CFC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Explore New Avenues for Cooperation in Agricultural Development
The Hague, 12 November 2025 – Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), paid a courtesy visit to H.H. Prince Jalawi Turki Al Saud, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in The Hague. He was accompanied by Ms. Zahra Kahla, Research and Data Assistant at the CFC. Also present was Mr. Rayan Ismaeel Y. Nahari, Attaché at the Embassy.
The meeting explored opportunities for strengthened collaboration between the CFC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in advancing sustainable agricultural development, resilient livelihoods, and inclusive commodity value chains. Both sides discussed the possibility of an official visit by the Managing Director to Riyadh early next year to engage with key institutions and deepen cooperation.
Ambassador Belal shared insights on the CFC’s mission to promote value addition at origin, emphasizing how this approach enhances farmers’ incomes while contributing to climate action and sustainability. He recalled the CFC’s historic origins in the 1976 Nairobi Conference, where the Integrated Programme for Commodities was conceived to address global commodity price volatility and promote equitable development among nations.
The Managing Director also briefed the Embassy on recent initiatives, including the activation of the Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, the launch of the FCDO–CFC Trust Fund, and the CAFI deforestation project in the Congo Basin—all geared toward promoting sustainable livelihoods, reducing poverty, and supporting environmental resilience.
Reflecting on his recent participation in the Global Alliance for Poverty Eradication Conference in Doha, Ambassador Belal highlighted food security and nutrition as central global priorities. Drawing on insights from Raghuram Rajan’s The Third Pillar: How Markets and the State Leave the Community Behind, he noted that among the three pillars of state, market, and community, it is the community pillar that is most in disarray today—particularly across the developing world. He stressed that revitalizing cooperatives and community-based systems is crucial for ensuring that smallholders are not left behind in global value chains.
Ambassador Belal further shared examples of the CFC’s successful community-driven investments, including its support to JKCC, where farmers’ incomes tripled within a year, demonstrating the transformative impact of empowering local cooperatives. He emphasized that such outcomes remain central to the CFC’s mission to uplift small producers and foster resilient rural communities.
H.H. Prince Jalawi Turki Al Saud expressed appreciation for the visit and underscored the importance of community-based, inclusive development in driving sustainable agricultural growth. The discussion sparked interest in enhancing collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, especially as the Kingdom advances its ambition to emerge as a significant player in the global coffee sector.
Both sides welcomed the prospect of a follow-up visit to Saudi Arabia to pursue discussions with relevant ministries and institutions. H.H. Prince Jalawi extended a warm invitation to Ambassador Belal to visit Riyadh, while both parties agreed that technical consultations between their respective teams would continue to identify concrete areas for cooperation.
About the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC)
The CFC is an UN-affiliated international financial institution based in Amsterdam, working in over 100 countries to support inclusive economic development through impact investing in commodity value chains.
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