34th IGC Grains Conference

34th IGC Grains Conference

Preparations for the 34th IGC Grains Conference, to be held in London on 10 and 11 June 2025, are in full swing, with the IGC Secretariat busy developing the two-day program.

New Horizons: Charting the Future Direction of Global Trade

Our goal is to bring to the international grains conference a wide range of current issues, some within the industry but also those outside the industry, such as geopolitics, which will be major factors influencing agribusiness and policymaking in the coming years.

As part of a series of industry-related events under the banner of "London Grains Week," the International Grains Conference is a truly global platform for dialogue between policymakers and operators across the grain value chain. The event will take place over two full days, dedicated to discussing the challenges, risks, and opportunities of global trade, such as trade finance, biodiversity, port connectivity, and grain trade.

Trade opportunities will be explored in two regions: Africa and the Middle East. The event includes various commodity workshops addressing current issues affecting the markets for grains, rice, oilseeds, pulses, and related sectors.

Day 1 Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (BST) »

09.30 - 09.45 Opening of the Conference by the President of the IGC

09:45 - 10:45 3rd High-Level Dialogue between Producing and Importing Countries

Faced with persistent uncertainty, particularly 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 trade resilience in their contingency plans and shifted from "just-in-time" to "just-in-case" purchases, the development of an open and transparent trading system would support national food security strategies.

11:15 - 12:15

IGTC Dialogue

In the dynamic world of grain and oilseed trade, understanding current and future challenges is crucial to ensuring food security. In this context, this session will provide an overview of key issues in North and South America, Europe, East Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Various factors influencing trade will be addressed, with a focus on plant health and agricultural production, as well as transport and logistics.

12:20 - 13:10

Regional Overview: Developments in the Middle East

Despite notable improvements in domestic production, the Middle East remains a key player in global grain trade, particularly wheat and barley. The logistics sector, crucial to supporting trade activities in the region, has seen significant progress in recent years, although significant untapped opportunities for growth and investment remain. This session will bring together representatives from government agencies and the private sector, including trading companies, to explore key development trends and emerging business opportunities in the Middle East, with a particular focus on infrastructure investment.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Workshop on soybeans

Panelists will assess the trade outlook in a year in which global production is expected to reach an all-time high, driven by larger harvests in the world's major exporters. Recent years have seen an increase in Chinese product arrivals, reaching around 110 million tons, but what does the future hold in that region and the rest of Asia? Furthermore, with the growing importance of deliveries to markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Americas, will these regions offer suppliers the potential for sustained demand growth in the coming years? These and other pertinent questions will be addressed during the session.

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Legume workshop

In the context of a growing global population and the increased use of these products in the feed and processing sectors, along with evolving eating habits and the development of innovative food products, global pulse production has expanded in recent years. Furthermore, to ensure food security and environmental sustainability, it is crucial to prioritize policies that will be important to boost global production in the coming years.

16.30 - 17.30

Port efficiency and connectivity

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

Day 2 Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM (BST) » 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Wheat Workshop: Production and Market Outlook 2025/26

With global wheat stocks tight, the world needs an improved harvest next season to maintain availability and meet potential increases in consumption. However, a larger harvest is not guaranteed due to poor weather conditions in key producing regions and profitability concerns limiting wheat acreage in some countries. This workshop will analyze the critical factors influencing wheat production, trade flows, and demand patterns for the 2025/26 season.

10:00 - 11:00

Sustainability: How to ensure biodiversity in the grain trade?

Flora and fauna are under increasing pressure due to humanity's expanding ecological footprint. In response to growing awareness, many countries are accelerating the implementation of national biodiversity action plans, which could have significant implications for agriculture and international food trade. Against a backdrop of tightening laws and regulations, this panel discussion will explore potential challenges and opportunities in the context of global grain and oilseed markets.

11:30 - 12:30

Regional Overview: The African Union

Despite its enormous agricultural potential, Africa is the continent with the least food security in the world and remains a major importer of cereals. As part of its long-term development efforts, known as Agenda 2063, the African Union (AU) has adopted the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), considered key to increasing food security by reducing trade barriers to agricultural products. Furthermore, infrastructure projects seek to modernize agriculture, increase productivity, and add value to African commodities, including improvements in the milling industry. This panel will discuss the current situation and future prospects.

12:30 - 13:30

Corn workshop

The fundamentals of corn supply and demand are constantly changing, with uneven trends in production, use, and trade in recent seasons. Partly limited by low prices, annual production has recently stabilized around 1.2 billion tons, a historically high level but insufficient to prevent the depletion of global stocks. A challenging economic environment has contributed to slower consumption growth, especially for animal feed, but with more dynamic demand from the fuel ethanol sector, particularly in Brazil.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Digitalization in the grain value chain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to have a profound and transformative impact on the global commodity sectors over the long term. This panel will explore the application of AI in the grain and oilseed markets, particularly how this technology can be used to organize and analyze large data sets, identify signals and generate forecasts, and optimize policymaking.