Arab News, Thursday, Mar 30, 2023 | Ramadan 8, 1444
Saudi Arabia to sign International Coffee Agreement
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Cabinet on
Wednesday approved the Kingdom’s accession to the International Coffee
Agreement, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
It is an international commodity agreement between
coffee producing and consuming countries. It was first signed in 1962 to
maintain exporting countries’ quotas and keep coffee prices high and stable in
the market, mainly using export quotas to steer the price.
Another objective of the agreement is to explore
ways to improve conditions in an over $300 billion-a-year industry that provides
a livelihood for millions of people from farmers to baristas across the world.
According to a report by global business analysts
Euromonitor International in January 2022, coffee consumption in Saudi Arabia
grew by 4 percent per year between 2016 and 2021 and is forecast to increase by
a further 5 percent annually up to 2026, reaching an expected consumption of
28,700 tons each year.
In a bid to boost the Kingdom’s coffee production,
the Public Investment Fund launched the Saudi Coffee Co. It aims to ramp up
production by more than 700 percent within five years.
The firm currently produces 300 tons of coffee a
year, but is aiming to hit 2,500 tons.