Food & Climate
The 31st Arab Fertilizers Association (afa) Conference began in Cairo (the capital of Egypt) today, Tuesday, February 18, 2025, and will continue until next Thursday. It was inaugurated by the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, Alaa Farouk, on behalf of the Prime Minister.
According to a statement, a copy of which was received by “Food & Climate” platform, Farouk said that the Arab Fertilizers Association is an important platform for the industry, Arab and international, under the umbrella of the Council of Arab Economic Unity of the League of Arab States, and includes 95 Arab and foreign companies from 26 countries around the world.
He added that the agricultural sector in the Arab region is witnessing many major and increasing challenges that require an effective response and sustainable solutions. Agriculture is also one of the sectors most affected by climate change, and it appears in several forms, such as: scarcity of water resources and weather fluctuations that negatively affect crop productivity, and constitute pressure factors that hinder the growth of the agricultural sector, which is one of the pillars of the national economy.
The minister continued, during the opening session of the 31st Arab Fertilizers Association Conference, that economic and social factors are allied with the acceleration of population growth and the growing demand for food, increasing the challenges facing the agricultural sector, which is responsible for producing healthy and safe food for people.
A call to reconsider traditional methods
The Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, Alaa Farouk, called for reconsidering traditional methods and thinking outside the box, and shifting towards more innovative practices that ensure improving the efficiency of using natural resources while preserving the environment.
During the opening of the 31st Arab Fertilizers Association Conference, he stressed the importance of fertilizers as a pivotal factor in improving soil properties and fertility, enhancing agricultural production capacity, and ensuring its sustainability.
The Minister said that the Arab fertilizer industry plays a strategic role in supporting the agricultural sector at the regional and global levels, by providing essential inputs.
Farouk explained that Egypt’s civilization has been linked to agriculture, as it has been a fundamental pillar of its growth and stability throughout the ages, so Cairo continues its commitment to developing the agricultural sector, as it is the cornerstone in developing and supporting the axes of the agricultural system.
There is the axis of vertical expansion through the production of highly productive varieties, adapted to climate change, and the application of agricultural practices that lead to increased productivity of land and water units, as well as the axis of horizontal expansion to increase the agricultural area by implementing national projects to reclaim and cultivate new lands.
The Minister stressed that the increase in demand for food requires working to increase the manufacture of mineral fertilizers and nutrients, as it is the main player in maximizing the efficiency of agricultural resources in light of the limited nature of these resources, which supports the axis of vertical expansion in old lands and the axis of horizontal expansion through the reclamation and cultivation of new lands.
Egypt has occupied a distinguished global position in the manufacture and export of mineral fertilizers and plant nutrients, as it is among the important countries producing fertilizers, and ranks first in the Arab world and fifth globally among the major countries producing urea fertilizer; with a quantity reaching more than 7.6 million tons annually.
Title of the 31st Arab Fertilizer Association Conference
The 31st Arab Fertilizer Association Conference is held this year under the title: “Agricultural Nutrients: A Key Factor in Enhancing Global Food Security”. It discusses many aspects and topics related to the fertilizer industry and its markets, the most important special legislation, the role of the sector amidst many challenges, and the extent of its impact on food and the Arab and global food security system, in addition to a special session on the latest trends in supply and demand in the regional and global fertilizer sector and the factors influencing it, with a review of the development of the logistics sector and supply chains.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Fertilizer Association, Dr. Ahmed Al Marhoubi, said: “Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Association, and with an abundant offering of sincere and diligent work to enhance integration and cooperation between member companies in various fields of this vital industry, whether at the industrial level or in its various applications, which made the Association a driving and pivotal force in supporting the Arab fertilizer industry.”
The Secretary-General of the Union, Chemist Saad Abu Al-Maati, added that the Arab Fertilizer Union continues its efforts to enhance the production capacity of fertilizer factories and establish major projects to support the Arab and global food security system, in light of the high population growth and the enormous challenges it imposes.
He added that the Union is working to rationalize energy consumption in factories and adopt well-studied energy transformation policies to ensure a balance between development and sustainability without risking energy security, which is a fundamental pillar of food security.
The Egyptian Minister of the Business Sector, Eng. Mohamed Shimi, announced several projects, including green ammonia production units.