Four leading industry experts in the field of economics, climate change and global supply and demand are lined up to present their thoughts on the upcoming crop year at this October's HGCA Grain Market Outlook Conference.


Entitled Weathering the Storm: Meeting the Demands of the 2012/13 season - HGCA's flagship event on 16 October will see Megan Greene Director of European Economics at Roubini Global Economics, join Mike O’Dea, Risk Management Consultant at FCStone, and Professor Matthew Collins from the University of Exeter at the QEII Centre in London.
 

With an unprecedented series of economic events in the Eurozone, looming US elections and the emerging presence of China on international grain markets, this year’s conference will give delegates a unique insight into what may lie ahead as the season unfolds.
 

Ms Greene, an international economist specialising in the Eurozone debt crisis, will put current European economic issues into a wider global perspective.
 

Mr O’Dea will provide an in-depth look at the global maize market - a big driver of UK grain prices in recent seasons - and will be considering the impacts of the 2012 US drought and prospects for Chinese imports.
 
They will be joined by Professor Collins, Chair in Climate Systems, University of Exeter, who is the Vice President of the Royal Meteorological Society. He will look at the complex art of climate change projection and explore global weather patterns, which have been highly influential on grain production levels over the last three years.
 

AHDB/HGCA Cereals and Oilseeds Senior Analyst Jack Watts completes the line-up. Mr Watts will offer AHDB’s insight into the global grain and oilseeds markets for the 2012/13 season, this will examine the impact of another season of extreme weather on global crop production and the potential impact of high prices on global grain demand.
 

HGCA Sector Director Rebecca Geraghty said: “We are pleased to have such a strong and varied line-up this year. Megan will help deliver clarity on the macroeconomic situation and what the Eurozone crisis really means for the cereals industry, whereas Michael will go deeper into two key events driving markets at a global level. Professor Collins will draw on years of expertise to give a real insight to worldwide weather patterns, which have held such sway over international commodities markets over the last three years. This is set to be an exciting and fascinating HGCA Grain Market Outlook Conference 2012.”
 

Tickets cost £79 for levy payers and £252 for non levy payers including papers and a networking lunch. They can be booked online at www.hgca.com/events or by calling 0247 647 8726. The event takes place at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE