International Grains Council

The International Grains Council (IGC) is an intergovernmental organisation that seeks to:

• Further international cooperation in grains trade;
• Promote expansion, openness and fairness in the grains sector;
• Contribute to grain market stability and to enhance world food security.

These objectives are sought by improving market transparency through information-sharing, analysis and consultation on market and policy developments. Grains, rice and oilseeds market conditions are monitored on a daily basis, through circulation of daily reports and maintaining web-based information services, and the Council formally exchanges information at Market Conditions Committee meetings and Council sessions. The annual IGC Grains Conference is a public forum for discussion, and an opportunity to bring international buyers and sellers, industry representatives and policymakers together.

Market information on 22 commodities including grains, rice, oilseeds and pulses is made available on the public website and by subscription. In particular, the IGC’s Grains and Oilseeds Index (GOI) and Grains and Oilseeds freight Index (GOFI) (https://www.igc.int/en/markets/marketinfo-freight.aspx) are available on a daily basis via the public website, together with supply and demand balances and forecasts for G20 countries and commodities. More detailed market forecast, analysis and statistics can be accessed through subscriptions to weekly or monthly reports and data services (see Subscriptions).

In October 2012, the IGC joined the Secretariat of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS). The initiative was established at the request of the Agriculture Ministers of the G20. It covers four crops (wheat, maize, rice and soyabeans) and aims to promote food market transparency and the coordination of policy action in response to market uncertainty.

The IGC holds two regular Council Sessions each year, either in London or, by invitation, in member countries, one international conference on strategic dialogue on grains trade expansion and series of webinars. Follow its activities www.igc.int or on LinkedIn on encore X.