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Tuesday, 10 July 2007 The impact of the looming global food shortage and what the challenges facing the US rice sector will mean for Australian growers are two of the topics to be discussed at next month’s Hutcheon A&G Group - John Deere RGA Annual Conference. RGA Executive Director, Victoria Taylor said the conference, to be held at Cobram-Barooga Golf Club on Friday, 3 August 2007, was a must attend event for rice growers and industry leaders. “We have an excellent line up of speakers who will reflect the realities and challenges facing both Australian businesses and world markets,” she said. “This year’s speakers have broad appeal and we’re expecting close to 300 attendees from across the rice growing region.” Ms Taylor said the conference’s key note speaker was Julian Cribb - Adjunct Professor in Science Communication at Sydney’s University of Technology. “Professor Cribb recently commented that for the first time in history urban water demand was outpacing farm demand globally,” she said. “By 2050, Professor Cribb expects cities will consume half the world’s fresh water - reducing the water available for food production by one third. By 2025, water scarcity may cause an annual reduction of 350 million tonnes of food - almost the same as losing today’s entire global rice harvest or US grain crop. His address will challenge our thinking on food security issues and look at the role of Australian farmers in the looming global food shortage.” Joining Professor Cribb are speakers Michael Whitehead - Vice President, Food & Agribusiness Research, Rabobank; and David Keldie, General Manager, Consumer Markets, SunRice. “Michael will analyse the global competitiveness of the US rice industry and discuss the current challenges facing rice producers, including GM contamination, competition from other crops and the potential changes in the 2007 Farm Bill. His presentation will look at the implications for Australian rice producers - as co-competitors in a global marketplace. “David will present an overview of SunRice consumer markets around the world. He will highlight the brands and their performance in each region, by size and scale, and outline the company’s future plans, as well as some of the challenges. “We’re thrilled to be able to secure such a high calibre of presenters. Each has a wealth of knowledge and insight to share with rice growers and together they represent our best line up yet.” Ms Taylor said the Hutcheon A&G Group - John Deere RGA Annual Conference would be followed by the Annual Gala Dinner, from 6.30pm at the Tocumwal Convention Centre. The dinner will include a four course meal, drinks and entertainment by Kiss My Brass. A ‘Women in Rice Tour’ and post conference activities are also scheduled. “This year, like the others before it, hasn’t been without its challenges,” said Ms Taylor. “The conference provides growers with the chance to come together to discuss the issues and opportunities facing the industry over the next 12 months, as well as hear from world experts and catch up with friends and colleagues. “It’s an important event in the rice calendar and this year we’d like to see as many growers there as possible. We’ve pulled out all the stops to make both the conference and dinner a memorable occasion.” The Hutcheon A&G Group - John Deere RGA Annual Conference will be held at the Cobram-Barooga Golf Club on Friday, 3 August 2007 from 9.30am – 5.30pm. Attendance for rice growers is free, but participants must register. Tickets for the Annual Gala Dinner are $45 per person. Subsidized packages including accommodation and transport are also on offer to RGA members. Registrations for the conference and dinner close Friday, 20 July 2007. For more information visit www.rga.org.au or phone (02) 6953 0433. CONTACT |
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