Opening of the Conference by the IGC Chair

3rd High-level dialogue between producing and importing countries

In light of sustained uncertainty, not least related to geopolitical factors and climate-induced production fluctuations, many countries have been forced to rethink the role of trade in their approach to food security. While some importers have reconsidered the resilience of trade in their contingency plans and shifted from “just in time” to “just in case” purchases, the development of an open and transparent trade system would support national strategies for food security.

IGTC dialogue

In the dynamic world of grains and oilseeds trade, understanding current and future challenges is crucial in ensuring food security. Against this backdrop, this session will provide an overview of key issues in the regions of North and South America, Europe, East Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions. It will cover an array of factors impacting trade, with a particular focus on plant health and crop production, as well as transportation and logistics.

Regional snapshot: Developments in Middle East

Despite notable improvements in domestic production, Middle East remains a key player in the global grains trade, particularly for wheat and barley. The logistics sector, critical to supporting the region's trade activities, has undergone significant advancements in recent years, although substantial opportunities for growth and investment remain untapped. This session will bring together representatives from government bodies and the private sector, including trading companies, to explore key development trends and emerging business opportunities in Near East Asia, with a special focus on infrastructure investment.

Soyabean workshop

Panelists will assess prospects for trade in a year in which global production is seen at an all-time peak, boosted by bigger harvests in the world’s dominant exporters. Recent years have seen an uplift in Chinese arrivals, to around 110m t, but what does the future hold there and elsewhere in Asia? Separately, with deliveries to markets in Near East Asia, North Africa and the Americas having grown in importance, will these regions offer suppliers the potential for sustained growth in demand in future years? These and other pertinent questions will be addressed during the session.

Pulses workshop

Against the backdrop of a growing world population and expanded utilisation in feed and processing sectors, together with changing dietary habits and the development of innovative food products, world pulses production has expanded in recent years. Furthermore, to ensure food security and environmental sustainability, it is crucial to prioritise policies that will be important in boosting world production in future years.

Ports efficiency and connectivity

Maritime infrastructure efficiency plays a critical role in maintaining the dynamic flow of grains, oilseeds and related derivatives, with around 90% of globally traded grains transported by sea and an average journey lasting over 30 days. Traditional indicators for assessing port efficiency include berth occupancy rates, revenue per ton of cargo, and vessel turnaround times. However, with evolving environmental standards and sustainability goals, port efficiency has taken on new dimensions. Following the Paris Agreement, the International Maritime Organisation has intensified efforts to enhance the energy efficiency of ships, prompting ports to make substantial investments to align with new goals. This panel will explore how ports can balance operational efficiency with environmental sustainability, while ensuring seamless connectivity across global grain trade routes.

Maize workshop

Maize supply and demand fundamentals are in a state of flux, with uneven trends in production, use and trade in recent seasons. Constrained partly by lower prices, annual output has recently stabilised at around 1.2bn t, a historically high level, but not quite large enough to prevent drawdowns in global stocks. A challenging economic backdrop has contributed to softer consumption growth, especially for feed, but with more dynamic demand from the fuel ethanol sector, most notably in Brazil.

Sustainability: how to ensure biodiversity in the grains trade

Flora and fauna are under increasing pressure from mankind’s growing ecological footprint. Amid rising awareness, many countries are accelerating the implementation of national biodiversity action plans, which may have significant implications for agriculture and international trade in food. Against the backdrop of tightening laws and regulations, this panel discussion will explore the potential challenges and opportunities in the context of global grains and oilseeds markets.

Regional snapshot: The African Union

Despite huge agricultural potential, Africa is the least food secure continent in the world and remains a significant importer of food grains. As part of long-term development efforts, dubbed Agenda 2063, the African Union (AU) has adopted the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is seen as key to increasing food security through a reduction in trade barriers on agricultural products. Moreover, infrastructure projects aim to modernise farming, increase productivity and add value to Africa’s commodities, including through upgrades to the milling industry. This panel will discuss the present state and future prospects.

Wheat workshop: Production outlook and market prospects in 2025/26

With tightening global wheat stocks, the world needs an improved crop in the upcoming season to sustain availabilities and satisfy potentially rising consumption. However, a bigger harvest is far from assured, with suboptimal weather in key producing regions and profitability concerns limiting wheat acreage in some countries. This workshop will look into the critical factors influencing wheat production, trade flows, and demand patterns for the 2025/26 season.

Digitisation in the grains value chain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to have a profound influence and be transformative across global commodities sectors over a sustained period. This panel will look at the application of AI across markets for grains and oilseeds, in particular how the technology can be used to organize and analyse large datasets, identify signals and generate forecasts, as well as enhance policy making.