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Saudi Arabia's Production of Coffee Exceeds 800 Tons Annually

The Kingdom has achieved the inclusion of coffee on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. - SPA
The Kingdom has achieved the inclusion of coffee on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. - SPA
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Saudi Arabia's Production of Coffee Exceeds 800 Tons Annually

The Kingdom has achieved the inclusion of coffee on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. - SPA
The Kingdom has achieved the inclusion of coffee on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. - SPA

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of coffee consumption, leading the government to show keen interest in this product by adopting various initiatives and programs to foster coffee cultivation, SPA reported.
The Kingdom currently produces more than 400,000 Arabica coffee trees, yielding over 800 tons annually, from the regions of Jazan, Aseer, and Al-Baha, with the sector development plan aiming to plant 1.2 million coffee trees by 2026.
On the occasion of International Coffee Day, celebrated every year on October 1st, the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture affirmed that the Kingdom hosts more than 2,535 coffee farms in the Southern Region, including over 500 model coffee farms.
The ministry stressed its commitment to work on increasing coffee production as part of crops with high economic returns.
The ministry aims to make 15 provinces in the southwestern part of the Kingdom a significant source of Saudi Arabian coffee, specifically the Arabica type known for its quality compared to other types. This effort aims to boost coffee production in the Kingdom in support of the national economy, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The ministry also emphasized the launch of several initiatives and programs to develop coffee cultivation, including the support provided by the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program (REF) to enhance the production, manufacturing, and marketing of Arabica coffee.
Additionally, the Ministry has signed an investment agreement for the establishment of the Kingdom's first coffee city.
The Kingdom has achieved the inclusion of coffee on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
With the support directed by the wise leadership, the term "Saudi Coffee" replaced "Arabic Coffee," and the Year of Saudi Coffee was commemorated in 2022.
Moreover, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been directed to launch the Saudi Coffee Company to invest in this vital sector, given its special significance among Saudis and the Kingdom's guests.

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Colombia Joins Belt and Road Initiative as China Courts Latin America 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 May 2025. (EPA /Xinhua / Huang Jingwen)
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 May 2025. (EPA /Xinhua / Huang Jingwen)
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Colombia Joins Belt and Road Initiative as China Courts Latin America 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 May 2025. (EPA /Xinhua / Huang Jingwen)
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 May 2025. (EPA /Xinhua / Huang Jingwen)

Colombia formally agreed on Wednesday to join China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, as Beijing draws Latin America closer in a bid to counter the United States.

Latin America has emerged as a key battleground in US President Donald Trump's confrontations with China, and the region is coming under pressure from Washington to choose a side.

China has surpassed the United States as the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Peru, Chile and other Latin American nations, and two-thirds of countries there have signed up to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's Belt and Road infrastructure drive.

On the sidelines of a major gathering of regional leaders in Beijing on Wednesday, Colombia became the latest country to join the massive global initiative.

Colombia's foreign ministry hailed the agreement as a "historic step that opens up new opportunities for investment, technological cooperation, and sustainable development for both countries".

And after a meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Xi urged the countries to take the opportunity of Colombia formally joining the "Belt and Road Initiative family" to enhance their cooperation, Beijing's state media said.

Posting a video of the signing to social media platform X, Petro wrote that "the history of our foreign relations is changing".

"From now on, Colombia will interact with the entire world on a footing of equality and freedom," he wrote.

The BRI is a central pillar of Xi's bid to expand China's economic and political clout overseas.

For more than a decade, it has provided investment for infrastructure and other large-scale projects around the world, offering Beijing political and economic leverage in return.

Last year, Xi inaugurated Latin America's first Beijing-funded port in Chancay, Peru -- a symbol of the Asian superpower's growing influence on the continent.

- 'Defenders of free trade' -

This week's China-CELAC Forum in Beijing has seen China cast itself as the defender of the multilateral order and the backer of the Global South, with Xi pledging on Monday $9.2 billion in credit towards development.

That pledge was part of a broad set of initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation, including on infrastructure and clean energy.

Beijing will also cooperate in counterterrorism and fighting transnational organized crime, Xi said, as well as enhancing exchanges such as scholarships and training programs.

During a meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Wednesday, Xi said that the "resurgence of unilateralism and protectionism is severely impacting the international economic and trade order," according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

"As staunch defenders of multilateralism and free trade, China and Chile should strengthen multilateral coordination and jointly safeguard the common interests of the Global South," Xi told Boric.

Also in attendance at the China-CELAC forum was Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a five-day state visit.

Addressing delegates, Lula said his region did not "want to repeat history and start a new Cold War", adding: "Our goal is to be an asset to the multilateral order for a global good".

In talks with Lula on Tuesday, Xi said the two countries should "strengthen cooperation" and together "oppose unilateralism", according to Chinese state media.

The United States and China have faced off in Latin America, including over the Panama Canal, which Trump has for months vowed to reclaim from alleged Chinese influence.

Washington considered a Hong Kong company's operation of ports at both ends of the interoceanic waterway to be a threat to its national security, but Beijing has dismissed the claims.

And China's market regulator is looking into a deal by Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison to offload 43 ports in 23 countries -- including its two on the Panama Canal -- to a US-led consortium.

The world's two largest economies are two of the top users of the canal, through which five percent of all global shipping passes.