Around 5.4 million people are employed in Mexico’s agricultural sector and 145 million hectares are dedicated to agriculture and livestock.
Mexico City, 2 March 2023 (IICA) –Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), praised the work of Mexican Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Villalobos at a ceremony where he presented Villalobos with a certificate in recognition of his work at the helm of this hemispheric organization specializing in agricultural development, and noted the key role played by the Mexican agriculture sector in global food security.
Otero was welcomed at the headquarters of the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development by Secretary Villalobos, who was also his predecessor as IICA Director General. Otero praised his contributions in the fields of biotechnology, plant production and the conservation of genetic and plant resources.
“I’m very happy to be back in Mexico, a country of fundamental importance to agriculture in the Americas and IICA itself. I’m also very pleased about the reason why we are gathered here, which is to give this recognition to the Director General Emeritus of the Institute, Víctor Villalobos, who in his capacity as Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development is also a member of our Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA)”, Otero said.
IICA, the hemispheric organization specializing in agricultural and rural development, celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2022 with a ceremony in Costa Rica where, in addition to opening the Plaza of Agriculture of the Americas, paid tribute to IICA’s former directors. Secretary Villalobos was unable to attend the event due to other engagements.
“This gathering is, in a way, a continuation of the celebration of IICA’s 80th anniversary, which took place in Costa Rica on 7 October last year, and where we expressed our appreciation to those who had held the position of Director General and are part of these eight decades of history, consolidating the importance of an institution that continues to reaffirm its longstanding responsibility to work with all countries for the agricultural and rural development of our Americas, with a systemic vision and an unwavering commitment to sustainable development”, said Otero.
During the award ceremony, the Agriculture Secretary and IICA Director Emeritus Víctor Villalobos Arámbula said that the organization, created in 1942, has for the last eight decades worked at the service of agriculture in the 34 member countries, training technical specialists to improve food production with the help of research and technology.
He acknowledged the “strategic role of the Institute in providing technical-scientific support that influences the different countries’ productive capacity and contributes to the development of solid food systems, making their knowledge and experience available to all countries”.
The Mexican secretary highlighted the similarities in the agendas of the Secretariat of Agriculture and IICA, as both promote food security, inclusive rural development and trade, as well as sustainable production and market opportunities for farmers, especially those on a small scale.
Around 5.4 million people are employed in Mexico’s agricultural sector and 145 million hectares are dedicated to agriculture and livestock. Mexico is the eleventh largest agrifood producer in the world, and seventh largest agrifood product exporter, with a consistent trade balance surplus in this area.
Otero highlighted the successes of Secretary Villalobos’s leadership of IICA, including his commitment to strengthening the Institute’s technical capacity, the support for countries in technological innovation, agricultural health and food safety, agribusiness, territorial management for rural development, management of natural resources and climate change, and food security.
He also mentioned the development of initiatives in the Americas known as “Flagship Projects” and “Rapid Response Actions” to attend in a timely and flexible manner to urgent situations.
The presentation was attended by the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Chiapas, Andrea Gil Vázquez, the President of the National Agricultural Council, Juan Cortina Gallardo, and representatives of various agriculture organizations and the public and private sectors.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
