The one-day Expert Meeting on Stocks Measurement was held at the International Grains Council (IGC) premises in London.

The meeting was organized by the AMIS Secretariat and was hosted jointly by the IGC and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the current Chair of AMIS. The main purpose of the Expert Meeting was to agree on best approaches in measuring stocks of AMIS crops in AMIS countries. Under the overall guidance of Prof. Phil Abbott of Purdue University, the discussions and deliberations benefited from the participation of most of the AMIS participating countries, as well as a number of private firms.

After highlighting the importance of stocks data for enhanced market transparency the two principal methods of estimating stocks positions were defined: the surveying of agents holding stocks and the calculation of stocks as the residual element in a supply-demand balance. The theoretical and practical problems of both methods were explored.

On the subject of stock surveys, participants discussed when and how often surveys should be conducted and reviewed several technological, methodological and institutional innovations for direct measurement of stocks.

The overall recommendations of the meeting were presented at the March 2015 meeting of the AMIS Rapid Response Forum.