The main objective of the Fourteenth Regular Meeting of the MIOA was to forge partnerships for strengthening AMISs.
San Jose, 19 November 2015 (IICA). Representatives of 27 countries that are members of the Market Information Organization of the Americas (MIOA) took part in the body’s Fourteenth Regular Meeting, held in Costa Rica, to share information, technologies, and methodologies for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about agricultural markets.
The more than 50 participants in the event underscored the interest that exists in strengthening the systems that the organization uses for its work. They also shared information about the main achievements of the agricultural market information systems (AMISs) of the Americas, and the challenges they face.
The MIOA, whose Technical Secretariat is operated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), is a developing cooperation network, made up of government or government-linked institutions whose main functions or objectives entail compiling, processing, and disseminating information related to agricultural markets and products.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica, José Joaquín Salazar, stressed the importance of work on this subject in the region, especially given the need to make agricultural markets more transparent.
“The exchange of information between countries is essential to provide tools that guarantee transparency in markets, drawing on accurate and verified data. In Costa Rica, with support from the MIOA, the National Production Board now has information systems in place that gather data on prices in marketing chains at the service of the sector,” Salazar observed.
IICA’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day, suggested that, with the advent of smartphones, market information should flow in a more expeditious way and not remain concentrated among intermediaries.
“Our mission is to encourage, promote, and support the agricultural development and rural well-being of the Member States. Market information is vital for our producers and consumers, it is a core element of the market economy and facilitates the marketing of products, he commented.
Terry Long, chair of the MIOA’s Executive Committee, seconded Day’s remarks and expressed interest in seeking further tools for promoting the development of markets and improving the capacity to meet the needs of the organization’s member countries.
During the three-day meeting, Salazar described the situation of the agricultural sector in Costa Rica and gave an overview of the data generated by the most recent agricultural census with regard to land use, the evolution of crops, and land tenure.
“We need to turn challenges into opportunities, to afford families in rural areas a decent life,” he said.
The participants also learned about the experiences of the AMISs of Costa Rica, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States; and methodologies for gathering market information as well as tools for disseminating it.
More information: frank.lam@iica.int
