10^th World Rice Conference 2018, Hanoi

Brochure

Welcome letter from TRT President CEO

Welcome from the Conference Chairman and Host, President and CEO of the International Commodity Institute and The Rice Trader, Jeremy Zwinger

Dear Delegates, Distinguished Speakers and Friends, 

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 10^th TRT World Rice Conference, in Hanoi.  This event marks the 10^th Anniversary of the World Rice Conference, and we express our great appreciation for all of the delegates, guests and sponsors who have attended over the years and helped to build the World Rice Conference into the largest annual gathering of rice trade professionals in the world.  We look forward to another informative and lively conference, and sincerely hope you will join us for the World Rice Conference over the next 10 years.

The conference is, as always, timed to coincide with the key harvest period in Asia, and provides the perfect forum to look back on the 2018 trade year and key developments as we head into 2019.  The 2018 trade year saw a first half on pace to exceed world rice trading records, as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines drove demand to start the year.  The pace has lessened in the second half as trade wars and currency markets have impacted demand, and as China has amended its import duties and embraced its role as an exporter of cheap rice to Africa and the Middle East.  The conference will look at these trends, in addition to the effects of Saudi Arabia’s fungicide rules, India’s raised MSP (Minimum Support Price), and of elections in key rice countries, such as Indonesia (2019 elections), Bangladesh (late 2019), Nigeria (2019) and India (2019). 

This year’s conference also features the 10^th Annual World’s Best Rice Contest. International recognition awaits the country that produces the world’s highest quality and best tasting rice.  Last year, Thai jasmine rice won the prize for World’s Best Rice for the second consecutive year, and we continue to receive more interest year-on-year, from a wider pool of entries that vie to be awarded the title of world’s best rice. 

We also extend a special thanks to our sponsors and supporting organizations, including Platinum Sponsor, Phoenix Commodities, Gold Sponsor, Buhler, Silver Sponsor, Intertek, Conference folder sponsor, Filhet-Allard Maritime, Lanyard Sponsor, Cotecna, Coffee break sponsor, Satake, Coffee break sponsor, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), as well as our corporate sponsors and exhibitors, Induss, DSM, Absortech, Toumi Group, Amru Rice, Asian Grains, Bureau Veritas, SGS, Wilmar-International, Eco Tiger, Super Dry, Clariant, Louis Rice, IDP Rice, and Tan Long, who have all contributed to making this your choice event. We also graciously acknowledge the support of the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam Food Association, and numerous delegates from key regions around the world who make this event an amazing network of rice trade professionals. 

Thank you for attending,

Jeremy Zwinger,

President/CEO, International Commodity Institute & The Rice Trader