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BBS Grain 2026

Name: BBS Grain conference Istanbul 2026 Black Sea grain forum
Start: 2026-09-22
End: 2026-09-22
Location: ISTANBUL

September 22, 2026

ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE

Balkans & Black Sea Grain 2026

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Istanbul, Türkiye — September 22, 2026 — The Balkans & Black Sea Grain 2026 (BBS Grain 2026) conference brought together grain traders, exporters and importers, logistics companies, flour milling businesses, commodity brokers and other industry professionals from more than 30 countries worldwide.

The conference provided an international platform for discussing the changing dynamics of grain and oilseed trade across the Black Sea and Balkans, bringing together different parts of the agricultural commodities supply chain — from producers, traders and exporters to importers, logistics and shipping professionals.

Against the backdrop of changing regional trade flows, evolving import demand and new challenges for logistics and shipping, BBS Grain 2026 focused on the factors shaping the future of agricultural commodity trade. Discussions covered export markets, production and supply conditions, oilseeds and vegetable oils, import demand in the Middle East and Africa, as well as logistics infrastructure, freight economics, vessel availability and risk management. The programme also created opportunities to connect market perspectives with the physical side of grain trade, bringing commercial, logistics and shipping considerations into the same discussion.

"As regional grain trade flows continue to change, Serbia is seeing a significant increase in its export potential for the 2026/27 season. Wheat exports are projected to reach 2 million tonnes, while corn and barley exports are expected to rise to 1.35 million and 190,000 tonnes respectively."

Nemanja Vukovic

Country Manager Serbia, COFCO International Balkans doo Belgrade

"Türkiye’s grain outlook is increasingly differentiated by crop: wheat and barley production are projected to rise significantly, while corn production is expected to decline and remain dependent on imports. Wheat production is projected to increase by around 30% and barley by around 20%, while corn production is expected to fall by around 10%, with import quotas remaining part of the market outlook."

Ibrahim Demirayak

Grains & Oilseeds Manager, Ameropa

"Egypt’s wheat demand has not disappeared despite the disruption in Black Sea supplies. The Black Sea accounted for 83.1% of Egypt’s January–August 2026 wheat import value, and the disruption came at the very start of the new import season: Egypt imported 1.02 million tonnes in July–August, 49% less than in the same period last season. With around 11.5 million tonnes still to be covered this season, the key question is how quickly Black Sea supply flows can be restored."

Amr Siam

CCO, Bashayer Foundation for Feed, Export and Import

"The Danube is becoming increasingly strategic for European grain and commodity flows, but its capacity cannot be viewed in isolation from the wider logistics corridor. As grain flows grow, reliability across navigation, ports, rail, storage, inspections and insurance will be essential. Shippers will pay for reliable transit times, but not indefinitely for uncertainty and waiting."

Bojan Laskovic

Managing Director, Rhenus PartnerShip Serbia d.o.o.

"Romania’s competitiveness in the current Black Sea market is not defined by the lowest FOB price, but by the ability to load, insure and deliver grain on schedule. With capital becoming increasingly scarce, the competitive advantage is also shifting upstream — towards financing farmers and securing grain at the farm level."

Adrian Dobrita

Head of Trade, RWA Raiffeisen Agro

"For Türkiye’s next phase of flour exports, Sub-Saharan Africa offers the clearest near-term regional opportunity. While Syria continues to support current export volumes, selected African and Asian markets can help reduce market concentration, with competitive wheat access and higher-value products key to capturing further growth."

Namik Kemal Parlak

Editor-in-Chief, Miller Magazine

"Higher freight rates in the Black Sea do not necessarily translate into higher earnings or successfully shipped cargoes. Unprecedented EWRI premiums are weighing on vessel earnings, while a peace deal in the Black Sea could lead to a rapid surge in trade."

