Dear Sirs

I warmly welcome to our hospitable , wonderful country Ziemia Ostrowska. Our country is one of the biggest in Wielkopolska region. The District and the town are big, affluent, thrifty and important not only for region but also for the whole country.

It goes without saying that the chief potential of the Ostrow District lies in its situation. It lies in the south-west part of the Wielkopolska region, bordering on the Dolny Slask region and the districts of Krotoszyn, Pleszew, Kalisz and Ostrzeszow. Through it run communication routes of vital importance for the economy of the area and of the country, the road and rail routes from Poznan to Katowice, from Wroclaw to Lodz and Warsaw.The distance to Poznan, Lodz and Wroclaw is about 100 km

The chief advantages of the district include the large number of business-related institutions, the ready support of local government authorities for investors and entrepreneurs, the support for local community and economic initiatives. Moreover it offers the high level of economic activity, the well developed provision of banking facilitates ,the wide range of opportunities for investment on offer, the natural beauty of the area A further strength of the district is the large number and variety of schools, the well-qualified workforce and the high level of awareness of civic responsibility. It is said that Ziemia Ostrowska residents are characterized by a solid attitude towards work, thriftiness, orderly manner, judiciousness, responsibility, organizational skills and persistence in pursuing their goals

Because of its natural features and state of industrialization, the Ostrow District has both an agricultural and industrial character. Farmland covers 62,2% of its area and forest 27,9%. Within the locality more than 11.000 business units are in operation: 37,6% are concerned with trade and repairs, 14,2% with industry and construction, 4,3% with agriculture, fishing and forestry. The main types of industry are those: producing foodstuffs, machinery, precision instruments, building materials, timber products and railway carriages. The area has an excellent infrastructure, having water and telephone systems throughout, and most localities are building their own sewage systems.

In addition to the steadily developing industrial potential, agriculture plays a very important role in Ostrów District. It provides the market with all basic products and at the same time constitutes a solid resource for the food industry and the processing of farm products, supplying, for example, dairies and poultry processing plants. There are over 71,000 hectares of farmland in the Ostrów District, that is, about 62% of the total area. The chief crops are grain, potatoes and root crops. A significant role is also played by the raising of cattle, pigs and freshwater fish but also the production of eggs for consumption. For many years the Ostrów District has been prominent in the raising of poultry.

The main economic centre of the district is the town of Ostrow Wielkopolski. At present it is a well developed industrial centre, chiefly concerned with the production of foodstuffs and means of transport, machinary and precision instruments, building materials and timber (the plywood factory, Sklejka Eko).

Ostrów Wielkopolski is an attractive place for both national and foreign investments. After the administrative reforms in 1998 the town became the fourth largest in Wielkopolska from the point of view of population. Its advantages include, the situation of the town, the proximity of the markets, the good climate for investors and a good technical infrastructure and the cost of services is lower than in other towns. All of these factors have achieved for the town a high ranking for attractive investment possibilities, as judged by well-known institutions and professional journals.

In the western part of the Ostrow District there are rich deposits of natural gas, exploited by the denitrification plant Zakład Odazotowania Gazu "Krio" in Odolanow, one of the few plants in the world producing quality high-methane gas.

As the head of the local government authorities I am trying to create the best possible condition for investors. The opportunities and requirements in this area are huge. Due to high unemployment, I am especially interested in direct, long term investments, which can stimulate the economic growth of our region and new business opportunities. I do believe that factors such as modern technology and modern management methods can improve the standard of living and competitiveness of our local economy and I am also sure that cooperation with local authorities will help to launch and carry out a new local business venture. I warmly welcome everyone who is interested in investing in the Ostrów Wielkopolski City and District.