Dubai will host the Middle East-Africa-Asia Rice/Grain Global Summit 2009 from June 28 – 29 at the JW Marriott Hotel.
The summit will focus on the theme of "Meeting the Global Demand for Food in the form of Rice & Grains", especially in the light of the current economic crisis and growing world demand.
Rice and grains producers, traders and experts will discuss investment opportunities and challenges facing the rice and grains sectors and strengthen information exchange and partnership to harness the potential of agricultural food investments and production, said a statement.
The distinguished speakers’ panel for the summit includes: Geoff Thompson, chief operating officer, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre; Khun Rut Subniran, vice president, Thailand Rice Exporters Association; Minh Hue Huynh, secretary general, Vietnam Food Association; Aung Than Oo, president, Myanmar Rice & Paddy Merchants’ Association; Vijay Setia, president (immediate past), All India Rice Exporters Association; Abdul Aziz Gaffar, member, managing committee, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan; Rachel Freeman, agricultural specialist, IFC, The World Bank Group; Dr Bamba Ibrahim, policy economist, Africa Rice Centre, WARDA; Constantine Kandie, executive director, Eastern Africa Grain Council; S K Jain, president, Indo-USA Chamber of Commerce; Alex Rwego, senior manager, Uganda Commodities Exchange; Anjum Varsy, director, SGS; Yasmin Ismail, owner, Burhani Rice; Ranjit Singh Soomarooach, general manager, State Trading Corporation of India; Ragab Shehata, general manager, Al Amal; Abah Ofon, senior softs analyst, Standard Chartered Bank; Zaid A Mahdi, vice president, Trade Bank of Iraq; Manish Behl, chief operating officer, The Churchgate Group; and Bader Alaujan, managing director, Al Muhaidib Foods Corp.
Countries to be represented at the summit include Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Korea, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Mauritius and the UAE. Financial institutions such as Standard Chartered Bank, Trade Bank of Iraq and the World Bank will also be present at the summit. - TradeArabia News Service