Three day convention held in Muscat, Oman
The fertilizer industry has a crucial role to play in addressing global food security challenges, as the world’s population continues to expand rapidly, driving demand for nutrition and resource availability, said speakers during the 9th GPCA Fertilizer Convention held on 18-20 September at Kempinski Hotel, Muscat, Oman.
The convention was inaugurated by HE Dr. Fuad Bin Jaafar Bin Mohammed Al-Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Oman.
Delivering the welcome address on day one, H.E. Eng. Salim Al-Aufi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Oil and Gas, Oman, urged the industry to be ready for the tremendous population growth that is set to occur globally: “We need to be prepared for the challenge that lies ahead of us and ensure that we have enough food for the 10-12 billion people that will be living on this planet in the next 30-40 years to come,” he observed.
Global agricultural production will need to more than double by 2050 in order to meet growing demand for food, as the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people over the next three decades. By 2050, demand for water will grow by more than 100%, with the majority of the population living in cities due to rapid urbanization.
This is creating significant opportunities for the fertilizer industry to respond to these challenges with a new generation of sustainable fertilizer products tailored towards increasing agricultural productivity, while addressing climate change, land degradation and decreasing water resources, speakers said.
“In the next years, the role of the fertilizer industry in ensuring global prosperity will increase tremendously as the global challenges we face today are becoming ever more complex and difficult to address,” remarked Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC and Vice Chairman, GPCA.
This platform provides a significant opportunity to shed light on Oman’s local economy and its growing fertilizer and petrochemical industries; it is also an important occasion to exchange knowledge and best practices in the sector,” noted Eng. Isam Bin Saud Al Zadjali, CEO, Oman Oil Company and Chairman of Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO).
