Attend World Grains
Vital Global Grains Conference Featuring Unparalleled Coverage, Candor & Objectivity in Critical Sectors of the Grains markets.
CMT’s World Grains Trade Summit, to be held on 17-18 February 2009 at the Goodwood Park Hotel, is a critical global conference that features in-depth coverage, insights and objectivity to provide clarity to your interests and investments in the grains & oilseeds markets.
The buzzword for the grains & oilseeds markets has been VOLATILITY.
VOLATILITY has been the dominant factor in the grains market this year as grains prices rose sharply then came crashing. The grains market was dramatically influenced by climate change, the cost of crude oil & volatility in the currency markets, as well as demand / supply balance
The grains market took the international spotlight, as price volatility was blamed on biofuels, commodity speculators, hedge fund position limits, and government intervention by embargo and export taxes.
To round up the volatile 2008, the Credit Crunch has dealt its hand to the World Grains Market causing prices to fall even further from its mid year peaks. However demand for food, feed and fuel will continue to increase, ensuring that grains trade will continue in its trend as a growth sector in the years to come.
World Grains Trade Summit will examine the fundamental factors that are reshaping the grains market today, and provide a close examination of where the markets are heading and how to move your business forward? Sessions will single out areas in both finance & logistics that represent the important concerns in the grains market, and provide market analysis alongside presentations from supply chain providers and market leaders alike.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from market leaders and key experts who will be directing over 21 sessions & panel discussions and more informal breakout meetings during the over 10 hours of networking time allocated to attendees during the course of the conference.
JOIN WORLD GRAINS TRADE SUMMIT in Singapore and:-
#1. Assess Impact of Global Economic Downturn on Asia’s Grains Markets.
At World Grains Trade Summit, Diego Barbero, Head of Grains at NOBLE GROUPS LTD will share his views on “World Grains Market- Positioning Asia for the Future,” starting off the expert sharing sessions and panel discussions on “how to align the business to move forward” especially in times of market volatility.
Grains traders now face a credit crunch as bank are reluctant to extend lines of credit for imports of grains, and the extension of tight credit conditions beyond 2008 will have an adverse impact on imports trends in 2009.
Prakriti Sofat, an Economist at HSBC will provide a bank’s perspective on “Riding out the Storm” of the global economic downturn, with a macro-economic outlook for the world economy, the outlook for Asia and her forecast of the currency movement for 2009?
#2. Zoom into critical factors that will influence future direction of Biofuels Feedstocks & Grains Market.
Connie Lo, Senior Consultant at NEXANT ASIA will present a review of the latest happenings in the biofuels sector, to provide attendees at World Grains Trade Summit with a better understanding of the future direction of the uneasy grains-biofuels relationship.
In her speech, Ms Lo will address the latest market development, and the factors impacting the global biofuels industry. Will the industry grow with falling crude oil prices? What are the challenges the biofuels sector will face to maintain competitiveness?
Ms Lo will also provide an analysis of the impact of future biofuels developments on the agricultural industry and grains markets. Will global grains & oilseeds supplies once again be at the heart of the food versus fuel debate?
#3. Top Grains’ Companies share on Strategising to Stay Ahead of Market Uncertainties & Moving Forward.
The turmoil in the global financial markets was reflected in steep price falls in all grains and oilseeds. Coupled with the collapse of the dry bulk index, currently only at a fraction of their mid-year peaks, grain import costs have declined even further.
As markets tumbled, reports of defaults on purchases and financing problems under a stricter credit environment have started surfacing in the sector.
As the new reality of the world grains trading sector settles, top grains companies have already strategized to stay a step ahead of the current market turmoil and move forward with growth.
At World Grains Trade Summit, strategise to align your business to adapt to the new market conditions with the round table discussion dedicated to the issue at World Grains Trade Summit.
The discussion features insights from Fredrick Groth, VP of Toepfer International Asia, Vijay Iyengar, MD of Agrocorp International Pte Ltd and Chris Nikkel, Director Risk Management Asia at Bunge Agribusiness Singapore as they share their views and insights to cope with the current market scenario for Asia.
#4. UN Food & Agriculture Organization will share accurate Long-term Trends & Projections for Global Agriculture Markets towards 2030
In recent years, the growth rate of world agricultural production & crop yields have slowed, raising fears that the world may not be able to grow enough food and other commodities to feed its population. These fears were worsened further when portions of grains production was diverted for biofuels production.
