The key topics of discussion were the problem of monopolization of global grain trade and the development of cooperation within BRICS, including the BRICS Grain Exchange project.
Director of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, Alexey Ivanov, met with Mohammed Sultan Janahi, Head of the Competition Authority of the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai on February 9. The talks focused on the growing concentration in global grain trade and its implications for food security, as well as on expanding cooperation within the BRICS framework.
In particular, Mohammed Sultan Janahi expressed strong interest in the BRICS Competition Centre–initiated study of the global grain trade market and the establishment of a BRICS Grain Exchange. These initiatives were proposed in the academic report “From Fields to Futures: Competition, Financialisation and Digitalisation in Global Grain Value Chains”, prepared by the BRICS Competition Centre. The report was developed as part of expert support for the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Food Markets and served as a basis for discussing joint research and expert initiatives.
In the photo: Mohammed Sultan Janahi and Alexey Ivanov © HSE University
The report highlights the dominant role of the so-called ABCD group of global grain traders (ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus) which control a significant share of global grain trade. Market concentration and limited competition in this sector were identified as a major challenge to the UAE’s food security, as the country imports around 90% of its food due to its desert climate, water scarcity and limited arable land.
Given the UAE’s growing role in global grain trade and its position as a key logistics and trading hub, these issues were described as strategically important. In this context, cooperation with BRICS expert institutions was seen as a critical tool for developing coordinated approaches to more competitive, transparent and resilient global grain markets. In addition, Mohammed Sultan Janahi emphasized the importance of cooperation between the antitrust authority and industry regulators, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Telecommunications, and other relevant agencies.
The Head of the UAE Competition Authority proposed that the BRICS Competition Centre foster collaboration with Dubai’s academic community and expressed his willingness to facilitate the establishment of relevant professional contacts.
The Director of the BRICS Competition Centre was also invited to participate in the seventh Arab Competition Forum (ACF) in the UAE and to implement a joint BRICS-related initiative in the run-up to the event. The forum is scheduled to take place on May 20–21, 2026. This year, the discussions will focus on the implications of digital transformation for competition policy in the Arab region. Participants will examine how competition frameworks can promote fairness, equality of opportunity, and well-functioning markets in the digital economy.
