DLG Committee International Partnerships

The DLG Committee for International Partnerships met in digital form on 13 September 2022 in the extended framework of the ‘DLG Unternehmertage’ Conference. In addition to reports on current events within the DLG and the international trade fair business, the country working groups for Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia were also the subject of the meeting.

The war in Ukraine is also influencing the work of the Eastern Europe Country Working Group. Executive Director Dr. Olga Hunger reported on the situation of both Ukrainian and Russian farmers and on developments in the respective regions. Due to the war, the activities of the working group are suspended for an indefinite period of time and solutions for the future development of the working group have to be found. The DLG supports Ukraine through several activities, for example within the framework of EuroTier.

In addition to the Country Working Group Eastern Europe, the Country Working Group Southeast Asia was also founded in May 2022. This was presented to the committee by the new Managing Director Katharina Staske. The focus is primarily on Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The country working group is intended to serve as a forum for the exchange of agricultural practices in order to present developments, opportunities and differences. Thematically, the initial focus will be on crop production in particular.

International trade fair business in physical form has started again, Bernd Koch tells the committee. As examples he mentions Potatoe Europe, AGRITECHNICA Asia in Bangkok and the Live Version in Vietnam, which underpins the main exhibition.

The follow-up to the committee's first impulse forum at the ‘DLG Wintertagung’ Conference in februrary 2022 was very positive. The forum, which focused on the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act, was introduced by two presentations and deepened with a lively panel discussion, which also received much positive feedback afterwards.