At World Grains Trade Summit, Dr. Kinlay Dorjee, Economist at the UN Food & Agricultural Organisation’s Asia Pacific Regional Office will share the long term prospects for agriculture commodities, touching on the FAO’s World Agriculture towards 2030 projections.
Dr. Dorjee will touch on current trends for demand and production of wheat, rice, coarse grains, oil crops, vegetable oils & products & livestock commodities & provide his projections for 2030 on all these sectors.
Dr. Dorjee will also assess the impact of diverting food grains for energy production, and provide insights on the impact of this trend on long term agricultural production & market projections.
You will also hear from Gerald Steiner, EVP Sustainability & Corporate Affairs at Monsanto Company, as he shares his company’s strategies to expand their business sustainably. He will share on how to produce more and conserve more, and provide insights on how companies can find a balance between both.
#5. Gain first-hand insights from Singapore Mercantile Exchange on commodities trading in Asia.
India based Financial Technologies (FT) launched their pan Asian commodity exchange in Singapore in July 2008. Named Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX), the trading platform for commodities will fill the gap of providing a pan-Asian benchmark exchange.
With Asia expected to lead the growth in the commodities markets in the next few years, market participants around the world will find advantages in an Asian Benchmark. The SMX will be a barometer for the dynamic demand-supply fundamentals for Asian commodity trading.
At World Grains Trade Summit, Singapore Mercantile Exchange Pte Ltd will share first hand insights into the future of commodities trading in Asia, a not to be missed session tracking the shift of global commodities trade from the West to Asia.
#6. Zoom into emerging role of Exchanges in grains sector & securing transactions during ongoing financial crisis.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group’s Grain and Oilseed complex currently serves as the global benchmark for commodity pricing and risk management. CME’s markets provide a large and expanding liquidity pool and what they define as a “triple dose of benefits – the benefits of options, trading on CME Globex, and financial integrity of CME Group markets”.
The CME Group has been setting the trend for global exchanges, with their quick response to the changes & challenges in the grains industry, including the need for market users to hedge increasingly volatile risks in grain and oilseeds markets. The CME Group introduced the world’s first OTC Grain Swaps, which offered market users the option to hedge tailored risks in a centrally cleared environment.
At World Grains Trade Summit, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Head of Commodity Products (Asia) Nelson Low will share an update on the role of an exchange in the growth of the grains sector, and why the exchange must be responsive to market changes to ensure the security of the grains industry.
In his speech, Mr. Low will also address the importance of ensuring the safety of transactions in the current financial crisis, and talk about the role of the exchanges in ensuring buyers’ confidence.
#7. Zero in on Demand/Supply outlook for grains in critical import & export markets around the globe.
Are producers going to cut back supply to respond to market conditions? What are the challenges faced by individual import and export markets in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Europe?
World Grains Trade Summit presents a worldwide view of the key grains trading markets with focused case-studies on specific grains & upcoming and key growth areas including China, Australia, Iran & Ukraine to name a few.
Hear from Rajeev Raina, SVP of OLAM International Ltd as he shares on the Rice Trade Flow & Markets outlook for Asia & the world, a key area in Asia’s markets after 2008’s widely publicised rice shortages. Will 2009’s market outlook change? What are the challenges for the Rice markets in the near future?
World Grains Trade Summit also features insights from COFCO Logistics & Trading Co. Ltd, China’s largest diversified products and services supplier in agribusiness and food industry. Company deputy GM Gu Lifeng will discuss the corn market outlook in China. Mr. Gu will touch on the demand & supply projections, as well as the upcoming trend to substitute corn with wheat. He will also discuss the latest developments in biofuels and its impact on China’s corn markets.
Don’t miss out on the critical presentation by (Australian Wheat Board) AWB Ltd, currently representing a large proportion of wheat growers in Australia, on Australian wheat supply and its global impact on trade. Gordon Davis, MD of AWB Ltd will share an overview of AWB Operations, the sweeping changes to Australia’s wheat marketing, and wheat production outlook in Australia. He will then touch on the opportunities for Australia’s wheat exports and the future focus and direction of AWB Ltd & the Australian Wheat Market.
You will also be able to obtain insights on the grains production and export potential in the following regions and markets-
- Grains production & export potential in Black Sea & Ukraine - Addressed by Simon Bentley, Head of Grains at LMC International
- Grains market outlook in Iran - Addressed by Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, Chairman of Confederation of the Iranian Food Industry
- Contending with the dynamic markets in the Middle East - Abah Ofon, Senior Softs Analyst (Global Research) at Standard Chartered Bank.
