Although a heavy global grains harvest in 2025/26 has alleviated the supply concerns of recent years, challenges remain within the world's food system. Low international prices also risk undercutting producers in importing countries, while the movement of goods has increasingly been shaped by trade policy. Nevertheless, a reliable supply of exportable foodstuffs remains a cornerstone of global food security. High level policy makers will discuss the role of trade in their national food security strategies. Particular attention will be paid to the Middle East region.
The IGTC is a coalition of organisations and stakeholders committed to promoting a predictable, rules-based global trading environment for grains, oilseeds, pulses, and derived products. IGTC supports practical, trade-facilitating policies that ensure a reliable supply of grains and contribute to global food security.
Following a series of bumper harvests, world grains and oilseeds supplies are in an expansionary phase, with average export prices hovering close to five-year lows, with producers' margins squeezed in recent years. Is this shift structural or temporary, and what are the long-term implications for global market fundamentals and food security?
Advances in gene editing are rapidly reshaping the future of agriculture, offering new opportunities to enhance crop resilience, improve yields, and address climate and food security challenges. As these innovations move from fields to markets and into global supply chains, they are raising questions for international grain trade—particularly around policy, market access, and consumer acceptance. This panel will explore how policymakers and industry leaders from the seed and grain industry can work together to develop forward-looking, science-based, and trade-enabling policies for gene-edited grains. Discussions will examine the evolving regulatory landscape of gene editing across key markets, the risk of policy divergence and trade disruptions, and the need for greater international alignment and transparency. Panelists will also consider practical challenges facing exporters and importers, including traceability and compliance in commodity systems including GMO, Gene editing and conventional products. With a focus on actionable solutions, the session will highlight strategies to future-proof policy frameworks and national priorities with the realities of global trade.
International maize trade typically meets more than 15% of world consumption, used primarily to satisfy ever-growing feed needs. With annual volumes now approaching 200m t, global trade dynamics continue to evolve. After a series of huge purchases, China has recently maintained a smaller presence on the world stage, with other buyers, including Mexico, the EU, South Korea and Egypt, coming to the fore. From an exporter perspective, the US has exerted ever greater dominance amid keen pricing and diminished competition from Brazil, Ukraine and Argentina. The panel will assess prospects for trade in 2026/27 and examine how importers can adapt to changes.
Global grain logistics have faced repeated stresses in recent years, from port congestion and shipping bottlenecks to freight rate volatility and supply chain disruption. In this environment, control over logistics has become a strategic advantage rather than an operational function. In discussions with DP World, this session will explore how tailored contract logistics and scalable warehousing solutions can strengthen resilience and improve efficiency.
Ample availability from key wheat exporters is shifting leverage toward importers, who increasingly favour hand-to-mouth purchasing, diversified origins and flexible specifications. Intensified competition is compressing exporters' margins, while freight and currency dynamics are driving origin switching. This workshop will explore how evolving importer behaviour is reshaping trade flows and what strategic adjustments exporters must consider to sustain profitability.
As more enabling policy frameworks are adopted, the faster the R&D outcomes can be delivered to breeders, farmers, and consumers globally. CropLife International will discuss the Genome editing as an important tool to improve crop resilience, yield stability, and environmental sustainability and is being utilized by many seed organizations globally.
Trade finance plays a critical role in the agricultural sector, providing short-term financing that supports the physical movement of crops and other inputs. Agricultural trade finance connects producers, buyers, and financiers in a triangular structure, which has historically resulted in lower default rates than other forms of credit. However, shifting market dynamics and regulatory changes are reshaping the broader landscape. In this session, the panel will examine how the sector is adapting to evolving conditions.
Artificial intelligence now has the potential to anticipate market situations and support decision making in real time. Framed as a challenge, this session will showcase how companies are applying AI-driven solutions to develop new approaches to world trade, risk management and strategic planning.
The past decade has seen a significant expansion in soyabean processing, led by capacity growth in the Americas - most notably in the US and Brazil - against the backdrop of rising biodiesel and renewable diesel production. As a result, soymeal availability has surged, with trade and consumption reaching record highs amid broad-based growth in global demand. Looking ahead, this panel will assess prospects for future soymeal requirements and explore whether current surpluses are becoming structural in nature.
It is increasing clear that biofuels can be a viable source of renewable energy in contrast to the finite nature of fossil fuels and geopolitical instability. To benefit from productivity trends and future areas of innovation, this session will focus on the need for coordination and collaboration across value chains in order to facilitate a renewable fuel market.
Growing global demand for pulses has encouraged the emergence of new suppliers, such as the Black Sea region, alongside traditional producers, including Canada, Australia and the US. As a result, global availability is increasing, with sizeable exportable surpluses expected among key exporters. While South Asia remains the largest buyer, the expansion of new markets will be critical to the diversification of demand in future years. Against this backdrop, panellists will examine prospects in the year ahead, as well as looking at new market opportunities longer-term, both structurally and geographically.