Circ re. sale of Malaysian estate and investme...

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M. P. EVANS GROUP PLC

Sale of 660-hectare Malaysian estate
and investment in 12,000-hectare Indonesian oil palm project




M.P.  Evans Group PLC is pleased to announce the sale of a 660-hectare Malaysian
estate  for  £4.3 million and an Investment in a 12,000-hectare  Indonesian  oil
palm project. These transactions represent the first stage of the implementation
of  the  board's  new  strategy adopted since the Company's recent  merger  with
Bertam  Holdings PLC ("Bertam") and Lendu Holdings PLC ("Lendu").  As  described
in  the  documents  relating to the merger, the new strategy is  to  divest  the
Group's  relatively low-earning Malaysian plantations and reinvest the  proceeds
in  the  higher-earning Indonesian palm-oil and Australian beef-cattle  sectors.
With  regard, specifically, to Indonesia, the aim is to acquire 50,000  hectares
of  land  which is suitable for oil-palm development, in addition to the Group's
existing plantations.

Sale of Sungei Reyla Estate
In  line  with  this  strategy,  and as part  of  the  means  of  financing  the
expansionary programme in Indonesia, we are pleased to announce the sale of  the
first  of the Malaysian plantations, the 660-hectare Sungei Reyla Estate, for  a
total selling price of RM31.4 million, approximately £4.3 million.

This sale is subject to 5% Malaysian Real Property Gains Tax and the related tax
charge  is  expected  to  be  approximately RM1.4 million  (approximately  £0.19
million).   The  sale  is also conditional upon the approval  of  the  Malaysian
Foreign Investment Committee and the Estates Land Board.  These permissions  are
expected to be received within six to nine months.

Investment in Bangka project
We  are  also  delighted to announce the signing of agreements relating  to  the
commencement of a project in the northern part  of Bangka Island, which lies off
the  south  east  coast  of  Sumatra, Indonesia. The  project  consists  of  the
acquisition  and  development of approximately 12,000  hectares  which  will  be
planted  with  oil  palms  and nearby there will be a smallholders'  cooperative
comprising  up  to  a further 5,000 hectacres.  A crude palm oil  mill  will  be
constructed  to  process the fruit from both the project and  the  smallholders'
land.   The  site is well placed, being near a port from which palm oil  can  be
shipped,  and  is  in  an area with suitable rainfall and soil  conditions.  The
project will be managed from within the Group by a Malaysian general manager.

The  investment in the project will be routed through an Indonesian company,  PT
Gunung  Pelawan Lestari ("GPL"), which will be owned as to 90% by the Group  and
10%  by the Indonesian partner, Mr Karli Boenjamin, who is an eminent Indonesian
businessman with extensive experience of oil palm developments on the island.

With  regard  to the financing of GPL, it is anticipated that the total  funding
requirement  will  be in the region of US$45 million, with the peak  requirement
arising in 2009.  It is intended that this will be provided by a combination  of
funds from within the M. P. Evans Group PLC and external loans.  The plan is  to
develop the project at the rate of approximately 4,000 hectares per annum and it
will  be  some  six  years from now before all of the plantings  are  considered
mature  by  which time earnings from the first plantings should have  commenced.
The  implementation  of  the project is conditional  upon  the  necessary  local
approvals but the board is confident that there should not be any difficulty  in
obtaining these.

The  project represents the single largest oil palm development ever undertaken,
on  a  majority-held  basis,  by the Group and  it  is  expected  that  it  will
substantially enhance long-term profits and cash flows.

2004 results announcement
The  preliminary results for 2004 are expected to be announced on  9  May  2005.
The  figures relate to the results, cash flows and net assets of the Rowe  Evans
Investments PLC Group as it was at 31 December 2004 - in other words,  prior  to
the merger with Bertam and Lendu.  The merger took place on 2 February 2005 when
the  Company changed its name to M. P. Evans Group PLC and the accounts  of  the
enlarged group will only reflect the merger after that date.

By order of the board
J F Elliott
Secretary
27 April 2005



Enquiries:
M.P. Evans               Tel: [phone]
Peter Hadsley-Chaplin, Joint CEO
Philip Fletcher, Joint CEO

gcg Hudson sandler       Tel : [phone]
Noémie de Andia