November 10, 2009

 

Global Feed Summit 2009: Addressing tight feed supplies with comprehensive solutions

 

by Eric J. BROOKS

Are late 2007 and 2008's food shortages due to resurface? That question was addressed at the 2009 Global Feed Summit, which was organised by CMT Events and held at Bali, Indonesia's Laguna Resort & Spa on November 9 - 10, 2009.

 

Ir. Suswono, Indonesia's minister for agriculture opened the summit and set its tone. Suswono fully anticipates a world where, "there will be more demand and less supply." He added that "the situation has forced us to reduce our reliance on imported corn and soy." For Suswono, alternative feeds, improved seeds, fertiliser subsidies and government policy all play a part in balancing supply with demand.

The theme of comprehensive solutions that embrace all stakeholders was brilliantly expounded by Brian Uken, Monsanto's vice-president for Asia Pacific.

Uken's lucid presentation demonstrated that GM grain crops increase feed supplies, reduce fertiliser costs and require less water, all while costing less and generating less carbon dioxide. What was most striking was Uken's insistence that Monsanto is merely one part of an wider solution. Encompassing policymakers, seed makers, governments and millions of ambitious farmers, Uken envisions a bottom up revolution. One where empowered farmers from India to the Philippines first experience the superior productivity of GM crops, then guide their governments into a framework that embraces sustainable, ecologically sound agriculture. 

The grain market's growing complexity was also highlighted by Arif Widjaja, Head of PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia's trading division. He pointed out that due to the region's chronic feed shortfalls, hedging feed raw materials in Asia is far more complicated than in North America, as uncertain crop outcomes in the US, India and other exporters must be weighed against one another.

The discussions are united by an idea best expressed by Monsanto's Uken: Whether we are dealing with crops that require less fertiliser, chickens that grow faster, soymeal with greater protein availability or toxin binders which turn poison into nutrition, the solution is grounded in a diverse plurality of agribusiness stakeholders.

 

Nor is there any time to waste: for seven of the last eight years, grain harvests have fallen short of demand growth. Innovators, policymakers and farmers all need to play their part in a bottom-up agribusiness revolution.