The number of farmers, smallholders and other businesses in south west Wales who are diversifying into food processing and other farm-based activities is on the rise.

According to one of the newly-appointed Lead Advisors of the Welsh Assembly’s food business development advisory programme, there is an upsurge in diversification enterprises.

Jeremy Bowen-Rees, of the Landsker Business Centre, Whitland, says many local businesses are seeking to add value to their produce or are developing new products and those who have already diversified are seeking to expand.

“We are helping many businesses that have real growth potential,” said Mr Bowen-Rees.

“We have a dozen or more clients who are either taking the first steps towards adding value to local produce, including farmers who are looking to increase capacity because they want to reduce their dependence on primary production.”

The company is helping these enterprises with business planning, growth options analysis, marketing and preparing grant applications to purchase new equipment.

Examples of clients assisted include the newly opened Gwaun Valley Brewery and a farmer who is looking to produce local salt marsh lamb.

The boom in diversification has reached a point where the Landsker Business Centre is planning to increase its resources to meet this demand.

Earlier this year it hosted the Landsker Business Zone at the Pembrokeshire County Show, which brought together some of the region’s leading support businesses.

Mr Bowen-Rees says it provided a good platform for consolidating relationships with established clients and professional intermediaries and for meeting potential new clients.

“It was a very good opportunity for us to present our broad range of business support offerings in many sectors because we are now in a position to help both large and small and new and existing businesses,” he said.