Riyadh: Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held a meeting with Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani on the sidelines of the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Riyadh, with participants from the Saudi Coffee Company. The meeting discussed opportunities for cooperation between the Kingdom and Italy with the organization to develop coffee supply chains in Africa.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the Italian side reviewed the 'ACT - Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee Programme,' implemented by UNIDO and supported by Italy as one of the key initiatives to promote sustainability in the coffee sector in selected African countries, within the framework of Italy's comprehensive strategy for the coffee sector.
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in partnership with the Saudi Coffee Company as the national partner in developing the coffee value chain in the Kingdom, intends to explore potential pathways proposed by UNIDO and the Republic of Italy to contribute to the development of coffee supply chains in Africa. These include boosting productivity, expanding value-added manufacturing, and supporting measures that help build more resilient and sustainable supply chains, in coordination with relevant government entities in the Kingdom.
The Saudi Coffee Company voiced its readiness to participate in the joint exploratory efforts, leveraging its technical and operational expertise in developing coffee value chains from farming and processing to manufacturing and marketing. The company will also help identify opportunities to benefit from the position of Jazan Port as an important logistics gateway supporting coffee trade flows and enhancing connectivity with African coffee-producing countries.
This meeting comes on the sidelines of the 21st UNIDO General Conference in Riyadh, during which the presidency of the conference moved from the Republic of Italy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reflecting the international community's confidence in the Kingdom's leadership role in supporting industrial development and enhancing multilateral cooperation.