Qatar Fertiliser Company P.S.C. (QAFCO) sponsored the 10th edition of the annual QAFCO – Texas A&M University Conference in association with Texas A&M University at Qatar, and in partnership with the American Chemical Society (ACS) Qatar Candidate Chapter, which hosted experts from around the world on February 15, 2018 at Education City, Doha, Qatar.

Held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, the conference highlighted the pressing need for policy makes, industry and academia to work together to develop new knowledge and create scientific solutions that have direct impact on the world around us.

H.E. Minister Al-Sada said, "The series is significant because it places Qatar at the genesis of an expanding knowledge pipeline."

This year’s conference focused on the theme “Emerging Frontiers in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.”

QAFCO CAO Dr. Hamed Al-Marwani expressed, “The QAFCO – Texas A&M Conference 2018 is a confluence of ideas. I believe conferences such as these can help give better insights into issues wherein institutional learnings of industry and academia can mutually benefit. I hope the conference becomes the platform for sharing ideas to find solutions for short and long-term issues facing us.”

Dr. César O. Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “It is critical for industry and academia to work together to solve the real-world problems that will affect our future. For the past 10 years, Texas A&M at Qatar and QAFCO have partnered to host the annual QAFCO – Texas A&M University at Qatar Conference to encourage the exchange of knowledge, ideas and expertise that is essential to fuel innovation and new thinking. We are grateful to QAFCO, our longtime friend and partner, for its visionary leadership in driving the success of this annual event.”

QAFCO has been an exclusive sponsor of the conference series since 2007. Over the past decade, the conference has attracted a steadily increasing audience of chemists and engineers from all over the globe, covering a wide range of topics and discussions related to chemistry and chemical engineering.

Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO), Hassad Food and Yara International ASA (Norway), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 15 February 2018 to support efforts to increase food production from the Qatari agricultural sector. The partnership will focus on increasing agricultural yields, in line with Qatar’s aim to achieve self-sufficiency in a reliable and sustainable manner.

Mr. Said Mobarak Al-Mohannadi, Chairman – QAFCO Board of Directors, Mr. Mohamed bin Badr Al-Sadah, Chief Executive Officer of Hassad Food and Mr. Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara International ASA, jointly signed the memorandum on behalf of the three companies.

The ceremony was attended and witnessed by Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum.

Mr. Al-Mohannadi expressed, “Today marks an important milestone in the history of QAFCO, YARA and Hassad Food, being part of an ambitious initiative to support Qatar’s food security objectives. We are confident that this project shall prove to be one of the contributors towards the development of the Qatari agricultural sector and strengthen existing relations between the three entities.”

Mr. Al-Sadah expressed, “It’s our pleasure to be part of such a great partnership, Hassad, as Qatar’s premier investor in food and agribusiness sectors, aims to continuously support the local agricultural sector. We are committed to provide the needed support to the two esteemed entities, to assist in increasing the local production from high quality food products.

Mr. Holsether expressed, “Yara is proud to have been a partner to the state of Qatar for nearly 50 years through our shareholding in QAFCO, and today’s signing marks another important step in our continued commitment to this collaboration. With our vast experience in providing balanced crop nutrition, we support farmers worldwide to increase yields and improve the quality of produce. We sincerely look forward to contribute with our products, solutions and knowledge in the Qatari agricultural sector, in collaboration with our two partners.”

The memorandum formalizes ongoing efforts by the three entities to support the State of Qatar’s goal of food security. Over the past months, the entities have already engaged in workshops and farm tests together with several farmers to lay the foundation for a successful outcome. Over the coming months, several test projects will be carried out on several farms to demonstrate the yield potential and create best practices for the agricultural sector of Qatar.

 ABOUT HASSAD FOOD

Established in 2008, Hassad Food is Qatar's premier investor in food and agri-business sectors, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Hassad, has a diverse set of investments locally, and internationally in several countries like Australia and Oman. 

 ABOUT YARA

Founded in 1905 to solve emerging famine in Europe, Yara has a worldwide presence with more than 16,000 employees and operations in over 60 countries. Its crop nutrition solutions and precision farming offerings allow farmers to increase yields and improve product quality while reducing environmental impact. Its environmental and industrial solutions improve air quality and reduce emissions, and are key ingredients in the production of a wide range of products.

Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) has been successfully recertified in Integrated Management System (IMS) for Quality, Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety (OH & S), Responsible Care (RC) and Energy. The recertification is an affirmation of QAFCO's conformance to the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, RC 14001 and ISO 50001 standards, respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, QAFCO Chairman, Mr. Said Mobarak Al- Mohannadi, said, “We, at QAFCO, have always believed in our commitment towards delivering on quality without compromising on the principles of safety and environment. QAFCO has a long history with management systems and strongly consider them as essential tools for delivering on our commitments. This recertification is a validation of our belief in our management systems”

QAFCO Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Suwaidi expressed, “QAFCO has been among the early believers and adopters of Management Systems for its various business processes. Over the years, the management systems have helped QAFCO endeavor and drive continual improvement across all processes as well as promote and foster a culture of safety, health and environmental consciousness”

QAFCO adopted the transition to the revised standards of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and RC 14001:2015 and underwent the transition audit along with the recertification audit of its IMS in September 2017 itself, although the time for transition is available till September 2018. Accredited third-party certification body conducted the recertification audit and issued the certification, which is valid until November 2020. QAFCO was also assessed and certified for “Product Stewardship Excellence” under the IFA Protect & Sustain program.

QAFCO is also among the first few organizations in the State of Qatar to be certified to the ISO 50001, for Energy Management System. In addition, QAFCO is also certified for the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), ISO 17025, ISO 17020.The recertification is yet another achievement in QAFCO’s close to five-decade-long history, and QAFCO's association with certifications dates as early as 1996.