Caribbean ministers of Agriculture endorsed IICA’s technical cooperation agenda within the area, which seeks to assist international locations’ efforts to remodel agriculture and assure meals and dietary safety whereas decreasing meals imports.
Caribbean senior agricultural officers participated in a gathering with the Director Common of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, which was carried out inside the framework of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2023 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Throughout the assembly, Otero defined that IICA helps efforts to reinforce the Caribbean area’s resilience to local weather change, foster regional commerce and integration, and advance in the direction of a brand new technological frontier, particularly with respect to digital agriculture.
Collaborating within the assembly have been the ministers of Agriculture of Jamaica, Floyd Inexperienced; Dominica, Roland Royer; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto Caesar; Belize, José Abelardo Mai; Saint Lucia, Alfred Prospere; and Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samal Duggins.
Additionally in attendance have been David Comissiong, Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM); Sandra Joseph, Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce and Barbuda Affairs; Aaron Francois, Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives of Grenada; and Reginald Severin, Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Inexperienced Financial system of Dominica.
David Prendergast, CARICOM Secretariat Director of Sectoral Applications, and Crenston Buffonge, Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and Surroundings of Montserrat, additionally took half.
Throughout the assembly, Otero highlighted the consolidation of a particular fund for meals safety and sustainable improvement within the Caribbean. He additionally referred to IICA’s function as a bridge between international locations of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa that strengthens linkages between the areas. To that finish, the Institute made out there to the ministers of Agriculture its 14 nationwide workplaces and technical crew of greater than 30 professionals within the area.
The Director Common underscored the significance of a current settlement signed by IICA and the Caribbean Agricultural Analysis and Improvement Institute (CARDI) to contribute to a financing fund to assist key technological actions within the area.
Otero additionally emphasised the significance of coordinated work with different worldwide companies within the area, to ensure meals safety and sustainable improvement within the Caribbean.
The Caribbean Week of Agriculture has been collectively organized by IICA and CARICOM since 1999.
Mari Dunleavy, IICA Consultant in The Bahamas and advisor to the Director Common, in addition to Curt Delice, IICA Consultant in Suriname and Particular Affairs Coordinator for the Caribbean Area, additionally attended the assembly.
