Rabobank at VIV Asia
Holland
in BRIEF
Staff communication magazine for the Rabob
Looking back
on 1993
Budget 1994
Sydney Shift
Eastern European
cooperation
Looking ahead
Leading emission
Less employment
(ommerical call
Rabobank's Signature
ISSUE 24/13 DECEMBER 1993
The intensive livestock sector is a clear growth industry in South-
east Asia so it is not surprising that Thailand's capital, Bangkok,
played host to an international exhibition and seminar at the
end of November. As top food and agribusiness bank, Rabo
bank was there to present two major studies, on the pig and
poultry sectors.
We review the past year month
by month. See page 4.
International division General
Manager Rik van Slingelandt
looks back on 'a very good
year' and discusses the 1994
budgets - 'we're going to have
to work like the devil to come
to grips with them'.
The Sydney office has moved
to new premises:
Rabo Australia Ltd.,
Level 10, Challis House,
4 Martin Place,
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel.: 02-2239999 (general);
02-2310000 (treasury)
Telefax: 02-2310007.
Managers from cooperative
banks in Russia, Rumania,
Hungary, Poland and Czechia
arrivé in the Netherlands to
participate in a three-week
Management Development and
Banking Skills training course
offered to them by Rabobank.
The course is designed to give
the bankers theoretical and
practical insight into how the
cooperative system works in
the Netherlands.
Executive board member Henk
Visser will speak at the 'World
Fruit Conference 1994' to be
held in Rotterdam in March
and which is co-hosted by the
Rotterdam Municipal Port
Management and Rabobank.
VIV Asia was co-organized by
the Utrecht-based Jaarbeurs and
Bangkok's Queen Sirikit conven
tion centres and attracted
exhibitors and visitors from all
over the world. It was also an
ideal moment to announce
Rabobank's expansion plans in
the region as the executive board
has recently approved the open
ing of an office in the Thai capital
and further activities in Malaysia.
Cor Broekhuyse addressed the
seminar organized by Rabobank,
providing an indepth overview
of the world poultry market. He
explained there has been a rapid
increase in the consumption of
poultry meat, both in the deve-
loped and developing world over
the past seven years. 'consump
tion has increased 35 percent,' he
said, 'and it has increased at the
expense of pork and beef.'
Basing this information on a
recent Rabobank study, Broek
huyse indicated five reasons for
the growth in the sector. 'First, it
is relatively cheap in comparison
to other meats. Second, poultry
has benefitted from a switch by
the health-conscious consumer
away from red meat. Third, the
range and availability of chicken
products has increased and they
are increasingly convenient. The
fourth reason is this type of
meat's good organoleptic quali-
ties. Finally, the industry has
achieved success with marketing
programs which have effected a
change in tastes.'
Over 100 representatives from
the worldwide sector attended
the seminar and many more
visited Rabobank's reception,
during which Rik van Slinge
landt officially presented the first
copies of Rabobank's latest
reports on Intensive Livestock
Production to the Dutch Minis
ter of Agriculture, Piet Bukman,
and to a senior official of the
Thai Ministry of Agriculture.
During the four-day fair some
300 business people visited
Rabobank's prominent stand in
this modern exhibition complex.
Both Rabobank's participation
in the trade fair and the or-
ganization of the seminar and
the reception was coordinated
from Utrecht by Marketing
Services.
Rabobank will be lead-managing
loan emissions for two major
companies - Eurofima and
Aegon. Eurofima, the fmance
company of the combined
European railways, is borrowing
NLG 400 million on the Dutch
capital market while insurer
Aegon is looking for NLG 350
million.
At the end of 1994, the number
of jobs at Rabobank in the
Netherlands will have been re-
duced by 2,800. This has been
made possible by an efficiency
program at member banks and
through central processing of
various transactions.
Rabobank clients can get infor
mation on their current account
bank balances by calling a spe
cial number, a so-called 06 in
formation number. Over 4 mil
lion clients have been allocated
entry codes to the system and
with around 300,000 calls per
week, the Rabobank number is
the most-dialed service in the
Netherlands.
Staff and managers in the
Netherlands should be talking
about Rabobank's style of bank
ing this month. All 42,000 of
them have received a brochure
which is designed to stimulate
and encourage discussion on the
bank's norms and values when it
comes to doing business.
Raboban
