Determined to meet the challenge

摘要

The last few years have seen massive challenges and changes in the grains sector. The International Grains Council (1GC) Conference on June 10 in London, England brought in some of the world's biggest grain exporters to look at how they are meeting the market's needs. Etsuo Kitahara, executive director of the IGC, set the scene for a meeting themed: "Assessing Prospects, Addressing Challenges." "Following last year's droughts in the U.S., parts of Europe and Australia, and the impact this has had onexportable availabilities of wheat, maize and soybeans in 2012- 13, the attention of markets has been focused on the export potential of the major suppliers in South America and new crop prospects in the Northern Hemisphere for 2013- 14," he said. "Fromthe viewpoint of trade, major challenges obviously include the vagaries of the weather first and foremost, which largely define the size of crops and export availabilities in major suppliers."