(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque welcomed the Director General of the Inter-American Institute of for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) Dr Victor Villalobos as his first visitor from an institution since assuming office on 15 August.

“I believe that it is not insignificant that the first visit to me as Secretary-General is from the head of an agricultural institution, given the importance of agriculture in the context of rural development and food security for the region” Secretary-General LaRocque said at the conclusion of the visit on Thursday 8 September at CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters, Turkeyen, Guyana.

Ambassador LaRocque, who previously served as CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General Trade and Economic Integration, stressed that while in that position, Dr Villalobos and himself had an excellent working relationship. “That relationship between the Director-General and myself and between the Secretariat and IICA can only be strengthened for a more positive impact for the Caribbean,” the Secretary-General said.

Director-General Villalobos said one of the main reasons for his visit was to express IICA’s interest to continue working with the Secretariat as he was convinced that nothing could be achieved in the development of the agriculture sector without the willingness of all parties to work together. “No single institution can develop agriculture on its own. There must be complementarity going forward,” the Director General said.

He assured the Secretary-General that he could count on IICA as they discussed projects and proposals some of which were already underway in the Community, including Women and Youth in Agriculture. He also expressed appreciation in the confidence placed in IICA for the implementation of two projects funded by the European Union (EU) under the 10th EDF totalling 20 million euros and which were due to start early in 2012. These are an Intra-ACP Agriculture Policy Programme amounting to 8.5 mn euros) and a Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) Programme (11.6 mn euros)

Dr Villalobos said that IICA would work with the Secretariat to implement the projects and find solutions at the ground level to the constraints in the sector in the Region. He said that IICA was already involved in assisting with the Jagdeo Initiative, which has identified key binding constraints to the development of agriculture in CARICOM. He referred to a workshop which IICA had co-ordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture in Antigua and Barbuda to look at risk insurance for the sector, one of the nine constraints identified under the Jagdeo Initiative.

Secretary-General LaRocque said the IICA had so far provided technical assistance in the form of a consultant to strengthen the Agriculture Development Unit of the Secretariat with respect to the coordination of the Jagdeo Initiative and the development of Agriculture Sector in the Community.

The Director General took the opportunity to invite the Secretary-General to attend the annual meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of IICA Member States which is to be held in Costa Rica next month under the theme “Innovation for competitive, sustainable and inclusive agriculture”. It will be the first Ministerial Meeting under the stewardship of Dr Villalobos.

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