Caspian & Central Asia Grain Forum 2023

Event recap.

The second Caspian & Central Asia edition moved to Samarkand, opening the new grain and oilseed season.

The forum was held on 3–4 October 2023 at the Silk Road Samarkand complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Dates3–4 October 2023
VenueSilk Road Samarkand, hosted by the Samarkand Regency Amir Temur
ScaleSecond edition, 13 speakers, nine regional markets
Who cameExporters of grains, oilseeds and flour, with buyers across Central Asia and the Caspian region
SpeakersHeads of national grain unions, market analysts and logistics leaders from across the region
On the agendaHarvest and quality results in Kazakhstan, export potential for Russian agricultural products in Asia, the oils and fats industries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, sunflower market trends across the Black Sea region, and rail, container and freight logistics, including Afghan trade routes
First editionTashkent, with more than 130 delegates from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan
ProgrammeTwo days — a full day of business sessions followed by a networking day, with the Grain Gala Dinner between them

What happened

The second Caspian & Central Asia Grain Forum was held on 3–4 October 2023 at the Silk Road Samarkand complex, hosted by the Samarkand Regency Amir Temur. The first edition, in Tashkent a year earlier, had drawn more than 130 delegates.

The forum again put exporters of grains, oilseeds and flour in front of buyers across Central Asia and the Caspian, and it was timed to open the new grain and oilseed season rather than review the old.

Who was on stage

Thirteen speakers took the stage across nine regional markets, among them Nurlan Ospanov of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, Igor Sviridenko of the Russian Union of Flour Mills and Alisher Makhmudov of the Uzyogmoysanoat Association in Uzbekistan.

The programme moved from harvest and quality results in Kazakhstan to the export potential of Russian agricultural products in Asia, the oils and fats industries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and sunflower market trends across the Black Sea region.

Why it mattered

Logistics closed the agenda — rail, container and freight, with a dedicated look at Afghan agricultural trade routes. For landlocked markets these are not secondary questions but the trade itself, and transport operators shared the platform with the grain unions.