w in briet Afund of opportunity Sweetassugar Fruit focus New publication i r What's NewS Issue 4 June/ July 2000 I "J ith or without sugar? The choice is yours. But if any of your clients are involved in the sugar chain the industry itself, the bakery, confectionary or beverage industry - they should know about RI's upeonting Global Conference on Sugar and Starch Swcetcners 2000 in Barcelona. During 9-11 October, the conference will bring together business leaders from every segment in the swcet cners market chain. A panel of top corporate speakers, i representing beet and cane sugar processors, trading houses, multinational and local food and beverage industries is scheduled to partici- pate. Official conference invitations were sent to offices around the network at the end of June, so that 'sweet' clients and prospectivc customers can be informed and invited. The Agri Project Finance Team was al- ways known for its creative approach to business - its 'swan song' is no differ ent. As the team is absorbed into various other units within Rl or départs for new challenges, members have set up a charita- ble fund aimed at support for the emerg- ing markets that represented its focus ar- eas in the 1990s. According to Niek Streefkerk (see letter in this issue of What's NewS): 'Potential beneficiaries of proceeds from the fund would include street children, people hit by natural dis asters, war victims, and education pro grams in emerging markets, and women in developing countries.' But giving money to the Emerging Markets Charity Fund is the easy part. Former APFTers and other Rl people are invited to invest personal time and energy to promote the fund. Here's an example: Iwona Lechocka of APFT, Utrecht, is undertaking a trek along the Inca Trail in Peru, at her own expense, to raise funds for AFS. An inter national, registered charity with over 100,000 volunteers working in 54 countries, AFS focuses on developmental programs for young people and has been awarded a United Nations citation for its work with disabled, orphaned and street children. Many of AFS' programs address the problems of secondary education (teaching and construction projects); oth- ers offer rehabilitation for street children. By sponsoring an initiative like Iwona's, money will be raised to fund volunteers working in orphanages in Lima and to support schools in buying basic classroom needs - like paper and pencils. If you have ideas on how to contribute to this new fund, please contact us. All ideas are welcome. The fund will be supervised by Rik van Slingerlandt, Hans Megens and Frans van Bijsterveld. Monetary con- tributions are also very welcome in ac count 3947.80.450 with Rabobank Utrecht, rcfcrence 'Emerging Markets Charity Fund'. Rabobank Singapore re- cently acted as main sponsor to the Asiafruit Congress 2000, a two-day conference held on April 12-13 alongside the FHA 2000, Asia's largest food and drink exhibition. Edgare Kerkwijk More than 260 delegates from over 30 countries attended the Con gress, representing numerous producers and exporters in the fruit industry. As part of RI's role as sponsor, Edgare Kerkwijk, FAR's regional industry analyst, Southeast Asia and Annemiek Geene, FAR's fresh fruit industry analyst, gave a keynote speech at the conference. 'There's a huge potential in Asia in terms of both con- sumption and production,' says Kerkwijk. 'The region is catching up very quickly, and we're showing investors its enormous growth capacity. Participating in events like the Asiafruit Congress gives us the opportunity to emphasize the bank's F&A expertise and helps regenerate optimism in Asia.' While still recovering from the 'Asian flu', and there's a need for a num- ber of structural improvements - such as quality control - in the region, it's expected that fresh fruit and vegetable producers will be the first to show strong sales in the future. 'Investors tend to overlook the real F&A poten tial in Asia,' Kerkwijk ex- plained. 'If you look at produc- ing apples in India and China alone, their capacity could be 50% of to- tal global production. That means global market leaders.' The latest global market study, 'The Dynamics of Cocoa and Chocolate', is now available. The study offers a general overview of the cocoa and choco late industry, in-depth analyses of the primary drivers, and outlooks for the future of the sector. At the same time, FAR has been busy at work on several other pub- lications. Two regional studies, 'Food Retail Chains in China' and 'The Mexican Flower Industry' are currently available. The following global market studies are currently in-progress: food ingredients, pork, potatoes, e-commerce in F&A and a world cotton map. For more information, please contact Martha van den Berg by email or phone +31 30 216 1178.

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