Agriculture and Agribusiness
Far East and Pacific
We illustrate our wide capabilities by our most relevant projects. A full project list may be provided on request
2016 - ongoing - Laos - Horticulture Development Programme - Private investment - managing a trial plot (5,000 sq.m.) of “Prime Ark 45” a new primocane variety of blackberry bred by the University of Arkansas, USA. Imported 1,000 tissue-cultured plants from the US; planted on land at 1,300 metres altitude on the Bolaven Plateau, Champasak Province; installed borehole, drip irrigation and trellis system; planted Arachis pintoi intercrop. The work may be expanded to include avocado. The work includes a privately-owned orchid conservation project with laboratory and growth room for propagating species orchids from seed. This is the Paksong Orchid Project begun by Eddie Vernon in 2011 (see below)
Key disciplines: Horticulture, Tree Crops, Nursery Development
2015-16 - Laos - Northern Uplands Development Programme (NUDP), Agence Francaise de Developpement ( AFD). FoodWorks reviewed and evaluated grant-based micro sub-projects in horticulture, livestock (including forage), coffee and spices (cardamom, benzoin, agarwood). The work included training district-level officials at agriculture offices and technical service centres in business planning, gross margin analysis, project implementation and value chain development. Two workshops were conducted at national level for coffee and cardamom. Other outputs included detailed text reports and workshops delivered to national, provincial and district agriculture and extension agents. A short mission was undertaken to Guangdong in China to meet cardamom buyers and manufacturers of traditional medicines.
Key disciplines: Agribusiness, Commodity Marketing, Value Chain Analysis
2015-16 - Thailand and Australia - Animal Forage Development - Verde Culture (Thailand) Co Ltd. Prepared agriculture and farm plans for the production of forages on large-scale farms in Thailand and Australia. The farms are planned to be based on kenaf but currently include Napier Grass on land leased from a major bio-ethanol plant. Total budgeted area is 6,000 hectares. Operations to be highly mechanized. Forages to be processed into pellet form for export to dairy industries in Korea, Vietnam and China. FoodWorks provided a Senior Agricultural Operations Manager and undertook due diligence on the behlaf of investors that covered the Thai operations
Key disciplines: Animal Feed/Forage, Farm Planning, Farm Management, Financial and Investment Analysis
2006 - 2016 (ongoing) - Laos - Agribusiness Development Programme, Happy Farmers Ltd. Identified, researched and developed business opportunities related to agarwood, forage seeds, wild silk and orchids in alliance with foreign partners. In 2006 the company contracted around 10 farmers to produce forage seed for export, increasing to around 500 farmers in 2012. In the case of agarwood, the company has attracted investors from Australia, Monaco and France. For orchids, the programme assisted a conservation project (see below, Paksong Orchid Project) to obtain a grant to purchase micro-propagation equipment; facilitated one Lao technician to receive training in the UK and established working relationships with the Royal Kew Gardens in London and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 2013, initiated the contract farming production of seed of Arachis pintoi by 41 members of a coffee producers’ cooperative in Paksong, Champasak Province.
Key disciplines: Agricultuture, Agribusiness, Animal Feed/Forage, Agro-forestry, Contract Farming, Floriculture, Horticulture, Training
2014-15 - Cambodia - Rice Support and Development Programme (RICE-SDP), Ministry of Economics and Finance, ADB loan funded. Undertook comprehensive review of the policy and regulatory environment affecting the rice value chain in the context of a $300 million investment in rice infrastructure including irrigation, seed farms, grain storage, milling and irrigation systems. This review included seed certification, contract farming regulation, land use management and compliance with international climate resilient and environmental obligations. As support for the PPP specialist researched the rice value chain from seed and fertilizer inputs to export arrangements, including secondary elements such as transport and logistics, SPS etc. for milled rice. Submitted detailed analytical report on the supply chain together with 15 other short reports covering regulatory compliance with the ADB Loan Agreement.
