GPIC president attends IFA conference

Istanbul, May 28 (BNA): A high-level delegation of the Arab Fertilisers Association (AFA), led by its Chairman and Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) President, Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, took part in the 83rd International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Members of the AFA Board of Directors, including General Secretary Mr. Mohamed Abdullah Zain, accompanied Dr. Jawahery to the conference, in which more than 1,400 delegates from 77 countries took part in. Key deliberations at the event focussed on the future of chemical fertilizer and its role in food production and energy efficiency. During the visit, the AFA delegation met IFA officials and discussed ways and means to achieve common goals. In a statement, Dr. Jawahery said AFA had become an integral part of the global fertilizer industry and was increasingly partnering with IFA in areas of common concern and interest. He underlined the importance of periodical meetings and conferences, which he said would contribute positively to closer cooperation. These meetings, he said, would also play a role in the hassle-free transfer of knowledge, while providing industry professionals an opportunity to learn about the latest developments, which went beyond production and export and included regulations on environment protection. AFA was founded in 1975 under the umbrella of the Arab Economic Unity Council, and is a union of Arab institutions and companies working in the field of fertilizer industry and trade. It has a membership of more than 166 companies, from 30 countries. AFA aims to assist members with production issues through the exchange of information and experiences and documents technical information as well as economic, trade and agricultural data on the fertilizer industry. AFA supports technical and vocational training programmes for workers in the fertilizer and minerals industry in the Arab region and promotes interaction between specialized agencies and institutions as well as fertilizer companies. IFA is one of the largest fertilizer unions and has as its members, 540 producer countries around the world. Its goals include organising events that promote fertilizer production and use, increase agricultural production the world over and improve the operating environment for fertilizer manufacturers under free and fair trade practices. Major petrochemical and fertilizer companies and institutions attend IFA annual meets.