Virtual 11th GPCA Agri-Nutrients Conference

Online

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about several disruptions, including threatening food security and nutrition globally. Border closures, forced quarantines and lockdowns exposed supply chain and logistics vulnerabilities and was an eye opener for the nutrition ecosystem, prompting governments to re-evaluate their food security strategies. This has triggered a sense of realization across countries, including in the Arabian Gulf, who are heavily reliant on food imports. Seeing new opportunities, the GCC countries are embracing a multi-faceted approach across value chains. They are leveraging innovation and modern technology to make our food systems more robust, resilient, and sustainable. Regional governments are focused on enhancing domestic production, utilizing technology, rethinking investment strategies, and boosting research and development activities to prepare for the future, as well as investing in diversified supply sources.

The agri-nutrients industry plays a leading role in supporting this transition. There is a growing need for this critical industry to collaborate with governments and the value chain to improve agricultural productivity and provide nutritious and sufficient food for all. To avoid disruptions in agricultural production and to ensure food security, the GCC agri-nutrients industry will have to embrace new avenues of growth, including boosting international cooperation, exploring new markets, strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing their environmental footprint, and deploying advanced technology to maintain a competitive edge. Exploring new opportunities today will help build resiliency and sustainability, while preparing for potential future crises.

Now in its 11th edition, the GPCA Agri-nutrients Conference will take place virtually from 15-16 September 2021. Held under the theme ‘Forging new avenues for a food secure future’ the dialogues at the conference will present a host of opportunities for the agri-nutrients industry to contribute positively to the food security agenda, share progressive technologies transforming the agricultural food chain, shed light on the breakthroughs and innovations in the agri-nutrients sector and discuss the trends shaping the overall industry.