommend CNB Support Services if you have need of flexible administrative support at www.cnbsupportservices.co.uk

For details of businesses and services in the Thame area visit: http://www.thame.net