The Association of Pulse Producers and Consumers of Ukraine and UkrAgroConsult will be holding the Agro&Food Security Forum: Grains Oilseeds and Pulses on September 14-15 in Warsaw. The new event is a platform for global dialogue on effective solutions to food insecurity, the development of new supply chains and collaboration in agribusiness. The first day of the event comprises a visit to the ports of Gdansk and Gdynia, a unique opportunity to gain insight into the region’s logistical situation. 

“The Agro&Food Security Forum is perfectly timed to allow participants to discuss and better understand the current crop situation in Ukraine,” said Vijay Iyengar, founder and managing director of Agrocorp and one of the speakers at the event. “Participants should be able to interact with all the major stakeholders in the Ukrainian agro industry and establish connectivity”, he continued, adding that both the winter sowing situation in Ukraine and the general condition of the country’s grains, pulses and oilseeds are critical to global food security. 

There will certainly be plenty to talk about. For one thing, speakers will discuss the creation of alternative global agrifood supply chains through market development in the Black Sea region and the New Silk Road. Another critical topic will be Ukraine's wartime export logistics and trading regulations. 

Julia Feofilova, communications & brand manager of UkrAgroConsult shared more details: “The Forum will involve government representatives from Ukraine and Poland, leading Ukrainian experts and market operators, as well as members of the international agri community.” The goal, she indicated, is to highlight new factors shaping the agricultural market in both Ukraine and the world in the coming years, and discuss the formation of new logistics corridors and ways of cooperation to mitigate the food crisis. 

“We invite all agri & food operators to join the Forum in person and take an active part in the formation of a new market reality” said Antonina Sklyarenko, President of the Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine. She pointed out other topics to be discussed, including the 2022 Ukraine crop and the domestic processing of agricultural raw materials in Ukraine.

Sklyarenko also stressed that the main focus of the Forum is ensuring global food security. “Due to the war and the blockade of the Black Sea, farmers are looking for additional Ukrainian export routes through European ports”, she said. According to her data, in 2022/23, Ukraine needs to export at least 50 million tons of agricultural products. The current situation makes this almost impossible, Sklyarenko said, because automobile and railway routes only go through the western Ukranian borders and river ports of the Danube. The Odessa ''grain corridor" is one example; while before the war 5-6 million tons of products passed through it per month, total export figures are currently no more than 3 million tons per month. 

“We must look for new ways to create alternative global agri&food supply chains and understand the development of pulses markets in the Black Sea region and the entire world.” Sklyarenko concluded.

Participants of the Forum have a lot to look forward to. With over 300 participants, a whole host of expert speakers, plenty of networking opportunities and exclusive insights and market forecasts, the event is an unmissable opportunity for anyone in the pulses community. The Agro&Food Security Forum will be attended by companies from Ukraine, Austria, Georgia, India, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE and the United Kingdom. Together they will try to find effective options for protecting global food security and the Ukrainian agri & food sphere. 

For more information and to register, visit https://agrofoodforum.org/en/