Rakesh Kapur, Joint Managing Director, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), has been elected as the Chairman of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) at the recent IFA's Annual Conference held from May 22nd - 24th in Marrakech, Morocco in which 1400 participants were present.
Paris based IFA is the global Fertilizer Association having about 500 Members Worldwide representing 68 countries including 24 Members from India. Mr. Kapur is the third Indian to hold this prestigious position in IFA's 90 years' history.
Mr Kapur is currently also the Chairman of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI). IFFCO, now World's largest fertilizer and marketing Cooperative represents 50 Million farmers across the country. The election of Mr. Kapur as IFA Chairman brought double celebration for IFFCO, which is currently celebrating its glorious 50thGolden Jubilee. IFFCO also hold a strong position in International Cooperative Alliance ICA.
IFA has been actively involved in propagating sustainable agriculture, fertiliser use efficiency, enhancing farm productivity apart from its active participation in the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as 'Zero Hunger' as well as environmental issues.
IFA has wide level of engagement with International Initiatives and entities such as UNEP, FAO, OECD, IFAD, World Bank, WTO, WCO etc. for emphasizing the need for effective and efficient fertilizer application.
The Prime Minister of India has given a call to address two major factors i.e. soil and water critical to agricultural production. On his election as Chairman, IFA, Mr. Rakesh Kapur said that his dual role would be to strengthen collaboration between FAI and IFA in encouraging innovative products and adoption of Fertilizer Best Management Practices, strengthening outreach to farmers for rapid dissemination of agri technologies; and raising awareness globally among decision makers about the crucial role that soil health plays in food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
Mr. Rakesh Kapur is a Mechanical Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. Mr. Kapur joined as CFO of IFFCO in 2005 before that he served in senior position in the Income Tax Deptt. of the Govt. of India and several Public Sector Undertakings. A Post Graduate in Management, Mr. Kapur is on the Board of several companies including various IFFCO's subsidiaries like IFFCO Kisan Special Economic Zone (IKSEZ), Nellore and IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL).