Miller Magazine Issue: 124 April 2020

66 INTERVIEW MILLER / APRIL 2020 restriction of movement and TRQs are affecting trade. We should be careful in disseminating this type of information as some TRQs would not affect trade capacity. Some volume restrictions are regularly introduced at this time of year and do not have an impact on trade capacity and on food security. Too restrictive measures from exporters would also penalize their local farmers with pressure for lower commodity prices. What is the importance of functioning international grain trade and a stable grain market in terms of world food se- curity? There are two main benefits of globalization for society and for grain trade operators. First of all, globalization is the best tool to fight against extreme market volatility. The purpose of trade is to fill the gap between regions in surplus and those in deficit to avoid extreme price volatility on staple foods. US farmers faced a drastic fall in their grains production this year but due to good production in South America, the market did not react in an ex- treme way. The second major benefit of globalization is the abil- ity to integrate the food chain with other parts of the economy e.g. grains used for feed and industry are interlinked ensuring optimal use by providing proteins for feed and energy for in- dustry. Without globalization this trend would have been slower. A NEWS DATABASE FOR COVID-19 POLICY RESPONSES Can you share IGC’s efforts to minimize disruptions on grain supply chains during these unprecedented times? The Grains Trade Convention is based on cooperation be- tween its members to promote the expansion of international trade in grains and to secure the freest possible flow of trade. This can be achieved by the IGC Secretariat providing mem- bers with the latest market analysis e.g. The Secretariat has just developed a news database of Coronavirus (COVID-19) policy responses affecting grains, rice and oilseeds trade. Hav- ing a common understanding and the latest market data allows countries to adjust their policies to ensure their food security. It is encouraging to see that countries are interested in acceding to the Grains Trade Convention. On 1st April 2020, the Republic of Serbia became the 59th member of IGC. The more countries that come together to discuss global trade the better chance we have of improving the situation. We all remember the painful experience of the 2007-2008 global food price crisis. What does this crisis teach the world? Do you think have we learned the lessons from that crisis? The 2008 crisis was driven by two main factors: short- age in supply and high prices for energy. The current crisis is the opposite! The most important thing is not to cause unnecessary panic. Many governments have already an- nounced they will introduce economic measures to boost the economy when the pandemic is over. This is the most important thing we need to keep in mind. Last question… Can you inform us about the preparations for the next IGC Conference? Together with GAFTA and IGTC, we are planning a week of high-level grain sector events during London Grains Week. If the conference cannot take place physically, we will do a virtual one. The themes of the conference namely, enhancing globalization, the supply chain response to cli- mate change and trade finance are important topics which need to be discussed beyond the IGC Grains Conference. Many grain industry and trade events have been canceled or postponed. However, we are still planning to hold the next IGC Grains Conference on 9- 10 June 2020 in London. I think during these times of uncertainty, the IGC should provide a platform to discuss the next steps to ensure the development of global grain trade.