Otero concludes visit to the Eastern Caribbean by meeting with ministers in Saint Lucia

Castries, Saint Lucia, 27 August 2018 (IICA). The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, visited Saint Lucia during the final leg of a successful tour of the Eastern Caribbean region, which also included visits to Grenada and Dominica.  During the tour, the Director General assumed work commitments related to foreign trade and institutional support, as well as ambitious initiatives aimed at disseminating experiences and technologies related to climate-smart agriculture.

In Saint Lucia, Otero met with Ezechiel Joseph, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives; Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, Minister of Foreign Affairs; diplomatic corps accredited to Saint Lucia; and Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

He also visited a biofertilizer plant that is currently in its pilot phase, and met with members of the Saint Lucia Network of Rural Women.

“The Minister of Agriculture, Ezechiel Joseph, underscored the importance of incorporating trade into IICA’s new Medium-term Plan as one of the primary work areas, as well as the need for Saint Lucia to undertake efforts to substitute imports. With respect to the region as a whole, we agreed on the need to foster complementarity between countries in the Eastern Caribbean, in order to balance out supply and demand,” stated Otero, who added that IICA would continue to support the process of restructuring the country’s marketing board.

During his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, the Director General of IICA received requests for support to develop urban agriculture, including hydroponics and vertical farming.

During his meeting with Didacus Jules, on the other hand, Otero reviewed a recent agreement signed by IICA and the regional entity, and agreed on work plans and progress assessments for joint initiatives that are currently underway. The agreement, which was signed last month, will promote actions aimed at fostering agricultural and rural development in OECS member countries.

During his visit to Dominica, Otero and the government authorities of that country agreed that IICA would be the primary partner in the construction of a Resilience Center, which will disseminate, at the global level, experiences and technologies related to climate-smart agriculture.

In Grenada, Otero expressed IICA’s commitment to assist in efforts to restore that Caribbean country’s primary refrigeration plant, which is publicly owned. He also reiterated the Institute’s support for initiatives related to health and trade.

The Eastern Caribbean is located in a region with the highest incidence of natural disasters in the world and its annual food import bill is in excess of 1 billion dollars.

IICA maintains a strong presence in Grenada, Dominica and Saint Lucia and has committed to working in the Caribbean to initiate a differentiated strategy to increase agricultural productivity, focusing on value added and the inclusion of youth and women.

“IICA is known for its presence in the Caribbean as well as the quality of its technical personnel. We have also confirmed that the Institute’s efforts to define national and regional work agendas is also highly appreciated in the region,” concluded Otero.