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Member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev has begun his duties as President of the Russian Association of Fertiliser Producers (RAFP), and has been re-elected as Vice President Eastern Europe & Central Asia of the International Fertiliser Association (IFA).
This was announced at the closing press conference of the 84th IFA Annual Conference, which gathered roughly 1,500 delegates from 72 countries. Holding of the conference in Moscow testifies to the growing role Russian companies play on the global fertiliser market: Russia is in the top five countries by total production. Largely thanks to the growth in volume of use in the agricultural sector, this year our country, according to Agriculture Ministry forecasts, may become a leading player in grain exports.
Russian officials to address the conference participants included Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, and acting vice-president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Viktor Cherepov, noting the importance of maximising the realisation of Russia’s agricultural potential as a basis for ensuring food security and supporting the country’s economic growth.
“The RAFP’s mission is to drive forward Russia’s mineral fertiliser industry, and support the growth of domestic demand and increased competitiveness of Russian fertilisers at the global level. The RAFP supports the development of agriculture in Russia, which is a priority market for its products,” Andrey Guryev said. “As President of the RAFP, I consider creating new opportunities to modernise and streamline the sector amid today’s prevailing economic conditions to be my chief task. I firmly believe that the chemicals industry may become one of the Russian economy’s most technologically advanced sectors and a key guarantor of food security for Russia and the whole world.”
“The RAFP and the IFA share a number of goals, including promoting innovative agricultural technologies and helping farmers become more sophisticated in how they use fertilisers,” Andrey Guryev said at the press conference. “In my position as IFA Vice President I will focus on sustainable growth of crop yields and reduction of environmental impact through the use of high-quality, ecologically friendly fertilisers and scientific methods of their application.”
The IFA comprises 525 companies from 85 countries connected with production, sale, transportation, and distribution of all types of fertilisers, relevant raw materials and intermediary products. IFA members include all Russian and major international fertiliser producers – such as Yara (Norway), OCP (Morocco), Mosaic, PotashCorp (US), IFFCO (India), Vale (Brazil), Sinochem (China) and others.
The IFA has a consultative status at the UN, and works closely with international organisations including the OECD, IEA, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Plant Nutrition Institute.
The IFA’s priority is promoting effective and rational production and application of plant fertilisers to support and increase agricultural productivity around the world.
“Mineral fertilizers play a crucial role in sustainable agricultural intensification, designed to deliver the food for a global population that is expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050,” said IFA Director General Charlotte Hebebrand. “The industry is fully aware about the opportunities and responsibilities it faces to help advance global food security, forest and soil preservation, and the safeguarding of air and water quality.” Hebebrand also highlighted the high quality of the conference organisation in Russia.
The International Fertilizer Association aims to implement programs for planning and use of crop nutrients based on the individual characteristics of regional soil types and crops. This makes it possible to adhere to the main principle of efficient land use – applying the right source of plant nutrients, at the right rate, time and place. To this end, the sector is focused on expanding knowledge of soils and crop types. This will make it possible to establish a sustainable development trend for agriculture, and create the basis for reliable global food security.