B&W Farms Ltd, based in Suffolk, has successfully completed its first international venture and established a farm in Gambia, West Africa, with the help of Trade Partners UK - the government body dedicated to providing UK companies with global expertise on international trade and investment.
B&W Farms is an agri-business that provides advice to farmers in the UK on how to grow crops. Director, Gordon Brett, established a farm in Gambia which manages local people in the growing and selling of produce direct from the land and with support from Trade Partners UK's 'Your passport to export success' programme* has seen it succeed.
Mr Brett had the idea to establish representation in Gambia and aid the local people in teaching them how to manage and farm their own land. In return for marketing the products grown, B&W Farms takes a percentage of the sales.
The farm now employs 85 local people and advises them how to farm, harvest, store and sell the produce - which includes mainly onions and potatoes, but also iceberg lettuces, leeks and peppers.
"This business venture is very exciting. Currently 90% of food is imported into Gambia, but this initiative is teaching local people that they can plough to plate 150 we recently sold 80 tonnes of onions grown on the farm into the market. Water for the farm comes from two boreholes on the farm", Mr Brett added.
