Annual Report - November 2004

It has indeed been for me a great pleasure to be chairman of what I would describe as the most hard working Board that Australian Alpine Valleys Agribusiness Forum has experienced since its inception in 1997.

Following a year which experienced a number of board resignations, members who were elected at our AGM last year have revitalised the whole organisation. With few exceptions most members were new to the board commencing with the AGM last year. They brought with them an enthusiasm and commitment for which they should be extremely proud. The agribusiness community is richer for having trusted these people to do the job.

Projects to the value of $118,000 were completed last year with the Wine Industry Strategic Analysis and Marketing Assistance to Regional Producer Groups. Funding for the full implementation of the recommendations for the Strategic Analysis of the Wine Industry has met with some difficulties to this point. The steering committee wishes to continue with the project and it will be a pity if the funds cannot be secured to assist them to implement the recommendations.

Through the Marketing Assistance to Regional Groups, we were able to provide some tools to help the 10 agribusiness groups representing some 740 individuals in business in the region. Many of the individual groups were able to identify new markets, raise awareness of their products, implement new marketing tools and secure new business.

The Forum will continue to assist these producer groups to monitor the effectiveness of their marketing activities, and to move them towards taking a more strategic approach in their marketing where required. AlpValleys continues to support the development of a regional brand or mark, as a means of regional promotion

FUNDING IN GENERAL

Victorian Agribusiness Network Funding will be in place at least until the end of 2006. On behalf all agribusiness in the North East, I wish to thank the Sate Government for this initiative and encourage them to continue this program

We are indebted to the North East Catchment Management Authority for providing us with funding to help support our hard working and very committed Administrative Assistant Claire Griffiths

The board has been successful in securing smaller amounts of funding from the Department of Industry Innovation and Regional Development (DIIRD), as well as some of the municipalities within the region. I wish to thank all of those departments and Councils for supporting the work we are engaged in with agribusiness in the region.

OTHER INITIATIVES

We have maintained our extremely valuable alliance with The Centre in Wangaratta. It never ceases to amaze me but Lachlan Campbell has the whole organisation behind him with anything he does for the Forum and we are very grateful for that relationship and all it brings to the success of the Forum. This contribution is invaluable to the agribusiness community of the region.

We have developed an extremely valuable alliance with the North East Catchment Management Authority, quite apart from the funding its provides. To talk about that alliance I would like to call on Brian Thompson of the Land and Water Use Committee.

As foreshadowed at the AGM last year the two projects -the Agribusiness Audit and further assistance to Agribusiness Groups with their Marketing - were successful in attracting VAN funding.

Peter J. Long 2004

In addition to the Chairman's report, other reports were given by board members Allan Hoppe, Phil Ward, Brian Thompson and Geoff Turnbull.

See also Chairman's report for 2003 , AGM Report 2004