IKAR in Mass and Industry Media

Australian Grains Industry Conference Preview

Narromine News

The importance of investing in infrastructure and the need to stay competitive were the themes of the opening sessions at the Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC), this year titled Innovation: Pathway to Prosperity.

While officially opening the conference on Monday, Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce told delegates that his ultimate goal was to ensure better returns at the farm gate.

"This means upgrading logistics, so we have seamless capacity to move product around the country, including rail lines that are open to agriculture as well as mining," Mr Joyce said.

Mr Joyce also discussed the importance of research and development on the back of a five-year agreement between the Victorian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation announced earlier in the day.

The focus on innovation and infrastructure continued during the first day of the conference with London-based grains analyst for the Macquarie Group, Chris Gadd, citing poor infrastructure and the lack of capital as a major impediment to global grain production.

Doron Ben-Meir, Director, Entrepreneurs' Infrastructure Program, also discussed the importance of bringing innovative people and business together to give them more visibility as a critical mass.

For the first time, conference sessions were streamed lived via www.ausgrainsconf.com/australia allowing those at home to watch speakers in real time on the internet.

The conference sessions yesterday continued the theme of innovation, with a focus on pulses, marketing and the end users of grain such as dairy and pork.

An overview of trends in competitor regions will be offered by leading international speakers Johny Boerjan, SGS in Geneva; Dimitri Rylko from the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies in Russia; and Brian Perrott and Peter Murphy from Holman Fenwick Willan in London and Hong Kong respectively.

The conference dinner will bring AGIC 2014 to a close, with MC Adam Spencer and guest speaker Todd Sampson, Australian television personality and CEO of advertising agency Leo Burnett.

The conference is hosted by Grain Trade Australia (GTA), the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) and Pulse Australia.

Narromine News

07.08.14

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