AGRICULTURE AND RURAL LIFE IN THE AMERICAS

August 03, 2007

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Vildo Marin along with Program Coordinator for the Ministry Sergio Garcia were in Guatemala for a week long meeting.The meeting centered on agriculture and rural life in the Americas.Sergio Garcia told us this morning what was exactly discussed at the meeting.

Sergio Garcia:Program Coordinator for the Ministry of Agriculture

“At the meeting we discussed issues  of agriculture in the region,Central America and the Caribbean and North and South America in respect to the agriculture and rural life in the Western Hemisphere.There was a previous meeting where we discussed the challenges that the sector is facing,the opportunities that exist and what needs to be done to ensure rural prosperity.Also there was an Inter-American Board of Agriculture meeting to the governing body at the Institute for Corporation and Agriculture which formally also was to get information about what the country are doing in respect to the challenges.For example the IDB is launching a program which will provide opportunity for the majority,which is to provide investments to alleviate poverty in the region.But they will have monies to assist small and medium size entrepreneurs to ensure that we can benefit and that people can have access to investment.” 

The Fourth Ministerial meeting on Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas was inaugurated by Guatemala’s President Oscar Berger.  One of the main outcomes of the meeting was the adoption of the 2008-2009 Hemispheric Ministerial Agenda, which will give continuity to the implementation of the 2003-2015 Agro Plan.

Sergio Garcia:Program Coordinator for the Ministry of Agriculture

“In the case of farmers in Belize,it means that they will be having programs for example to build competitiveness there is offers for capacity building.There is also offers from the International Organization to ensure that we can have access to more markets and in fact a lot of bilateral negotiations will tell you where for example Belize has certain assistance from like Mexico,Costa Rica to see what products we can export to these countries in principle.” 

Minister Marin commented that Belize’s participation in such a meeting provides an opportunity to share information and can assist Belize and other countries of the hemisphere to promote the sustainable development of the agro sector.   Orlando Habet of the Belize Poultry Association also took part in the meeting. 

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