Disposal of US Peanut Shelling Business

Man(ED & F) Group PLC
13 March 2000



E D & F Man Group plc ('E D & F Man')

Disposal of US Peanut Shelling Business

E D & F Man, the financial services group, announces that on 10 March 2000 it
entered into an agreement to sell its US peanut shelling business, Farmers
Fertilizer and Milling Company, Inc., to Birdsong Corporation of the US.

The total consideration will be $95m (£60m) cash plus the repayment of $5m
(£3m) of bank debt. 

Completion of this transaction is expected to take place on 31 March 2000. 
All regulatory approvals required to effect the transaction have been
obtained.

Commenting on the Disposal, Harvey McGrath, Chief Executive of E D & F Man,
said:

'On the 17th of February we announced the disposal of the Group's Agricultural
Products activities and stated that negotiations for the sale of the remaining
nut operations were at an advanced stage.  The sale announced today will
release the majority of the financial resources utilised in these remaining
operations.'

Enquiries

E D & F Man                                         020 7285 3000
Peter Clarke (Director of Corporate Finance and Corporate Affairs)     
       
Gavin Anderson                                      020 7457 2345
Marc Popiolek / Lindsey Harrison       
       
Rabobank International                              020 7809 3000 
John Cripps       

Notes to Editors

E D & F Man is an international financial services Group. Man offers
specialist fund management products through its subsidiary Man Investment
Products and brokerage of exchange-traded futures and options through Man
International. 

Man Investment Products is a world leader in the field of alternative
investment products. Funds under management for private and institutional
clients have grown from approximately $1.1 billion under management in
December 1994 to approximately $4.8 billion.  Man Investment Products uses
systematic trading strategies across a diversified portfolio of investments in
international markets. This approach has produced a track record with low
correlation to equity and bond market performance, complementing investors'
traditional portfolios by reducing overall risk. Man Investment Products'
successful composite fund products are managed by a growing range of
investment managers including AHL, its wholly-owned London based manager, and
joint ventures such as Man-Glenwood and Man-Fidex. Global sales and marketing
are effected through its own sales offices and an extensive network of
intermediaries.

Man International is a major broker of exchange-traded futures and options. It
offers execution, clearing and advisory services across a range of markets,
including interest rates, foreign exchange, energy, precious and non-ferrous
metals, grains and other soft commodities, equity indices and securities.
Operating from London, New York, Chicago, Paris, Singapore and Taiwan, Man
International services a worldwide institutional client base and an increasing
number of private clients.