Engin Kocak

Board Member, Turkish Shipbrokers Association

Key conference topics

(02)

GRAIN, OILSEEDS AND VEGETABLE OIL MARKET PROSPECTS

(03)

IMPORT DEMAND AND NEW GROWTH MARKETS

(04)

LOGISTICS, SHIPPING AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FUTURE GRAIN FLOWS

(05)

FREIGHT, RISK MANAGEMENT AND VESSEL AVAILABILITY

(01)

EXPORT FLOWS AND GRAIN TRADE IN THE BLACK SEA & BALKANS

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Speakers

SABINA
SODIKOVA

Country Manager Russia,
Agrozan Commodities DMCC (UAE)

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IBRAHIM
DEMIRAYAK

Grains & Oilseeds Manager,
Ameropa (Türkiye)

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NEMANJA
VUKOVIC

Country Manager Serbia,
COFCO International Balkans doo Belgrade (Serbia)

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ALEXANDER
MANTOV

Sales Manager,
Agro Trading Bulgaria (Bulgaria)

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ADRIAN
DOBRITA

Head of Trade,
RWA Raiffeisen Agro (Romania)

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PRESLAV
RAYKOV

Commercial Director & Head of Global Trading,
Magic Flame Swiss SA (Switzerland)

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SEMIR
OZGENTURK

Vegetable Oils and Grains Trader/Broker,
Solvia Trading (Türkiye)

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ANDREY
ANTONOV

Executive Director for Strategic Development,
National Oilseed Processors Association (Kazakhstan)

KIRILL
LOZOVOY

Deputy Head of the Industry Analysis Department,
Federal Center "Agroexport" (Russia)

NAMIK
KEMAL PARLAK

Editor-in-Chief,
Miller Magazine (Turkiye)

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PIETER
DEFOOR

Founder and CEO,
Commo18 BV (Belgium)

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ANNA MARIA
ARAKAPIOTOU

CEO,
Walam Global Agri Trading FZCO (UAE)

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AMR
SIAM

CCO,
Bashayer Foundation for Feed, Export and Import (Egypt)

YAVOR
VELCHEV

Founder,
SHIPPOSSIBLE INSURANCE Brokers & Consultants

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BOJAN
LASKOVIC

Managing Director,
Rhenus PartnerShip Serbia d.o.o. (Serbia)

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ALEX
ZAVARSKIY

Head of Business Development,
Angara Denizcilik (Türkiye)

ELMAR
BUTAYEV

Head of Trading Department,
Agraro (Türkiye)

ENGIN
KOCAK

Board Member,
Turkish Shipbrokers Association (Türkiye)

Program

September 22, 2026
Conference and Grain Gala Dinner

09:00 – 10:00

Registration, welcome coffee.
Meetings, introductions, negotiations

10:00 – 11:30

I Session.
Export markets: Black Sea grain flows in a new trade reality.

Key topics:

Current grain market situation
Black Sea grain export flows
Export markets and trade opportunities
Factors affecting production and supply
New trade realities and regional competitiveness

Moderator:

Sabina Sodikova, Country Manager Russia, Agrozan Commodities (UAE).

Speakers:

Ibrahim Demirayak, Grains & Oilseeds Manager, Ameropa (Türkiye), Topic: "Turkish grain market overview";
Nemanja Vukovic, Country Manager Serbia, COFCO International Balkans doo Belgrade (Serbia), Topic: "Beyond the Black Sea: how Serbia is adapting to the new regional grain trade flows";
Alexander Mantov, Sales Manager, Agro Trading Bulgaria (Bulgaria), Topic: "From Bulgarian origin to global markets: how regional trade flows are changing";
Adrian Dobrita, Head of Trade, RWA Raiffeisen Agro (Romania). Topic: "Romanian grain in a new Black Sea reality: production, competitiveness and export opportunities".

11:30 – 12:00

Coffee break.
Meetings, introductions, negotiations

12:00 – 13:30

II Session.
Global oils & oilseeds market prospects: Black Sea supplies amid an unstable geopolitical situation

Key topics:

India, China, MENA countries, and Iran on sunflower market in 2026-2027. What can be expected from the main importers that are most dependent on the Black Sea products?
Where will prices stabilize after the structural reorganization of routes?
What export potential can be expected for sunflower oil from the Black Sea in the new season?
How quickly will Ukrainian and Russian companies be able to adapt to the new routes?
Will the main competitors (Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Argentina) be able to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their positions in key markets?
Problems and prospects of the vegetable oil market in the EU.

