This pioneer event was officially opened by the Romanian Minister of Agriculture and drew an audience of 250 people working professionally in sorghum production, and included European and international experts. Subjects covered ranged from agronomics and genetic advances to markets and trade outlets, as well as agricultural policy and lobbying.

The two days of discussion and debate produced clear conclusions: there is real potential for sorghum to develop in Europe, and for a number of good reasons related to soil climate, environmental conditions and issues, economic and financial considerations, and even regulations.

However, while no one can deny that factors able to boost development are there and that they can be leveraged, it is patently obvious that there is not the properly organised, structured set-up needed to establish such a joint initiative.

Therefore, at the end of the Congress, the different stakeholders in sorghum production (from seed to processed products) voiced their ambition to join together as a European force, working on the basis of a common strategic goal and a common action plan, playing an active role to establish a sector for the purpose of developing and promoting sorghum in Europe.

This 1st European Sorghum Congress thus stands as the founding act of the organisation known as Sorghum ID which now has to take up the challenge over the months to come, proving that it can reach out to the different stakeholders in sorghum in Europe and rally them to their cause.