Miller Magazine Issue: 119 November 2019

IRAN 95 MILLER / NOVEMBER 2019 ested in the Iranian mar- ket. “We have over 60 years of grain, oilseeds, and related industries experience within the organization with deep understanding of the market needs, govern- mental regulations and sanctions regulations.” he says. “Our events and publications will fill the information void on the Iranian market and we hope our delegates will leave our events with more than they started with, whether that’s a new contact, insight from one of our speakers, or the chance to share their ideas with fellow grain and oil- seeds professionals.” Here is the answers of Sharif Nezam-Mafi, Chairman of the Board of the Iran-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce, to Miller Magazine’s questions: What is the purpose of iranGrain 2019 confer- ence? The purpose is to provide end-to-end full value chain grain and oilseed conference for the first time in Iran. This conference for the first time will bring together all private and government sector players under one roof to discuss the potential of the Iranian grain market. Why now? Why organize conference in this junction in Tehran? I think there is a huge misconception on the total Iranian Grain market (for traders and technology providers and banks). Our aim is to provide clarity and transparency in this market with the regulatory framework of the existing sanctions. Who are the participants and sponsors? Most blue chip trading companies and Europe- an technology companies are either attending or participating from 25 countries. We are also an- ticipating a strong local sponsorship from the big players. We have total capacity of 350 participants which is fully booked as of today. Are sanctions being discussed? We will have bankers and lawyer provide the latest on the sanctions situations in particular the latest developments with OFAC regulations and European Financial mechanisms INSTEX and a re- view of the Swiss Humanitarian Channel for Iran commodities business. On the milling side, who are you anticipating? Well, we have Bühler AG as our sponsor and they have two presentations. We are also anticipating a strong presence of German, Turkish, Chinese and Italian milling technology providers to be present. What are the basic market fundamentals that will be covered at the conference? With 83 million population, and one of the world largest consumers of grain and oilseeds, Iran is a great market for any company active in those field. The sanctions environment is obviously a challenge but we hope to be able to provide trans- parent information so that companies can navigate these difficult times.