Miller Magazine Issue: 140 August 2021

30 MILLER / august 2021 NEWS Well-known Mühlenchemie symposium to be held virtually in 2021. Flour and grain experts from around the world will discuss current issues in the milling industry. In five regional sessions millers will gain knowledge and ideas for their specific requirements. This year flour treatment specialist Mühlenchemie is again holding an international symposium on “The Future of Milling.” In 2021 the symposium will be held digitally for the first time. From 16 to 22 September, grain and flour experts from around the world will come together to discuss the leading current issues in the milling industry. Each regional conference will focus on the industry challenges of that region. This enables millers to access global knowledge for their specific requirements and discuss local challenges and methods with each other. During the five-day Digital Millers’ Conference, well- known international scientists, experts and millers will meet in the virtual space. They’ll discuss the current trends and challenges in flour treatment, improvement and enrichment, focussing on the current wheat har- vest, analysis and milling techniques. Attendees can learn about the latest science, economic trends and technical innovations in the milling industry and have the opportunity to network with flour and grain experts from science and industry. All of the keynotes revolve around the question of how to meet the challenges of providing high quality nutrition to a growing world population economically as climate and business con- ditions change. Over 20 leading experts in all areas of the flour industry will report on new digital and other methods and products for the analysis and processing of grain and flour. The organiser, Mühlenchemie, will present its latest findings and developments in the ar- eas of flour improvement and enrichment. Laboratory equipment manufacturers will present the latest state of the art in flour analysis. On specific days attendees of the Digital Millers’ Conference can exchange knowledge and ideas with experts in their regions. These sessions make it pos- sible to address the current issues and special chal- lenges of local markets. Regional sessions will be of- fered for the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Francophone and CIS countries. Interested parties can register at https://digital-mill- ers-conference.com/. Mühlenchemie invites attendees to first Digital Millers’ Conference Russian agriculture consultancy Sovecon said it had cut its forecast for Russia’s wheat exports by 1.3 million tonnes to 37.1 million tonnes in the current 2021/22 marketing season, which started on July 1. Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter, sup- plying mainly to Africa and the Middle East with the European Union as its main competitor, but this year’s harvesting has been delayed by rainy weather. The forecast was reduced after Sovecon cut its es- timate for Russia’s 2021 crop to 82.3 million tonnes this month, it said in a note. The slow pace of exports from Russia in July is an additional factor, Sovecon said. It expects the country to export 1.9 million tonnes of wheat in July, the lowest level for that month since 2017. Russia’s wheat export tax, which is subject to weekly reassessment by the agriculture ministry, re- mains an additional hurdle for exports, Sovecon said. “The domestic wheat market is relatively firm despite the pressure of the new harvest and a large carry-in stockpile,” SovEcon’s Andrey Sizov said in a note. “Many farmers still prefer to postpone sales, hoping that the current export tax could be lifted in several months. In our view, this looks like wishful thinking but it does slow down exports.” REUTERS Sovecon cuts forecast for Russia's 2021/22 wheat exports