Jeff Gelski is a senior editor for both Food Business News and Milling & Baking News. He has reported on the food industry for trade publications since 1997 and joined Sosland Publishing Company in 2003. Previously, he worked for two daily newspapers in Missouri. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — It was a bumpy ride for the global grain industry in 2024.
An already unstable geopolitical situation worsened with military conflicts expanding in Ukraine and the Middle East. Transporting grain efficiently was a challenge, in part because of those wars. And several of the world’s largest agribusiness companies saw profits tumble in a suboptimal economic climate for global agriculture.
The establishment in both Europe and the United States saw a conservative backlash against their liberal policies, leading to political unrest in countries such as France and the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency after a four-year absence. The result will likely be a continued trend toward protectionist policies that will impact the global grain trade in the coming years as well a reduced emphasis on “green” environmental policies that had become prevalent during the past four years.
The following are World Grain’s top 10 stories for 2024.KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — These are the 12 nations at which World Grain took an in-depth look through its monthly Country Focus series in 2024. Revisit the locations and the perspective they provide on global grain, flour and feed issues: