AB Agri explores Poland’s potential

AB Agri (Associated British Agriculture) is the
agriculture group of Associated British Foods plc and is seeing early results
from its involvement with the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) programme.

The company makes and
sells high performance compound feeds and feed co-products from the food and
drink industries, feed micro-ingredients, analytical and consultancy services,
livestock and poultry marketing, biomass and energy crops as
bio-fuels.

Focus central and eastern Europe
Chief executive
David Yiend has been determined that, from its base in the UK, AB Agri should
expand in international markets, one of the initial steps towards this plan is
focusing on markets in central and eastern Europe.

With the help of the
UK Trade Investment OMIS programme Poland was identified as one of the largest
markets for animal feeds in this enlarged European zone.

The OMIS
research produced an extensive list of potential distributors in Poland for AB
Agri animal nutrition products. Broad research was carried out to shorten the
list.

The remaining shortlist was examined through visits with the
potential partners, which finally resulted in a preferred choice, which will be
announced this week.

“We have commissioned a further nine OMIS reports in
central and eastern Europe – including Russia – and have already started to
receive some of the market intelligence from UKTI.”, said independent consultant
David Wagstaff, who is retained by ABI Agri.

The Polish venture will have
taken six months in the making, from issuing the initial brief to UKTI to this
week’s distributor launch.

AB Agri key facts

• Largest supplier
  of animal feeds & services in the UK

• Around 1000 UK employees and 900 in
  China

• Over 20 sites in the UK together with growing international operations
• Sourcing over 2 million tonnes of raw materials per year
• Producing 0.2 million
  tonnes of monogastric compound feed per year

• Selling over 2 million tonnes of
  straights, blends and moist feeds

• Purchasing around 30 different bulk raw
  materials per year

• Sourcing biomass and energy crops as bio-fuels Developing and
  selling micro-ingredients to feed manufacturers

• Amongst China’s top 5 foreign investors in animal
  feed manufacture with an extensive sales
  network