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 Fertiliser Industry Association (IFA) Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

Members of the AFA board, including general secretary Mohamed Abdullah Zain, accompanied Dr Jawahery to the conference, in which more than 1,400 delegates from 77 countries took part, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Key deliberations at the event focused on the future of chemical fertiliser 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 fertiliser 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 co-operation.

He said these meetings 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 fertiliser 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 fertiliser industry.

It supports technical and vocational training programmes for workers in the fertiliser and minerals industry in the Arab region and promotes interaction between specialised agencies and institutions as well as fertiliser companies. - TradeArabia News Service