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feeding our future

There is a tendency to regard the economy of the Aberdeen City and Shire region as wholly dependent on oil and gas. Though this sector is undoubtedly the main wealth-producing component of the regional economy, it is by no means the only sector to produce sustainable prosperity for the North-east.

The ACSEF Action Plan identifies four priority industries - Life Sciences, Energy, Tourism and Food and Drink. This edition of Bulletin focuses on the food sector in the region, and you may be surprised by the volume of exports and the profits that this industry generates.

The AGCC issues documentation for exporters, and had a record month in March 2009, with the current favourable exchange rates helping the export drive. Consistently, month-on-month 10-20% of the export documentation issued is for the broad food sector, encompassing farm produce, fish, whisky and manufactured foodstuffs.

The North-east has long had a commercial interest in fish, food and farming, and much past wealth has been created from herring, tatties, barley and the distinctive Aberdeen Angus cattle. This legacy is something that can be further developed for a future based on a more diverse economy.

The sector is characterised by a number of household names, including Grampian Country Foods, Mackies, Walkers, Deans of Huntly and Baxters. But don't let that fool you that's all there is, they're just the tip of the iceberg, and there's lots more business being done.

The food and drink sector forms a key component of the ACSEF future plans for a target growth rate for the City and Shire region of 2.5%. Food and drink, as is shown below, is identified as one of the priority Industries:

Food and Drink:

Maintain and Grow Aberdeen City and Shire's position as a centre for premium natural raw materials and finished product.

Measure:

Grow food and drink company turnover by 30% to £1.1bn by 2017.
Delivery:

Progress plans for Scottish Centre for Food and Health Innovation
Grampian Food Forum
Brand Strategy Development

The Chamber will continue to support this vital sector as a key component of a diverse and prosperous economy for the region.

And finally, in this my first Viewpoint, a big thank you to the many of you who have welcomed me to my new role as CEO at the Chamber, including Geoff Runcie my predecessor. After two weeks in the post (at the time of writing) it is clear that there is much to do, and tremendous goodwill to get it done. The Chamber will continue to rise to the challenge on behalf of the business community of the City and Shire.