TRAVEL IN QUARTERMAINES' WORLD

Geoff Q-B has started a new travel blog.

It occurred to him that what with travelling to exotic place for FoodWorks, he met all kinds of folk, travelled in all kinds of conveyances, ate interesting food, and gleaned a lot of interesting photos and ideas (and opinions) that wouldn't fit easily into a corporate web site. But perhaps people might be interested in what amounts to the context of FoodWorks activities in various countries. And as an inveterate scribbler, Geoff enjoys writing... hence the blog.

It's implemented via a dedicated site, TravelBlog.org which makes specific tools available to travel writers. The site also provides a huge amount of world-wide information and hosts hundreds of travel-related blogs. Please check out

www.travelblog.org/bloggers/quartermainesworld

COMPETITIVENESS SUPPORT FUND

Geoff Quartermaine Bastin is acting as the Senior Advisor to the Competitiveness Support Fund based in Islamabad, Pakistan. CSF is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Finance and USAID with an initial financing package of US$20 million. The Fund is managed by its CEO Arthur Bayhan and has two main operational windows: technical assistance (consisting of policy advice and sector or industry assistance) and a matching grants facility where the Fund works with small enterprises on the basis of establishing links between industry, academia and government in a public-private partnership approach. Work is also starting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the trouble-torn north-west of Pakistan in a campaign to win hearts and minds via the development of small industry in sectors like livestock and horticulture. For more information on CSF, take a look at the website http://www.competitiveness.org.pk/

ENJOYING A "BEER" IN BALOCHISTAN

Not really!! Geoff Bastin is in the Uruk Valley near Quetta in Balochistan, taking time out from a field survey of almond producing areas. Apples, onions, dates are the other major crops. People husband sheep and grow wheat and fodder crops. In this area water is not a problem unlike most of Balochistan that has suffered a six year drought. FoodWorks is undertaking a food industry study for the Competitiveness Support Fund, a subsidiary of the Pakistan Federal Ministry of Finance and supported by USAID. Geoff is Food and Fisheries Advisor to CSF. The FW team consists of Geoff, Robert Lindley (fisheries) and Elena Timchenko who provides project support.

COMPETITIVENESS SUPPORT FUND (CSF) PAKISTAN

FoodWorks has started work as Agro-processing and Food Sector Advisor to the CSF in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Fund is established under the auspices of the federal Ministry Of Finance and USAID at over $20 million of start-up capital. The money is to be spent via three windows on Technical Assistance, Matching Grants and Business Incubation for SMEs. Chairman of CSF is Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Omar Ayub Khan and the Fund's Director is Mr.Arthur Bayhan. CSF prime objective is to increase the competitiveness of Pakistan against World Economic Forum benchmarks. Geoff Quaretrmaine Bastin is travelling extensively throughout Pakistan to develop a policy-specific report on the food industry that will be implemented at Federal/Presidential level. The study will be completed in early february 2007. For more information on the CSF check out the website at http://www.competitiveness.org.pk

LECTURE AT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL TASHKENT

Geoffrey Quartermaine Bastin with FoodWorks associate Jamshid Ganiev, Managing Director of UBI Consulting lecture on international consulting at "Kelajak Ilmi" International Business School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 18th October. IBS has a relationship with the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor. We were invited by Ms. Mila Eschonova, Executive Director. The lecture focused around different approaches to public and private sector consulting services. It was attended by about thirty 3rd and 4th year students. More information on IBS at http://www.ibs.uz/

Our project office in Tashkent

Our project is with ANZDEC of New Zealand and UBI Consulting for the Asian Development Bank (TA No. 4217-UZB). In 2000-01 Bastin helped design a $40 million loan project for the grains industry focused on wheat productivity improvement. His current work in 2006 is a Technical Assistance project to continue the furthering of reforms in the sector with a special focus on farm machinery and seeds. From a base in Tashkent the TA works in three focus areas up-country. The work program runs to December 2006. Bastin is the Team Leader managing a group of international and local specialists.