IAOM Mideast & Africa Conference
The 19th Annual International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) Mideast and Africa District Conference and Expo, held for the first time in a sub-Saharan country, drew nearly 500 participants and 60 exhibitors to the city of Arusha in northern Tanzania Nov. 14-17.
With Mount Kilimanjaro looming just to the east and the fabled Serengeti plains stretching to the northwest of the conference site, attendees listened to presentations on the latest technological developments in milling, were briefed on wheat crop conditions in all major exporting regions, visited vendors’ display booths and networked with their professional colleagues.
Said Salim Bakhresa & Company Ltd., East Africa’s largest milling company with operations in six countries, hosted the event. The company’s executive director and chairman of the conference, Abubakar Said Salim Bakhresea, in his welcome speech touched on several challenges facing millers in East Africa, where high world wheat prices exacerbated by import tariffs have caused a decline in wheat four consumption.
In her remarks, Tanzania’s Minister for Industries, Trade and Marketing, Dr. Marry Nagu, talked about the world food crisis and grain production problems facing Tanzanian farmers due to a doubling in fertilizer prices.
The conference was organized jointly by Bakhresa staff and the recently established permanent IAOM Mideast and Africa District offce in Muscat, Oman. Praise was nearly universal from participants for the quality of the technical and educational program and from exhibitors for the number of millers and grain companies visiting their stands, many of whom were at the event for the first time.
In addition to the traditionally strong showing from Middle Eastern countries, at least 15 African nations, ranging from Algeria to Mozambique to Zambia, were represented by milling professionals.
Martin Schlauri, head of Buhler AG’s milling business unit, called the IAOM “an opportunity for us to show our latest technology to a large audience and also to thank our customers by sponsoring an evening.”
Another exhibitor, Pietro Barbalaga of Omas S.r.L., said: “It was our first time in Tanzania, and it was a positive show. We understood there was a good interest for Italian systems. We found an agent for the market and collected a few quotation inquiries.” Companies offering functional ingredients and instrument manufacturers saw particularly heavy traffic at their booths. The region’s millers have been increasing their use of wheat from Black Sea origins. However, the quality of this wheat
is less reliable than traditional sources, which means relying more on laboratory analysis and the use of four improvers.
Laurent Clair of Chopin Technologies observed, “At last year’s IAOM, we introduced the benefits of our empirametric method to the millers, and this year we had strong interest in our interpretative tool that makes their lives easier.”
The higher profile of grain traders at the annual event was also a noticeable trend this year. Perhaps in recognition of the increasing share of the world’s wheat exports accounted for by the region, the traders have stepped up their visibility by exhibiting, making presentations and sponsoring parts of the program. In addition to longtime Mideast & Africa District supporters U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), Canadian Wheat Board, Australian Wheat Board and France Export Cereales companies such as Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Commodities Bunge, Noble Resources, Concordia Agritrading, Glencore Grain, Nidera, The Ontario Wheat Board and the Ukrainian company Nibulon swelled the ranks of grain trade organizations playing a signifcant role in this year’s event.
Quality issues dominated the first day of educational sessions. The technical program included Buhler’s presentation on “Ultimate Product Safety and Quality,” USW’S “King Consistency,” and France Export Cereales’ discussion about preserving wheat protein in milling. Mycotoxin and MRL legislation, mill fumigations and wheat breading were covered bySGS, Insects Ltd. and CWB, respectively.
Al Ghurair Foods presented its research on bread from date fibers and Bakhresa Grain Milling shared its experience in composite bread four.
The second day included a well-attended trading seminar where the world wheat crop was analyzed by export region. On the final day, nine exhibitors presented their newest products and services during the “What’s New?” program. The 20th annual IAOM Mideast and Africa District Conference will be held near Antalya on Turkey’s southern coast Oct. 23-26, 2009. The host organization will be the Turkish Flour Industrialists’ Federation, whose chairman, Edip Aktas, presented the venue on the last day of the Arusha program. With 750 operating mills in Turkey and an annual wheat grind exceeding 15 million tonnes, domestic industry participation is expected to balloon the attendance figure.
Most presentations from the Tanzania conference can be found at www.iaom-mea.com.
Daniel Wambeke of SCAFCO and Jocelyn Leveque of Vigan Engineering
Daniel Wambeke of SCAFCO and Jocelyn Leveque of Vigan Engineering
were among the exhibitors at the conference.
Conference Chairman Abubakar Bakhresa
Conference Chairman Abubakar Bakhresa, right, receives a plaque from IAOM President Royal Denning. Photos courtesy of David McKee.
