The 13th annual edition of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Agri-Nutrients Conference will take place in Doha from September 17-19.
The key industry event will be held under the theme ‘Sustainable transformation in practice – the future of agri-nutrients’, GPCA said in a statement.
According to GPCA the global population is estimated to reach 9.8bn by 2050, while 68% of the population is projected to live in cities by 2050.
Increasing population and urbanisation, macroeconomic instability, poverty and inequalities, geopolitical tensions, conflicts, food security, and climate change are just some of the ongoing challenges facing the agri-nutrient industry.
The agri-nutrients industry, while responding to these challenges, is focused on building a more resilient and sustainable market for the future.
This entails a substantial change in both advanced economies and developing countries and will be the key focus of the 13th GPCA Agri-Nutrients Conference.
Policymakers, academia, industry leaders, technology providers, and value chain partners will converge to discuss the need to realign and chart the roadmap to a sustainable transformation here, in the Arabian Gulf region, and globally.
Industry stalwarts will delve into the transition paths forward to preserve the diversity of agriculture and our food systems while striking a balance between short-term productivity gains and longer-term resilience, environmental health, and sustainability gains.
The opening remarks on September 18, will be delivered by Abdulrahman al-Suwaidi, CEO, Qafco, and chairman, Agri-Nutrients Committee, GPCA, while the keynote address will be delivered by Abdulrahman Shamsaddin, CEO, SABIC Agri-Nutrients, and vice-chair, Agri-Nutrients Committee, GPCA.
Later that day, the programme will feature a plenary session on ‘The far-reaching implications of geopolitics on the agri-nutrient sector’ as well as three strategic panels: Adapting food security to climate change, Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the agri-nutrients sector, and biodiversity strategies and their impact on the fertiliser industry.
Yasser A. Rahim Alabbasi, CEO, GPIC and board member, International Fertiliser Association (IFA), will welcome delegates on day two, September 19.
He will be followed on stage by Prof Robert Stavins, AJ Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development, Harvard University, for the keynote address.
On the last day of the event, esteemed industry experts will discuss the financial implications of transitioning to a sustainable future, adopting technologies to transform the agri-nutrient industry, capturing the supply chain value leakage, and market trends in the agri-nutrient industry.
On September 17, delegates can attend an Operational Excellence Workshop which will provide practical knowledge and insight into how to drive efficiencies and improvements across agri-nutrient plant operations.
Dr Abdulwahab al-Sadoun, secretary-general, GPCA, commented: “The agri-nutrient industry needs a sustainable transformation, which must be led by talent, innovation, and technology adoption, and accelerated through cross regional partnerships and cooperation. Never before has the importance of solving food security challenges been more pronounced, as the world population grows exponentially and demand for our finite resources continues to increase. “Stakeholders in this region and the world share an important responsibility to address the challenges and improve the industry’s competitiveness in order to meet the needs of an estimated 9.8bn people by 2050.”