Greater chance for more UK firms to take advantage of overseas markets

Bigger and even better than before ....that's the 2004 target for the organisers of the hugely successful Global Partnership Initiative exhibition at the UK Royal Show.

More exhibitors and an increased number of overseas visitors resulting in trade deals that boost British farming, food processing and related sectors, that's what Philippa David, director of the UK International Agriculture & Technology Centre, is looking to achieve.

The centre runs the Global Partnership exhibition at the Royal Show and the first two years of the event has already produced millions of pounds worth of business for UK firms.

This year when representatives from over 90 countries visited the exhibition to meet with more than 70 British firms, orders totalling over £1 million were won during the four days and several other major orders have been confirmed since.

Now the aim is to have 85 exhibitors in the 2004 event - there were only 50 in 2002 - and to encourage more international visitors, particularly from the central and eastern European countries about to join the European Union.

The exhibition looks to promote and build on the strengths and expertise of

all aspects of agri-technology to overseas customers. It both provides

British firms with new market opportunities and allows other countries to tap into UK research and know-how in order to bring their own industries up to modern levels.

Philippa David said, "No one anticipated quite the level of results and positive support the initiative has received from both within the UK and from overseas countries.

"It confirms the view that British food production and processing, and all the scientific, environmental and engineering technologies that go with those activities, is still very highly regarded around the world.

"The 2003 exhibition attracted twice as many international visitors as the previous year and we will be looking to increase those numbers again next year - particularly from the EU accession states as well as our other target regions, Africa, China, Mexico and Brazil.

"We are also developing close working links with the various development organisations associated with the United Nations.

"Many of the UK firms who took part in the 2003 exhibition are already signed up for next year - particularly those who gained business as a result of taking space previously and who recognise that the Global Partnership pavilion was a place where real business was being done."

The International Agriculture & Technology Centre is a partnership between the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trade Partners UK, the Royal Agricultural Society of England and Advantage West Midlands.

It was set up to act as a focus for the promotion of the UK agri technology sector internationally, support and promote projects and provide a point of contact both for UK firms looking to trade overseas and for foreign companies and organisations looking to source British goods and services.