Who was in the room
The BBS Grain Conference was held at the Sofitel Istanbul Hotel on 24–25 September 2024, gathering more than 350 delegates from over 30 countries — agribusiness, trading, logistics, shipping and insurance in a single room.
The analytical panel on the state and prospects of cereal, oilseed and vegetable oil exports across the Black Sea and the Balkans was moderated by Cezar Gheorghe of Agricolumn, adviser to the Government of Romania, with Argus Media, the Serbia Grains Association, Magic Flame Group and Grainstore.
What was discussed
Later sessions turned to logistics and infrastructure for grain export, the purchasing strategies of importers from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, competition in the global agricultural market and trends in the legume trade. AGS Foods DMCC, McDonald & Pelz and Prograin Grains Trading also spoke.
Between them the sessions covered five main topics, and they tracked what the region was working through that autumn: the exportable surplus, the infrastructure to move it, the buyers bidding for it and the competing origins.
Why it mattered
The Grain Gala Dinner took place on a Bosphorus cruise with night views of Istanbul, and a delegates’ tour of the city closed day two — time in which the conversations from the panels continued informally.
