DUBAI, The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the voice of the chemical industry in the Arabian Gulf, announced the dates of its 11th Agri-Nutrients Conference, which will take place virtually on 15th and 16th September, 2021, under the theme, “Forging new avenues for a food secure future.”
The conference will feature a line-up of leading speakers, including experts from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the International Fertiliser Association, and key agri-nutrient producers in the Gulf Cooperation (GCC), including SABIC in Saudi Arabia, QAFCO in Qatar, GPIC in Bahrain, and many more.
Abdulrahman Al Suwaidi, CEO of QAFCO, Chairman of the GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee and Member of the GPCA Board, will deliver the conference’s opening speech on 15th September, and an FAO representative will deliver the first keynote address on how to “strengthen the foundations of the global food security agenda in the wake of the pandemic.”
Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President of the GPIC and Treasurer of the GPCA Board, will also be joined by Esin Mete, Founder of MT Agri-Consulting, during a fireside chat, the newest feature of this year’s conference.
Samir Al Abdrabbuh, EVP of Agri-Nutrients at SABIC and Vice-Chairman of the GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee, will welcome attendees at the conference on 16th September, followed by Patrick Heffer, Deputy Director-General of the International Fertiliser Association, who will lead the keynote session, entitled, “How will advanced farming techniques help strengthen the GCC’s self-sufficiency agenda.”
The conference will be held more than a year after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which threatens one in every nine persons in the world due to chronic undernourishment, highlighting the importance of achieving global food security and the role of agri-nutrients in supporting food production during the pandemic.
The Arabian Gulf remains an important international hub for the production and export of agri-nutrients, with the regional industry estimated to support the food supply of five percent of the world’s population or 350 million people. This figure also reflects the significance of agri-nutrients to society, especially as the world’s population is estimated to reach nine billion by 2050.
According to the Global Food Security Index, GCC states are ranked 31st globally in terms of the affordability, availability, quality and safety of food, but the region still relies on some 85 percent of food imports.
Building a robust and resilient ecosystem for the production of food and securing the region’s self-sufficiency will require GCC countries to transform their strategies, increase domestic production, diversify their import sourcing partners, strengthen their supply chains and adopt more cutting-edge technologies.
The conference will enable delegates to learn from the entire food production value chain, including technology providers, producers and academia, about the latest market innovations, the challenges facing regional producers and how they can be overcome, as well as ways of collaborating with technology and research partners to develop more sustainable and efficient agri-nutrient solutions.
Source: Emirates News Agency
