Grain Logistica International Conference – Time for New Strategies

The Grain Logistica International Conference was held in Belgrade at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC) on 10 March 2025. The event addressed the logistical challenges in the Danube and Black Sea regions, focusing on waterborne and railway transport as critical components of sustainable logistics.  One of the most important global challenges is how to respond to logistical problems related to the safe transport of grain and identification of new markets given the disruption of traditional supply chains due to the conflict in Ukraine and other geopolitical uncertainties.

The conference was organized by the Novi Sad Commodity Exchange, with the support of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).  It brought together about 100 participants, representatives of companies from the Danube Region, regional and international organizations, river commissions, DG MOVE, and experts from various fields, to exchange views with the domestic and regional business community on the best ways to establish new grain channels for faster and cheaper transport. The DC Secretariat was represented by Mr Manfred Seitz, Director-General, Mr Dejan Trifunovic, Counsellor, and Mr Antonio Stoean, External Senior Logistics Expert.

Discussions revealed that the transport situation due to the war in Ukraine is just as challenging as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic and that investments are needed in all modes of transport for the transport network to respond to all these challenges.

Representatives of the Secretariat of the Danube Commission insisted on the constant need to improve the fairway and navigation conditions and presented the activities undertaken in that regard. For this purpose, the waterway administrations constantly improve fairway maintenance and prepare for climate change challenges.

The total throughput of Ukraine’s Danube ports in 2023 amounted to 32.01 million tonnes while the result in 2024 was 17.396 million tonnes. This year Ukraine expects a yield of 57 million tons of grain while the other countries on the Danube (except Germany) are expected to produce 68.8 million tons. Significant quantities of Ukrainian grain are planned for European countries to be delivered via the Danube.

It was concluded the Danube region is a major producer and exporter of grains with further growth potential. The Danube ports are well-equipped to offer storage and transhipment services, with 25-30% of the cargo on the Danube being agricultural products, mainly grains.