AgWired

The President and CEO of Bunge North America is Carl Hausmann. He was part of a panel today at the World Agricultural Forum that addressed the needs of food, fuel, fiber and water.

I interviewed Carl after the session and asked what he thought one of the main concerns was that people expressed here. He says that when it comes to biofuels the subject needs to be more than a national issue, that it’s a global issue. He says that when countries individually deal with it through things like subsidies that it tends to distort world trade. He would like to think that this forum will not only be an exchange of ideas among the participants but that they will leave and effect the political debate in their countries. He believes biofuels will be with us well into the future. He also says that the rapid increase in the price of corn has been a shocker to many but that the commodity has been undervalued for years and that the world will become used to $3.50 to $4 corn.

You can listen to my interview with Carl here: world-ag-forum-07-hausmann.mp3

The president of the World Agricultural Forum is Raymond Cesca, pictured here to the left of Leonard Guarraia.

I interviewed Ray in between sessions earlier today about what he hopes to see accomplished. He says the theme of investing in agriculture is meant to be about more than just food and fuel but about successful business models and food production. He says they hope to see agriculture as the economic engine for growth and that investment in agriculture can be the driver for it.

You can listen to my interview with Ray here: world-ag-forum-07-cesca.mp3

Another key figure on the program today at the World Agricultural Forum was the Hon. Dr. Rajashekara Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, India. He participated in the opening session then held a press conference this afternoon.

I recorded his press conference for you. In it he was first asked about the price of seed in India and what he thought about it. You can listen to how he answers that. He basically wondered why seed from Monsanto costs so much in India vs. the United States. I asked him about biofuels production in his country and what it means to the economy there. He says they’ve only just begun the development of “fuel crops” and says it will be several years before it becomes significant but he’d like to see a goal of having biofuels replace at least 5% of their fuel consumption as soon as possible. He also addresses high world dairy prices and the increase in cotton production in India.

You can listen to Dr. Reddy’s press conference here: world-ag-forum-07-reddy.mp3

The founder and CEO of the World Agricultural Forum is Leonard Guarraia. After he welcomed everyone to this year’s Forum I was able to talk with him briefly about the mission of the Forum and what he hopes gets accomplished here.

He says they want to bring together leaders from around the world for discussion, get the press to listen and understand agriculture’s role and to take action. He says they have over 400 people attending which is well over what they expected but he’s happy with that.

You can listen to my interview with Leonard Guarraia here: world-ag-forum-07-guarraia.mp3

Leading off today’s program here at the World Agricultural Forum is the Chairman, the Rt. Honorable James Bolger, ONZ. He moderated the opening discussion which included presentations with Robert White, Chairman and CEO, Deere & Co. and His Excellency, Hon. Dr. Rajashekara Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, India.

I spoke to Mr. Bolger after their session to get a sense of what it is he hopes will be accomplished here at the Forum. He says that he hopes to energize people to think differently and realize that we’re in a global economy and decisions that individual countries make have an impact on everyone. He points to work in his country of New Zealand to reduce methane emissions from grazing livestock as an example of the type of work that needs to be done.

You can listen to my interview with James Bolger here: world-ag-forum-07-bolger.mp3