- Grains Demand/Supply outlook in Africa – Jean Craven, Group Strategy team at Export Trading Group.
#8. Will Agricultural Commodities be a worthwhile investment option in volatile markets? Fund Managers answer questions & share perspectives on funding options.
At World Grains Trade Summit, fund managers will share their views on how the funds industry is shaping up in current market condition.
Make sure you are at World Grains Trade Summit to hear the Fund Manager address this tough question from their perspective, and provide their views on how the market is doing.
Fund Managers will share on the importance of grains in their portfolio and provide an update on the funds industry in the wake of the global economic slowdown.
#9. Major grains importers share viewpoints & insights on response & strategies to market volatility.
At World Grains Trade Summit, you will hear from major grains importers in Asia including Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (MAFF). Tetsuo Ushikusa, Director- Food Security Division at the MAFF will share his views on the future of Japan’s Agriculture Market & Impact on Imports.
World Grains Trade Summit also features a critical round table discussion featuring grains importers and end-users sharing their strategies and measures to counter the volatilities in the commodities market and secure supplies.
The panel, which is currently welcoming more participation, features Tetsuo Ushikusa, Director Food Security Division at Japan’s MAFF and Leon Chen Chao-Liang, Business Development Manager at Taiwan’s TETT UNION Corporation, importer of oilseeds to produce vegetable oils.
#10. Pinpoint Risk-Management Solutions for Grains Traders, Investors, Importers & Exporters.
For an important share of internationally traded agricultural commodities, risks can in principle be minimized, by using market risk management instruments.
Dealing with most commodities, including grains on a physical basis also has its own associated risks. The production and movement of these grains in emerging markets can increase overall risks dramatically.
World Grains Trade Summit features insights from Bipin V. Karnik, Regional Business Development Manager at SGS Singapore, as he shares his views on Commodities Risk Management issues and solutions for Asia.
#11. Review Potential for Animal Feed Markets in 2009.
Global population growth, economic slowdown and decrease in Fund activity and the ongoing food vs. fuel debate are all adding new variables to the Animal Feed markets.
Extreme volatility in the livestock commodities markets is forecast for the coming year, despite projections of growing demand and the challenge ahead will be to navigate the volatility to identify potential growth areas and zoom in on strategies for continued expansion.
At World Grains Trade Summit, get updates on the potential and future trends in the poultry and animal feed markets, and identify growth areas for the poultry and animal feed markets.
#12. Forecast Freight Rates & Trends in aftermath
of collapse of dry bulk index.
The dry cargo shipping market fell into a free-fall in October, with freight rates for key commodities retreating as much as 50 % in two weeks amid the global economic turmoil, weakening Chinese demand and shortage of trade financing.
The Baltic Dry Index, which measures bulk freight rates on the busiest routes, tumbled 10.7 percent Wednesday, 15 October to 1,615 points, its lowest level since February 2003, sending shockwaves through the commodities markets.
World Grains Trade Summit will put the freight rates tumble into perspective by looking at future grains shipping trends in the aftermath of the dry bulk index collapse.
Benjamin Wilkes, EVP of Noble Chartering Ltd will address the topic, and provide his analysis on current and upcoming freight trends, volatility and risk. He will also give attendees an overview of the dry bulk index collapse and what it means to grains shipping.
Being a part of WORLD GRAINS TRADE SUMMIT on 17-18 February in Goodwood Park Hotel guarantees 10 hrs of pre-arranged NETWORKING with CEOs, MDs & Top Executives in Global grains sector.
World Grains Trade Summit brings industry experts and leaders together to collaborate and share relevant emerging details that will guide, inspire and assist key Grains markets influencers with critical gap analysis; risk evaluations; trend and opportunity identifications in support of commercialization and growth in the world grains markets.
Meet & Network with the following Key Players in over 10 hours of pre-arranged networking, including a Networking Lunch sponsored by Glencore Grains BV:-
- Grains Traders/Brokers
- Importers
- Flour & Feed Mill Procurement Executives
- Commodity Trade Finance Professionals
- Dry Bulk Shipping Executives
- Milling Technology Vendors & Agents
- Grain Port (Load & Discharge) Officials
- Fumigation & Maritime Services Professionals
- Testing & Certification Experts
- Food & Feed Industry End-Users
- Industry Buyers
- Commodity Exchange & Risk Management Specialists
