The trade in agricultural raw materials is more intense now than it has ever been resulting in energy and foodstuffs becoming items of strategic importance, Horst Seehofer, the Germany Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the Federal Republic said.

Speaking during the official opening of the first International Conference of Ministers of Agriculture which was attended by 1 500 agricultural experts that included 32 ministers and undersecretaries from 36 countries, Seehofer said the demand for bio-energy in Europe should not lead to the felling of forests in developing countries and land devoted to food production being taken out of use.

“Environmental and social standards must still be maintained both in our own production and when importing biomass,” he said.

Among some of the questions, the conference focused on was the question on how the growing world population can be fed, while more bio-energy is being generated at the same time.

Alexej Gordejew, Russia’s agriculture minister said felt their shouldn’t be a problem with land shortages and the competition between generating foodstuffs and energy since most countries are surrounded by surplus resources.

However Jean Marie Aurand an under secretary in the French ministry of agriculture was in favour of the use of soils unsuitable for agriculture, agricultural waste and by products from the production of livestock feeds for the generation of bio-energy.
The International Conference of Ministers of Agriculture marked the start of the 73rd International Green Week at Messe Berlin which was attended by 450 000 visitors.
The world’s biggest agricultural event attracted 1 610 exhibitors of which 501 were from 52 foreign countries.

The Berlin International Green Week is the world’s largest consumer show for agriculture, food and horticulture. It has informative displays demonstrating modern, sustainable agriculture, and also stunning arrangements of verdant, flowering plants.
The show was originally set up to promote exchange of views between eats and west German Agricultural Forum has now expanded its scope beyond Europe

It was founded 82 years ago which saw since 1926 some 73 000 exhibitors from 116 countries presenting a comprehensive range of food, agricultural and horticultural products to almost 30 million trade visitors.

The show is organised by Messe Berlin GmbH and its non commercial sponsors are German Farmers’ Association and the organisation representing the German food industry BE.

Seehofer said the global agricultural economy and policies must face up to the changing global environment through innovation and creative concepts in order to derive great benefits from the new opportunities arising from the global competition for agricultural raw materials.

German Farmers’ Association president, Gerd Sonnleitner, said modern farming today presents a completely different picture as farmers are much more market oriented due to reforms.

Sonnleitner said entrepreneurial capabilities are needed, in an environment which equalisation payments are linked with the fulfilment of higher standards in the care of livestock and in an environmental sense.

“Farmers have been described as one of the millennium’s success stories with most media organisation predicting that agriculture would be a subject of interest to investors in this year. This has seen an increasing interest in agricultural markets and the entrepreneurial achievements of farmers as producers of foodstuffs and biomass
“Too often in German farming has been dismissed as an ‘old economy’ but now it is evident that we are in fact a ‘new economy’ and the industry of the future,” Sonnleitner said.

Due to the boom in organic foods, in Germany this year’s Green Week held its 11th BIO Market that was also featuring a hands on farm exhibit. Germans are the biggest consumers of organic products.

During the past four years the organics sectors has enjoyed double digit growth rates. In 2006 organics products worth EUR4,5 billion were consumed, a 16% increase in turnover for the sector