Malaysia explores closer partnership with CFC’s ACT Fund
Amsterdam, 15 September 2026 —Dr. Cheryl Barr Kumarakulasinghe, Alternate Executive Director and Deputy Undersecretary, Strategic Planning & International Division, Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK), visited the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) Secretariat to exchange views on opportunities for deeper cooperation in commodity development, investment and sustainable agricultural transformation.
The delegation, which also included Mr. Kamarul Izam bin Jalani, Senior Assistant Secretary, held discussions with senior CFC officials on the Fund’s operations and its investment approach, including direct investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The first meeting was hosted by Mr. Nicolaus Cromme, Chief Operations Officer of the CFC, and Mr. Michael van den Berg, Director of the Agricultural Commodity Transformation Fund (ACT Fund). The discussion provided an overview of the CFC’s investment operations and the ACT Fund’s approach to supporting promising agricultural businesses through patient capital, risk-sharing and technical assistance.
Particular attention was given to the ACT Fund’s focus on regenerative agriculture and the transformation of agricultural value chains, including opportunities to support enterprises that can improve productivity and resilience while creating greater value for producers and local economies.
The discussion also explored how Malaysia could potentially engage with the ACT Fund as a strategic partner, building on the country’s experience in commodity development, processing, technology and downstream value addition. Malaysia’s experience could provide opportunities for knowledge exchange and partnerships with enterprises and value chains across other CFC Member States.
The Malaysian delegation subsequently met with CFC Managing Director H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal for a broader discussion on strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and the CFC.
Ambassador Belal highlighted Malaysia’s position as an important commodity economy and its experience in moving beyond the production of raw commodities towards processing, technology, industrial development and higher-value products.
“Malaysia is not only an important emerging economy; it is also one of the clearest examples of how a commodity-based economy can build industrial capability, add value, develop technology and compete successfully in global markets.”— H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director, CFC
The discussion explored potential areas where Malaysia’s experience could be connected with the CFC’s work across developing countries. Among the opportunities discussed was a possible Malaysia–CFC partnership on cocoa value addition in Africa, bringing together Malaysia’s expertise in cocoa processing, product development and market access with cocoa-producing countries such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
The proposed approach would explore collaboration among the Malaysian Government, the Malaysian Cocoa Board, interested Malaysian companies and the CFC to identify commercially promising SMEs or cooperatives in producing countries. The CFC could contribute investment, technical assistance and risk-sharing, while Malaysian partners could provide expertise in processing technology, quality management, product development and access to markets.
The Managing Director also highlighted the potential for Malaysia to contribute to the development of innovative financing approaches, including Islamic finance. Given Malaysia’s established expertise in Islamic finance, discussions explored how knowledge exchange and capacity building could help expand the range of financing instruments available to agricultural SMEs and commodity value chains.
“We are looking for partnerships that go beyond finance. Malaysia can bring knowledge, technology, markets and experience, while the CFC can help connect these strengths with entrepreneurs, producers and commodity value chains across the developing world.” — H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal
The discussions also considered the potential for Malaysia to engage more closely with the ACT Fund, including as an investor, strategic partner or provider of complementary technical expertise. With its first close exceeding USD 40 million, the ACT Fund is seeking partners that can contribute capital, knowledge, markets and practical experience to support agricultural transformation.
“Cocoa and pepper are two areas where there is considerable scope for closer cooperation, including in value addition, processing, technology and market development. We look forward to exploring how Malaysia can take a more active role in the CFC and contribute to partnerships that benefit producers, enterprises and commodity value chains across developing countries.” — Dr. Cheryl Barr Kumarakulasinghe, Alternate Executive Director and Deputy Undersecretary, Strategic Planning & International Division, Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK), Malaysia
The visit provided an opportunity for a fruitful exchange between the Malaysian delegation and the CFC Secretariat, with both sides exploring practical avenues for cooperation in commodity value addition, regenerative agriculture, SME investment, technology, market access and innovative finance.
The CFC welcomed the opportunity to continue discussions with Malaysia and explore concrete partnerships that can connect Malaysian expertise and investment with commodity enterprises and producers across CFC Member States.
About the Common Fund for Commodities
The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is a UN-affiliated international financial institution headquartered in Amsterdam. Established in 1989 following the work of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the CFC provides investment and technical assistance to support sustainable commodity development in developing countries.