Moderator:

Preslav Raykov, Commercial Director & Head of Global Trading, Magic Flame Swiss SA (Switzerland), Topic: "Balkans in the new Black Sea oilseed map: from raw material to export markets";

Speakers:

Semir Ozgenturk, Vegetable Oils and Grains Trader/Broker, Solvia Trading (Türkiye), Topic: "Turkey’s vegetable oil market: trends, challenges and opportunities";
Andrey Antonov, Executive Director for Strategic Development, National Oilseed Processors Association (Kazakhstan), Topic: "Kazakhstan’s export ambitions: from the top ten to 3rd place globally";
Kirill Lozovoy, Deputy Head of the Industry Analysis Department, Federal Center "Agroexport" (Russia), Topic: "Oils and fats market in the Black Sea region: Russia’s role and competition with other suppliers".

13:00 – 14:30

Lunch.
Meetings, negotiations

14:30 – 15:30

III Session.
Import demand: where are the next growth markets?

Key topics:

Changes in global grain demand;
Role of key importing countries;
Competition among major exporting regions;
Food security and future import demand;
Trade opportunities across the Middle East and Africa.

Moderator:

Namik Kemal Parlak, Editor-in-Chief, Miller Magazine (Türkiye), Topic: «From wheat imports to flour exports: where does Turkey see the next growth markets?»

Speakers:

Pieter Defoor, Founder and CEO, Commo18 BV (Belgium), Topic: “Balkans and Black Sea: strategic grain suppliers shaping food security, milling economics and trade flows in MEA”;
Anna Maria Arakapiotou, CEO, Walam Global Agri Trading FZCO (UAE), Topic: “East Africa’s structural grain dependency: the strategic role of the Black Sea and Balkans”;
Amr Siam, CCO, Bashayer Foundation for Feed, Export and Import (Egypt), Topic: «Egypt’s grain supply security amid the Russia–Ukraine conflict: current challenges, risks, and future strategies».

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break.
Meetings, networking, negotiations

16:00 – 17:30

IV Session.
Logistics & infrastructure: can the region handle future grain flows?

Key topics:

Current logistical constraints
Development of transport routes
Inland waterways and river logistics
Port infrastructure
The impact of logistics on delivery costs and transit times

Moderator:

Yavor Velchev, Founder, SHIPPOSSIBLE Insurance Brokers & Consultants, Topic: ”War risks and sanctions”

Speakers:

Bojan Laskovic, Managing Director, Rhenus PartnerShip Serbia d.o.o. (Serbia), Topic: ”Danube waterway issues and problems”;
Alex Zavarskiy, Head of Business Development, Angara Denizcilik (Türkiye), Topic: «How has the freight economy changed due to the departure of major shipowners from the Black Sea region?»
Elmar Butayev, Head of Trading Department, Agraro (Türkiye), Topic: «Risk management and logistics flexibility in large‐scale agricultural crop supplies»;
Engin Kocak, Board Member, Turkish Shipbrokers Association (Türkiye), Topic: «Black Sea grain shipping in a new reality: the growing role of Turkish fleet, freight rates and vessel availability».

18:00 – 20:00

GRAIN GALA DINNER.
Informal communication and networking

CONFERENCE participants

Representatives of agribusiness, logistics, trade, shipping and insurance from more than 30 countries took part in BBS Grain 2026. Among them:

Managing companies, agricultural holdings, traders, exporters, commodity brokers:

