The Arab Fertilizer Association (AFA)'s Chairman and Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery in his opening remarks at the 21st AFA Annual Forum said that the event is an important platform to discuss and exchange experiences about the present and the future of the Arab fertilizer industry.
Around 500 representatives from major Arab fertilizer and petrochemical companies as well as a group of experts from 40 other countries all over the world are attending the Forum and an accompanying exhibition, according to the Gulf Petrochemical Industry Company (GPIC).
Dr. Jawahery outlined the key challenges of food security facing the Arab world and pointed out that agriculture production in the region did not meet the increase in human growth, which resulted in a widening food gap and increasing imports. He said the world is facing challenges and is changing, with an increase in poverty, unemployment and scarce rainfall. This is leading to droughts in many countries, which face the risk of starvation.
He said the world is currently experiencing a new cycle in growing regional and global needs and a resultant increase in fertilizer trade. This, he said, is accompanied by a rise in global demand for agricultural products.
The Forum, which concludes on February 5, is a premier event in the Middle East and the Arab region and coincides with the 40th anniversary celebrations of the AFA, GPIC reported.