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IFDC Appoints Sanjib Choudhuri Executive Director of Virtual Fertilizer Research Center

Oct. 13, 2011 – MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala., USA – Dr. Amit H. Roy, president and chief executive officer of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), announced today that Sanjib Choudhuri will lead the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC), based in Washington, D.C. Choudhuri, a Canadian citizen, will begin his duties November 1. 

The VFRC is a global initiative to combat hunger in the developing world. Created by IFDC in 2010, the VFRC is governed by a 13-member Board of Advisors. The Board represents a broad spectrum of prominent international leaders in the public and private sectors who are experts in the fields of agriculture, fertilizer, food security, sustainable development, soil science and international philanthropy.

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, about 1.2 billion people in developing countries lack enough food to maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle. This is more than the combined populations of North America and the European Union. No “new” efficient fertilizer product has been developed in the last 25 years that is affordable for use on food crops in developing countries. New technologies and improved practices need to be developed so that fertilizers become more affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly and the nutrients are available when needed.

“The need for new and innovative fertilizer development to ensure responsible, sustainable food security is a global issue and thus requires a global solution. This is why a Virtual Fertilizer Research Center is so important,” Roy said. “Sanjib Choudhuri has 35 years of broad-based international experience. With his enthusiasm and multi-faceted expertise, he is the perfect choice to lead this global initiative.”

Led by Choudhuri, the VFRC will partner with universities, public and private research laboratories and the global fertilizer and agribusiness industries to bring together the best scientific, business and government minds to create a fertilizer research and commercialization program focused on increased food output with fewer wasted resources and a reduced environmental impact.

The VFRC’s early research will review current products and attendant production processes with the goal to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these products and processes. Teams of agronomists, economists and engineers will work together to help speed the development of technologies that improve the responsiveness of crops to fertilizers and that create more efficient fertilizer production technologies.

Prior to this appointment, Choudhuri has been active as a consultant advising on business redirection, reorganization and start-up assessments and recommendations. He was formerly senior vice-president for global strategy, marketing and business development for JohnsonDiversey, a $3 billion global developer and supplier of specialty cleaning and hygiene chemicals and systems for institutional facilities and food and beverage production plants. Choudhuri was also responsible for the Asia-Pacific Region prior to the 2002 merger of DiverseyLever and Johnson Wax Professional to form JohnsonDiversey. His career has included positions at Molson Companies, a $2.5 billion diversified Canadian conglomerate; McKinsey & Company, the international strategy and general management consulting firm; and Procter & Gamble, the global consumer goods company.

Choudhuri holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.

Based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA, IFDC is a public international organization, governed by an international board of directors with representation from developed and developing countries. The nonprofit Center, with over 700 employees in more than 35 countries in Africa and Eurasia, is supported by various bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, private foundations and national governments.

IFDC focuses on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.
 

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