A.K. Global Trade and Consultancy Ltd (Turkiye), Agraro (Turkiye), Agribrokers International BV (The Netherlands), Agro Trading Bulgaria (Bulgaria), Agrofort (Russia), Agrohellas SA (Greece), Agrozan Commodities (UAE), Almeida Group LLC (Lithuania), Ameropa (Turkiye), Arkanx Commodities FZE (UAE), Atameken Agro Trade (Kazakhstan), Bashayer Foundation for Feed, Export and Import (Egypt), Belkovit (Latvia), BIO-TON Agri Corp (Russia), Boğazi̇çi̇ Tahili Bib İthalat İhracat Depolama Taşimacilik Ti̇caret Li̇mi̇ted Şi̇rketi̇ (Turkiye), C&D Agri Group (China), Ceragra LLC-FZ (UAE), COFCO International Balkans doo Belgrade (Serbia), Eksun Gıda Tarım San. Ve Tic. A.Ş. (Turkiye), Eleman Food Trading Company (UAE), Elkenany Group (Egypt), ELNOUR Investment Group (INUR) (Egypt), Erisler Yem San. ve Tic. A.S. (Turkiye), Grain’s Market (Egypt), Greenfiled Commodities Ltd (Kazakhstan), Imisk Ith. Ihr. Tic. Ve Nak. A.S. (Turkiye), Injaz Aletehad PLZ (SAUDI ARABIA), IP Andreev Igor Leonidovich (RosSelhozAgro) (Russia), Ipek Agro (Türkiye), Karme Middle East Commodity Trading LLC (Oman), KRC EFKO-Kaskad (Russia), Kula Yağ ve Emek Yem San ve Tic AŞ (Turkey), Magic Flame Swiss SA (Switzerland), Merit Group of Companies (South Africa), Novosibirsk Bread Product (Russia), Ofis Yem A.S. (Turkiye), PKF "NB-Centr" (Russia), Rand Agri (Pty) Ltd (South Africa), Rhinestone Trading LLC (Austria), Rusagro-prim SRL (Moldova), RWA Raiffeisen Agro (Romania), S13 Commodities DMCC (UAE), September (Russia), Seta Tarim Urunleri A.S.(Turkiye), Solvia Trading (Turkiye), Soya Hellas S.A. (Greece), Stavropol Grain Conpany (Russia), Sunar (Turkiye), Toya Holdi̇ng (Turkiye), Tracia Trading SA (Switzerland), Vamos Tarım Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Turkiye), Walam Global Agri Trading FZCO (UAE), YAMAMA YEM ZIRAI ILAC SAN VE TIC LTD STI (Turkey), Zhitnica (Russia), Zorlu Grains LTD (United Kingdom).

Flour milling enterprises:

Alshorouq Libyan Company For Feed and Mills (Libyan).

Grain terminals, port operators:

Novospassky Elevator (Russia).

Freight forwarding companies:

Lat Flex Ltd (Latvia), Net Gemi Denizcilik ve Dış Tic. A.Ş (Turkey), Orsa Lojistik Yatırım A.Ş. (Turkiye), Reliance Bulk Trading (Egypt), Royal Import (Russia).

Railway operators:

TOG (Russia).

Shipping companies, chartering brokers:

Agora Shipbroking Corporation (Greece), Akson Bosa Chartering (Turkiye), Angara Denizcilik (Turkiye), Board Marine Agency Ltd (Bulgaria), Borachart (Turkiye), Catoni̇ Deni̇z İşleri̇ Anoni̇m Şi̇rketi̇ (Turkiye), Evolution Chartering (Turkiye), Grain Compass Shipping LLC FZ (UAE), Interside B.V. (The Netherlands), Nautical Bulk Carriers S.A. (Turkiye), NBC Shipping (Turkiye), Pak Shaheen (Pvt) Ltd (Pakistan), Rhenus PartnerShip Serbia doo (Serbia), Star Global Shipping Ltd (United Kingdom), SuperTank Shipbrokers Limited (Turkiye), Trevia Group SA (Greece), TSE Global (Turkiye), Victoria River & Sea Transport Ltd (Turkiye).

Survey:

Alpha Inspection (Russia), Control Union (Russia), Gsi General Survey Gözetme A.Ş. (Turkiye), Incolab Services (Russia).

Banks, insurance, law firms:

Branch of JSC "Insurance company "PARI" in Rostov-on-Don (Russia), Credit Europe Bank (Russia), Diot Siaci (France), Filhet Allard Maritime (France), Global Marine (Russia), GMT Plus Insurance Brokers (Cyprus), Max Marine (Russia), Remind Insurance Brokers (Russia), Russian Agricultural Bank (Russia), SHIPPOSSIBLE Insurance Brokers & Consultants (Bulgaria), Transocean Risk Solutions (Russia), Windward Insurance Broker GmbH (Germany).

Manufacturing enterprises, factories:

Altinbilek (Turkiye), Elica - Pro OOD (Bulgaria), GSS Systems (China).

Ministries, departments and professional associations:

Federal Center "Agroexport" (Russia), National Oilseed Processors Association (Kazakhstan), Russian Export Center in Türkiye, Turkish Shipbrokers Association (Turkiye).

Protective equipment and fertilizers:

Smart path company (UAE).

Other:

Argus Media Ltd (UK), Black Sea Exchange (Romania), Commo18 BV (Belgium), Miller Magazine (Turkiye), Stream 27 / Iskandar Payments (Cambodia) Co., Ltd.

reviews

ALI RASHID ALI ALGHAFRI
Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Sultanate of Oman

The conference is excellent for engagement and cooperation between government and private sectors, as well as global grain producers

The conference is interesting because it brings people and connections together.

The diversity of participants and nationalities makes it a very rich platform.

This is a truly multinational conference. Here you meet serious, specialized professionals — exporters, traders, farmers — all in one place.

I achieved more than I expected.

My first time at the forum — and I was truly impressed. Strong speakers, sharp statistics, and a complete view of the entire supply chain.

Useful, structured, and highly effective.

In a very short time, your conference became one of the biggest.

I just came from Global Grain in Geneva — to be very frank, this one is much more effective.

Solid meetings, strong market dialogue and clear next steps.

Looking forward to continuing discussions at the upcoming breakbulk events in Shanghai.

Every minute at Grain Forum Dubai was a valuable return. Great discussions and strong connections with outstanding professionals from the grain industry.

Looking forward to future collaborations.

At the forum, Dr. Raste emphasized the importance of institutional market infrastructure in emerging economies and the need for stronger interaction between exchanges and physical market participants.

This conference is a great place for making connections.

There are a lot of people here, and it’s very comfortable for business communication.

The conference truly brings together the global grain and oilseeds industry — participants from more than 55–60 countries, top professionals and decision-makers.

It creates real opportunities for networking and new business.

CHRISTOPHE KUYER
Director, GITC

The conference is fantastic — we get to meet long-standing partners and reconnect with friends from across the industry.

What makes it truly impressive is the diversity and expertise of the people attending.

This conference has now become, globally, the biggest grain conference.
Four years ago it was around 300 people — today we have over 1,100 participants from 55 countries.

It’s a great platform to bring together people from all parts of the world who are involved in agribusiness.

It was a valuable opportunity to meet our Russian and Turkish partners and exchange insights on the current freight market dynamics in the Black Sea region, especially for grain trades. Thank you to the organizers and everyone I had the chance to meet. Looking forward to building further cooperation and new business together.

Great discussions, strong relationships, and valuable market insight-excited to keep building on this momentum and achieve even more ahead.

The forum provided valuable insights into market dynamics, trade flows, and strategic developments across major exporting regions, while also facilitating meaningful professional engagement with industry leaders.

The sessions are great, the presentations are great, the overall organization is just top-notch. Yeah, I did achieve what I want. I came here, I saw a lot of friends, a lot of old colleagues, saw some really great sessions, so I will be happy to come back next year. It's a great conference for anyone who wants to learn more about grain markets, to network, to visit beautiful Dubai.

The reason I'm coming here, because this is a good opportunity to present Libya and also to allow the people to know that we have a potential market in Libya.
Well, I'm really impressed by the speakers this morning. They're talking about a huge trade in edible oils and also in grain and commodities.

I had the pleasure of attending the World Grain and Pulses Forum 2026 in Dubai on January 27, 2026, a key international meeting point for the global grain and pulses market. Insightful discussions, valuable knowledge exchange, and meaningful networking with industry professionals from around the world, highlighting the importance of trade and logistics in global food security.

Last week, attended the World Grain & Pulses Forum 2026 in Dubai which was amazing. It was a great opportunity to gain valuable insights into the global grain and commodity markets and connect with industry professionals from around the world. Thank you to the organizers and our partners I had the pleasure of meeting.

