The impact of the current economic crisis on the global grains outlook leads the agenda at this year’s Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC) being held in Melbourne next month.  

AGIC is Australia’s premier grains conference, attracting more than 450 delegates over the three days, including end users, marketers, bulk handlers, service providers, growers, government and R&D leaders.  

The conference, which takes place in Melbourne from the 27-29 July, will host a number of international and domestic speakers including the Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who will deliver the opening address.  

This year’s event is focusing on the ‘Changing face of the Australian grains industry’, with speakers addressing areas including opportunities for Australian grains, customer requirements, risk management and the emerging issue of managing quality in a deregulated market.  

Dr Richard Gilmore, President of the GIC Group* in the United States, a specialist consulting and investment advisory service for the international agribusiness sector, will give delegates a global overview of supply, demand and the investment outlook for the agriculture sector in the wake of the current economic crisis.  

“The global crisis has shaken things up in soft commodity markets,” Dr Gilmore says.  

“The world is still topsy turvy.  The US dollar leads, but now also follows export trends.  Stockpiling and trade restrictions cloud the picture for demand forecasts and economic nationalism casts a long shadow on the markets.”  

Dr Gilmore believes the future of the agricultural industry is going to increasingly reflect concerns about the impact of farming activities on the environment, and that this will increasingly affect agricultural investment strategies.  

 “A new variable in the mix is carbon credits,” Dr Gilmore says. “Agriculture conservatively accounts for 15-20% of any country’s green house gas emissions for primary and value added industries under Kyoto or the European allocation system.  

“It offers great potential for carbon reduction, and soon carbon credits will become part and parcel of agricultural investment and hedging strategies.”  

Conference Manager, Rosemary Richards, said this year’s conference program features a range of high calibre speakers and has something for everyone involved in the industry.  

“The Australian grains industry is changing rapidly, and we all need to be aware of the issues and changing demands in the new market environment to ensure the concerns of customers are addressed,” Ms Richards says.  

“Our line-up this year has a range of speakers from Australia and overseas, representing interests from across the supply chain.”  

Early Bird registrations close on the 3 July 2009, so delegates need to get in quick to take advantage of the discounted rates.  

The AGIC will be held from Monday 27th July to Wednesday 29th July at Melbourne’s Crown Promenade.

More information  about the full conference program and registration details.  

The Conference is hosted by Grain Trade Australia (formerly NACMA), the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) and Pulse Australia.