Meeting with officials from three Botswanan Ministries, Gaborone, and the Embassy of Botswana, Brussels
28 April 2021, Amsterdam. CFC received H.E. Mr. Samuel Otsile Outlule, Ambassador of Botswana in Brussels and other dignitaries virtually on 28 April 2021. The delegation from Botswana was consists of senior officials from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from Gaborone as well as embassy officials based in Brussels.
H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), accompanied by Mr. Axel Gruber, Chief Operations Officer of the CFC, and Mr. Andrey Kuleshov, Strategy and Development Advisor of the CFC received this Botswana delegation.
CFC holds 71st Meeting of Executive Board by teleconference
On 20 April 2021, the CFC held its 71st Meeting of the Executive Board (EB), using teleconference facilities for the third time due to the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Anna Tofftén (Sweden) and was well attended. It also included the participation of the newly elected Chairperson of the Consultative Committee, Ms. Jie Chen (China), and of the Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries of Jamaica, Hon’ble Mr. Floyd Green and other dignitaries from CFC’s member states and partners.
In his opening remarks, Managing Director Sheikh Mohammed Belal addressed the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on developing countries and small producers. He emphasised that Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing Countries must be urgently addressed. Moreover, as an increasing number of quality projects are being submitted under the Call for Proposals, member states were urged to provide the necessary support for the CFC to do justice of these good proposals, and thus, expand its impact. In this regard, the stronger focus of CFC projects on SDG 13 (Climate action), beyond its “core SDGs”, was highlighted.
CFC supports sustainable shrimp production from Peru
Sustainable management in aquaculture is a promising field to counter challenges related to global food production, increase in world population, and climate change. The CFC supports Acuacultura Tecnica Integrada del Peru S.A.C. (“ATISA”) to foster sustainable development in the aquaculture sector by upscaling the market potential for high quality and sustainably farmed shrimps from Peru. Located in Tumbes, North Peru, ATISA exports fresh frozen white shrimps to international clients in Europe and Asia. ATISA is the first aquaculture farm in Peru certified by GLOBALG.A.P. and is committed to reinforce its responsible practices by introducing organic shrimps and further complying with stringent social and environmental aquaculture certification standards. The CFC has extended a USD 1.5 million loan to invest in modern shrimp cultivation techniques and sustainable farming practices.
Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq visits CFC
8 April 2021, Amsterdam. H.E. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Netherlands, is seen with Managing Director Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal at the Secretariat of the CFC. H.E. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi, today paid a courtesy visit to the Common Fund for Commodities to discuss matters to enhance commodity development and trade in the Republic of Iraq.
His Excellency Al-Alawi was accompanied by Dr. Hayder Salh Al-Asadi, First Secretary at the Embassy. Ambassador Belal was accompanied by Ms. Michèle Schwarz, Head of Accounting and Administration.
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia visits CFC
1 April 2021, Amsterdam. H.E. Mr. Mayerfas, newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Netherlands, is seen with Managing Director Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal at the Secretariat of the CFC. H.E. Mr. Mayerfas came to visit CFC for the first time to know more about the activities of the CFC and its impact on the ground.
Ambassador Mayerfas was duly briefed about the ongoing reforms that CFC is undergoing to serve the member states better in the days to come. Ambassador Belal elaborated on the elements, what he termed as green recovery in a post pandemic era, to help COVID-19 wrecked small holder and SMEs to get to their feet at the earliest.
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Meeting with officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo and Embassy of Egypt, The Hague
31 March 2021, Amsterdam. H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), met officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and MSMEDA. The meeting was initiated by H.E. Mr. Hatem Elsayed, Ambassador of Egypt in The Hague, and took place online on 31 March 2021. During the meeting Ambassador Belal was accompanied by Mr. Axel Gruber, Chief Operations Officer of the CFC, and Mr. Andrey Kuleshov, Strategy and Development Advisor of the CFC.
Newsletter 17 – April 2021
Highlights
Fruit and spices from Madagascar: A journey from local to global value chains
A year-long adaption to COVID-19
Climate vs social impact: Trade-offs and synergies
Geodata for Agriculture and Water program (G4AW) supports innovations for food security
Overcoming the challenges of exporting coffee from Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda
Outreach initiatives of the CFC from September 2020 to April 2021