I had the pleasure of attending the GRAIN conference in Dubai #globalgraindubai — it was a very successful event. I was able to meet new prospects and have meaningful exchanges with clients, which made the conference especially valuable. Many thanks for the excellent organization — it was truly appreciated.

What impressed me most is the scale of the conference, the strong community and the opportunity to reconnect with partners.

We expect to unlock new business opportunities here.

I enjoy communicating with all suppliers, and I appreciate this atmosphere.

I like that this group has a place where everyone can participate in discussions and negotiations.

I really like the audience in the conference. It's really good. I really like the applications. We can find everyone we want to get in touch with. I like the organizing committee. They are always friendly and we can also ask anything we want to them.

Mainly it was a great opportunity to be here with all these people.

I'm recommending this forum daily because I'm one of the organizers and general sponsor. Agrosan Commodity is the general sponsor of the forum for more and four years and of course we are recommending everyone who is doing global commodity trade, agri-trade, to visit this forum for sure. It is very important and very fruitful.

It was an energizing events where we established valuable connections, strengthened existing business relationships, and shared insights.

I really appreciated the wide range of speakers and participants at this forum, the diversity of profiles and nationalities that you can meet there. It's the number of people who attend this event, it brings together a huge number of people from the industry, the grain sector and trade, so it's a really great event.

Of course I will come again and really I wanted to thank all the staff who organized this and see you inshallah in next season.

Of course, I am happy to recommend and advise you to attend this conference and look for opportunities to expand your business.

It's an amazing conference, you know, that all over the world, more than a thousand people are here, and the complete agri-sector is covered properly.

So if you want to deal in agri-pulses, you have to be here.

Really, I like the conference because the conference is focused with the main suppliers, the big players, the big players in that sector, especially when the conference is like everything is available, You can target suppliers, you can target customers, you can target whoever you would like to work with.

It was lovely to see old friends and colleagues from the industry again. These gatherings are always more than just events; they are valuable opportunities to exchange insights, strengthen trusted relationships, and explore new possibilities in the global grain and pulses market. The energy, openness, and quality of discussions clearly signal an exciting and productive week ahead.

The conference was very well organized and left an excellent overall impression.

I was very happy to have such a conference held in Egypt. I would definitely recommend colleagues and friends to take part in similar events.

This event provided a valuable platform for bringing together professionals from trade, shipping, and industry. Such meetings are essential, allowing all key players to meet, exchange insights, and build connections. It is a valuable contribution to the development of the grain sector in the region.

The conference allowed us to introduce our services to the international grain trade community and receive very positive feedback from traders. During the event, we saw opportunities for future cooperation and potential deals. Conferences like this are extremely important and should continue to be held in Egypt.

The conference was a great opportunity for networking and finding partners who can support business growth. We connected with grain traders, logistics providers, insurance brokers, and financial partners from different fields.

The knowledge gained here definitely makes us want to come again and stay ahead of the game.

The event was very informative and a great place to meet interesting professionals from the industry. I would definitely recommend this conference to colleagues.

I hope to see it growing and becoming a center for exchanging ideas and meeting new people.

I was honored to participate as a speaker and discuss the strategic importance of the New El Max Port and its impact on the maritime and logistics sectors. The event created an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas, connect with industry leaders, and explore how infrastructure development can shape the future of trade.

It was a pleasure to take part in a panel discussion alongside industry professionals. The session focused on the recovery of the Egyptian feed sector and the year-on-year progress of the poultry sector. Events like this provide a valuable platform for sharing insights and discussing key market developments.

It was a pleasure to be part of the event.

Many thanks to the organizing team for their strong effort and professional execution.

Participating in two international events within a short period was a valuable experience, both for professional discussions and networking. Speaking on dry bulk shipping and freight market analysis provided an opportunity to share insights and engage with industry colleagues. These events are truly worth attending.

I was glad to be part of Grain Trade Africa.

It was a well-organized event that enabled meaningful connections across the continent.

The event was a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, meet investors, and engage with industry professionals.

I appreciate the invitation to speak on oilseeds trade dynamics in Egypt and Africa and value the open and constructive discussions.

VENUE

The Balkans & Black Sea Grain 2026 was held at the Sofitel Istanbul Taksim Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey.

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