Dana Bucur
Dana Bucur
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| Dana Bucur on TV - June 2009 |
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| Saturday, 25 July 2009 11:03 |
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My first live interview on agribusiness with Money Channel on June 18th 2009 in Bucharest, Romania. This dialogue has been fully based on instant questions so please understand inherent errors and emotions etc. Please find bellow the translation of whole interview. Remember this is based on Romanian mentality and culture within the whole socio-economic context. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------The interview. Dana Bucur: For the large farmers there is a direct link between the business and the market. Small farmers need more time. It really depends on what the Romanian business entity is after: do they target high income, than yes, it is needed 3 to 5 years. Otherwise they only may expect a small income. Reporter 1: I would like to propose to you to consider the lowest level, let’s say somebody has a few hectares and EUR 10-15-20,000. Is it enough to start an agribusiness? Dana Bucur: For the starting point, it is enough. But many other aspects must be considered not just financing: agribusiness offers great deals either through cropping or animal farms. It really depends very much on the business initiative and what are the perspectives within that context. Reporter 1: The ‘Farmer’ project through which the Romanian Government tried to encourage people from the towns to move back to the rural life, to their grandparents, relatives… Is there any chance something to happen on a large scale? Dana Bucur: I am absolutely convinced. From this perspective, I believe the more we attract and join the forces, Romanian agriculture will prove its benefits. Reporter 1: The people you speak with… the people asking for your advice or information… what are their problems? Dana Bucur: Either lack of information, or financing or foreign investors looking for a data base so that they can understand the Romanian agribusiness environment. Reporter 1: What kind of solutions you offer? Apart from, let’s say, the information you gained in time. I understood you have many years in agribusiness. Dana Bucur: Yes, I have been working in the agribusiness for more than 13 years. What kind of information I can offer… Reporter 1: What solutions you provide? Dana Bucur: Agri solutions… Dana Bucur: Agri solutions specific to the needs of each business initiative. The most important resource in agribusiness is the human one. It is very important to have the right quality people in the right places, at the right time. Reporter 2: Does agriculture look attractive lately? Dana Bucur: From my point of view, Romania is an EU member therefore this country is on a positive, upward trend. Reporter 2: In the last months, let’s say from beginning of this year… Dana Bucur: From business point of view, entirely positive. Well, if we have a few slightly negative influences like for instance the weather, we need to accept and adapt to it. Reporter 2: The weather is the only factor which could influence in a negative way the agriculture? Dana Bucur: One of the very important elements, and we need to learn to keep under control all weather conditions. Reporter 2: Speaking about foreign investors, how much are they interested to invest in Romania or how many have any interest in its agricultural potential? Have you noticed an evolution recently? Dana Bucur: They are very much interested in many areas from cropping to wind energy, or other green fields. We only have to know how to distribute all the information and to make the effort to shorten the distance between them, the business people and us, the people with experience in the agricultural universe. Reporter 2: How should be done this? Dana Bucur: Simply to be open, to be as much as possible present so that people can easily access us and to offer reliable competences and abilities. Reporter 2: Did you manage to attract such people? Dana Bucur: Yes. Reporter 2: Real transactions… Dana Bucur: Real transactions not only for financial benefits. Reporter 2: Talking about the financial impact, let’s try to quantify foreign investments in Romania within this context. Dana Bucur: From what point of view? Reporter 2: Financially … Dana Bucur: Quantification of the results? Reporter 2: Hmm… Reporter 1: Numbers, amounts of money involved… Reporter 2: Yes, that’s right. Dana Bucur: Well, again, it depends on the size of the business, quality, on quantity. Reporter 2: We try here to sum up all the investments… We are after the total value of foreign investments through your initiative which is … Dana Bucur: The values are quite high, I cannot say the real figures, what I can say is that there are business investments of EURO 1,000,000 or 2,000,000 or, as well, of EURO 20,000. It really depends on the working system, being either an extensive or an intensive one, applied for the whole business or for the agri initiative. Reporter 1: This money is used to buy the land or not only? Dana Bucur: Not necessarily. Reporter 1: Probably for agri equipments as well… Dana Bucur: Absolutely. This is vital for the farming industry. Reporter 1: Are there some business ideas more attractive than others? Dana Bucur: From agricultural area… Reporter 1: Yes, yes. Dana Bucur: Yes, especially now and with all EU focus on farming and green fields investments like wind energy or any other sort of green energies. Reporter 1: You really speak about large amounts of money, probably medium business entities, which means are you always advice people for EU financing? Or people may well manage without this kind of support? Dana Bucur: Romanian agricultural investments need EU help. The EU subsidies or any other structural funds are welcome. Reporter 2: Are these funds well looked after by farmers? Dana Bucur: Yes, it is. But it is important this information to be available and to be easy to be accessed by everybody who needs it. We, the farmers or the agri business people, are busy with our crops management, or with day to day activities. We feel like we need to get closer to such information, we need to know there is a friendly environment when dealing with this aspect. Reporter 1: Everybody talks about the important movement of the farmers from being not only producers but also involved in the silo industry and everything else. Is it happening anything within this area, I mean is there small, medium businesses targeted on this segment? Dana Bucur: Yes, if you look only in the South of Romania, there are a few investments which must be encouraged. Reporter 2: Talking about these investments, how are they going to succeed further? Dana Bucur: Ok, from my point of view, as I believe in the natural resources of Romania and also in the Romanian people, I can only talk in a positive way about agriculture, even if we have to handle various aspects like waking up very early in the morning, getting in contact with… Reporter 1: Like us, here on The Morning of the lions… Dana Bucur: Yes, I am convinced. But the results are worthwhile, if you allow me please, I would like to talk about one project I have been involved in the past, this is the industrial hemp for fiber used in the fields of automotive, legume culture etc. We managed to plant a few years ago quite a large area of industrial hemp for fiber for Romania, and now after 5-7 years we succeed to market it in EU, of course due to real business-driven forces from EU. The product is a mat, if you allow me, it looks like this, and then for many car brands, we have here one car brand, here another, here we have even for oil absorbent, here another car made… Reporter 1: What are the prices of these products in Romania comparing with Europe? It is well known that EU subsidies put in a difficult position Ro businesses to compete. Dana Bucur: I don’t think so. It is just a matter of time and it is important how we approach the business. The prices of such semi-finished products are quite accessible… Reporter 1: Comparing with Europe. Dana Bucur: (…) and much lower than the prices of artificial fibers. Reporter 2: You mentioned about European players, how much profit they make out of this segment? How much is left here? Dana Bucur: Obviously, we talk about business, so the Romanian business entities make considerable profits, and probably, finally, the affiliated industries from Europe. It is important that thanks to the European markets, we succeed in promoting raw materials, resources, semi-finished and finished products from Romania, so that market players find out about us and value our products. Reporter 1: Thank you very much. Dana Bucur – expert agrimanagement, talking about agriculture in Romania and her solutions. Agriculture – a source not yet really well looked after. Indeed it should be somehow correlated the ancestral style of agricultural working system to industry, sales and marketing and everything else. ---------------------------------------------------------------End of the interview. |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 April 2010 21:47 |