Feed&Grain.com |

At the annual Commodity Classic event, U.S. Grains Council Chairman Rick Fruth and Senior Vice President of Operations and Industry Relations Keith Heffernan announced the tentative lineup of speakers for the upcoming Global Food Security Symposium, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council.

Among other notables, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is expected to deliver the keynote address at the symposium, scheduled for April 7, 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Today’s announcement comes just days after the Global Food Security Symposium was formally introduced in Tokyo by USGC President and CEO Thomas C. Dorr and U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos.

The Symposium will gather U.S. and Japanese government, agribusiness and biotechnology leaders for a first-ever, day-long examination of how international cooperation, policy and technology can be used to feed a burgeoning world population.

“The Global Food Security Symposium brings together some of the world’s finest minds for an earnest discussion of how we can leverage the past successes in international agricultural cooperative programs between the United States and Japan. In addition, we will discuss how to also utilize today’s emerging technologies for providing proper nutrition and economic stability and strength for our world’s growing population,” said Fruth.

The Symposium is part of the “Partners in Agriculture” series of events being held throughout Japan from March through May of 2010. The “Partners in Agriculture” events celebrate the successful, enduring agricultural trade partnership between the United States and Japan.

“Too often, the American public hears negative reports about our country’s trade relationships abroad,” said Fruth. “The ‘Partners in Agriculture’ events remind us of our tremendously successful relationship with Japan in terms of agricultural trade and economic strength for both countries. The Global Food Security Symposium will give our two countries an excellent basis for building upon these successes, so we can create a mutually beneficial blueprint for the future health and well-being of not just our own citizens, but for people around the world.”

For more information about the Global Food Security Symposium, see the Event Agenda and other materials in the USGC Commodity Classic media kit. You can also visit www.partners-in-agriculture.org for additional information, or visit the Council online at www.grains.org.