World Grain - November 2011 - 72

FEATURE

Gathering by the sea
T
he scenic and historical Dead Sea served as the backdrop for this year’s International Association of Operative Millers Mideast & Africa (MEA) District Conference, held Oct. 2-5 at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre in Dead Sea, Jordan. Nearly 500 delegates from 51 countries attended the event, which featured educational sessions covering a wide range of topics as well as an expo that included 81 exhibitors displaying the newest products and services for the ﬂour milling industry. Melinda Farris, executive vice-president of the IAOM, said this year’s conference was a resounding success. “This year’s meeting at the Dead Sea included a great section on management in addition to the traditional technical sessions. The grain trading session on the last day was well attended and is always a highlight of the event. The Jordanian hosts did a wonderful job working with the IAOM team in Oman to organize the event.” An educational session on strategy management for milling companies was held on Oct. 3 and featured presentations on Total Quality Management Issues in Milling Management by Kansas State University (KSU), Diversiﬁcation Strategies of the Milling Industry by Bühler AG and Employee Training by the KSU International Grains Program. A technical session included discussions on topics such as: Gluten Replacers, Mühlenchemie GmbH & Co.; Key Factors to Drive Efﬁciency in a Flour Mill, Bühler; Environmental Sustainability in the Flour Milling Industry, Canadian Wheat Board; and Hard and Soft Wheat Milling, U.S. Wheat Associates. In remarks at the opening ceremony, Secretary-General of Jordan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, Maha Ali, said that grain sector and milling industry play a very vital role in completing the production cycle and are an essential component of any country’s food security. Ali also highlighted the importance of the conference in exchanging views and being exposed to latest milling technologies around the world, inviting the participants to explore trade and investment opportunities in Jordan, which she said enjoys a strategic geographic location, stability and security with a growing economy despite
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by Arvin Donley

Nearly 500 delegates from 51 countries attend 22nd annual IAOM Mideast & Africa District Conference in Dead Sea, Jordan
the current regional instability and global crisis. President of the U.S Wheat Associates, Alan Tracy, said that the global wheat demand in 2010 reached an estimated 666 million tonnes, noting that if the demand rate were to remain constant, global wheat consumption would surpass 880 million tonnes by 2050. He added that international trade will play an essential role in meeting this increase in consumption, as the market analysis shows that the rate of world wheat trade will likely grow much faster than overall consumption. PRIOR RECOGNIZED Richard Prior of U.S. Wheat Associates, who has been instrumental in the MEA District’s activities since its inception more than 20 years ago, received the Thaddeus B. Bownik Award at a dinner sponsored by the U.S. Wheat Associates. The award is presented by the association in recognition of a member’s many years of support and contributions to the ﬂour milling and grain processing industry, and for special contributions to the association as a member of the board of directors and standing or special committees. The MEA District also announced during the meeting that it will provide two scholarships for millers from Jordan to take the IAOM Correspondence Course in ﬂour milling. The Jordanian Flour Millers Federation will identify the recipients. District leaders also told delegates that IAOM is working on translating its Correspondence Course in Flour Milling into Arabic.
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World Grain - November 2011

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