What happened
The first international Grain Forum was held at Sofitel Dubai Downtown on 21–22 February 2023, with the support of the Russian Grain Exporters Union. More than 500 delegates from 23 countries attended over the two days.
The attendance reflected the brief. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture, Agroexport and the International Grains Council were represented, together with Russian and Kazakh exporters, international trading houses, MENA buyers, and the banks, insurers and logistics companies around them.
The season in question
The 2022/23 season set the agenda. Sessions covered the global and Russian grain markets, the transformation of trade in Russian grain and the practical export questions around grains and oilseeds, closing with a traders’ panel on the export difficulties created by sanctions.
Dubai was chosen for reasons the programme spelled out. The UAE was becoming a hub for grain trade, while MENA takes more than 50% of global barley imports, over 25% of wheat and around a quarter of corn.
What it established
The second day was given to informal networking and a Dubai cultural programme, and proceedings ran in Russian and English with simultaneous interpretation. The edition established an independent meeting point between Black Sea supply and MENA demand.
