Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s Strategy Approved

The Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s strategy approved until 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s strategy approved until 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s Strategy Approved

The Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s strategy approved until 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Agricultural Development Fund’s strategy approved until 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The National Development Fund’s (NDF) Board of Directors has approved a strategy by the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) for a period extending from 2021 till 2025, the Kingdom revealed on Sunday.

The strategy allows the Fund to advance in the roles of sustainable rural development and agricultural supply chains, promote key products and support investment in targeted crops.

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Development Fund, affirmed that the new strategic goals come in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and its food security strategy.

He pointed out that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his crown prince support the environment, water and agriculture system.

The new strategy seeks to lead the transformation process in the Fund for the coming years and maximize its future role, Fadhli explained.

He said this is done through the continued support to the main agricultural sectors targeted in the agricultural strategy, which are poultry, greenhouses and aquaculture and sustainable rural development, expansion through agricultural supply chains and support services to the agricultural sector and the support of the agricultural investment abroad in the Food Security Strategy’s targeted crops.

Among these strategies are maintaining financial balance, enhancing operational efficiency, raising spending efficiency, localizing local content, and achieving the Fund’s development goals, the Minister noted.

He affirmed that the Fund will work to increase the value of lending and update its credit regulations to obtain loans in the future in order to keep pace with the rapid growth in this key sector.

Director-General of the ADF and its Board’s Vice-Chairman Munir al-Sahli said the new strategy is an extension to the former one’s success during the period between 2016-2020, which achieved financial balance and sustainability.

During that period, the Fund managed to achieve financial balance and raise the efficiency of spending by converting a deficit of SAR568 million in 2015 to a surplus of SAR50 million in 2019.

It also increased the total financing for agricultural activities from about SAR450 million in 2016 to about SAR1.9 billion in 2019, Sahli said, adding that it also managed to attain the goals of this distinct financing, qualitative, and operational strategy.



UAE Says to Expand CEPAs in 2025

Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
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UAE Says to Expand CEPAs in 2025

Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat

Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi has affirmed that the UAE will continue to increase its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) in 2025, targeting additional countries to maximize benefits for the UAE and its global trade partners.

Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted Al Zeyoudi as saying that these agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade, drive sustainable development, increase investments, and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting.

In remarks to WAM, Al Zeyoudi explained that the UAE's CEPAs program is designed to expand the country's commercial and investment partnerships worldwide, positioning the UAE as a key gateway for non-oil goods and services and a global hub for business and investment.

He emphasized that these agreements reflect the UAE's vision, which recognizes the vital role of free trade based on clear rules in driving sustainable economic growth and inclusive development. The agreements' diversity and the UAE's ability to form valuable partnerships across five continents significantly increase opportunities for various sectors and open new markets.

Al Zeyoudi pointed out that the CEPAs have already had a positive effect on various areas of the UAE's foreign trade, particularly non-oil trade, re-export services, logistics, clean and renewable energy, technology, financial services, green industries, advanced materials, agriculture, and sustainable food systems.

He explained that CEPAs continue to have a tangible and direct impact on the country's foreign trade data, positively affecting various vital sectors, including the advanced technology sector.

Since the program's launch in September 2021 until early December 2024, the UAE has signed 24 CEPAs with countries and international blocs, covering approximately 2.5 billion people—about a quarter of the global population.

In the first half of 2024, UAE foreign trade reached a historic milestone, surpassing AED1.395 trillion, reflecting an 11.2% growth compared to the same period in 2023. The growth rates reached 28.8%, 54.7%, and 66%, compared to the same periods in 2022, 2021, and 2019, respectively.