Key disciplines: Agriculture, Agribusiness, Climate Change, Contract Farming, Compliance, Legal. Public-Private Parnerships, Policy, Regulatory Environment, Rice Industry, Seed Supply, Value Chain Analysis
2014 - Cambodia - Business Support for the Rice Industry, The World Bank Group/ International Finance Corporation (IFC), Cambodia undertaken with Agland Investments Inc. Provided analysis of world markets for milled rice with an emphasis on fragrant rice (Phka Malis) from Cambodia. Reviewed domestic value chain arrangements especially for millers. Undertook detailed consumer markets studies (including logistic and supply arrangements) in markets in China (Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou) and Singapore. All the information was presented in two industry workshops via PowerPoint Presentations and detailed reports now published by IFC.
Key disciplines: Commodity Market Research, Agribusiness, International Trade, Logistics, Rice Industry, Value Chain Analysis,
2012-'13 - Mekong Sub-region - Trade Origination Service. Origination and supply aggregation of white rice from mainly Vietnam but including Tailand and Myanmar to Ukraine/Russia for a client trading out of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Located viable and trustworthy suppliers of white milled rice for supply to a buyer in Odessa, Ukraine. Negotiated price and other contract elements and provided administration of shipping documents. Supervised physical loading of containers and ensured quality standards. Once the trade arrangements were properly established, FoodWorks provided training to client staff and then handed the management of the trading activity over to the client.
Key disciplines: Commodity Trade, Logistics, Quality Control
2012 - Laos - Reducing UXO Risk and Improving Livelihoods of Ethnic Communities in Sekong Province. CARE Australia. Examined the project’s Agro-Enterprise Development Programme and existing/potential market linkages. Developed an action plan to strengthen the project team’s ability to further develop community-market linkages. Developed a strategy to make productive use of two vacant market buildings.
Key disciplines: Agriculture Planning, Market Infrastructure
2011 - ongoing - Laos - Paksong Orchid Project supported by a grant from Orchid Conservation International (OCI) towards the cost of setting up the first orchid propagation laboratory in southern Laos.the The work is also in association with Orchid Seed Stores for Sustainable Use (OSSSU), a Darwin Initiative project designed to establish orchid seed banking around the globe using conventional seed banking techniques. With around 25,000 species, the orchid family is perhaps the largest and most diverse. Led by Eddie Vernon and Chansouk Southivong, the project is legally collecting orchid seed pods from suitable orchid populations and from cultivation and using them to propagate seedlings in vitro in a laboratory and growth room.
Key disciplines: Conservation, Floriculture, Seed propogation
2006 - Thailand - Doha Round Fish Case Study, UK Natural Resources Institute DFID. Comparative advantage research including marine and inland fisheries. Study included review of condition of the Thai fishing fleet post-Tsunami, costs and supply of labour and other critical inputs, access to marine capture areas, external and internal subsidies and tariffs, fishing and processing costs, industry sustainability, external trade and poverty aspects
Key disciplines: Fishery, Economics, International Trade, Value Chain Analysis
2003-04 - China and Malaysia - (a) Least-cost Integrated Snack Food Project and (b) Upgrading of Snack Food Factory. Procter & Gamble. These were FoodWorks first projects during and after a management buy-out from the parent company, FoodSystems Design-Asia Ltd (which held the main contract). We were responsible for the management of a project to install in China (Fujien Province) a 550kg/hour fabricated potato chip line including procurement of sub-systems, installation and commissioning. Under guidance for P&G specialists we designed unique pieces of the processing line for contract manufacture in least-cost locations (e.g., in Thailand). These included ingredient bag handling systems and packaging liines. We also procured larger, more complex equipment from major suppliers worl-wide to install a process that optimized each piece of the line to produce a quality product - a stabckable potato chip resembling "Pringles". At the same time P&G acquired an existing chip line in Malaysia (Johore Baru) and our engineers took the lead in upgrading that factory.
Key disciplines: Food Processing and Systems Design, Food Engineering, Project Management, Logistics, Civil Engineering, Legal and Contract Management.