Caribbean countries represented at forum in Argentina and Brazil

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Mar 12, CMC – Several Caribbean countries are being represented at a weeklong forum in Brazil and Argentina sponsored by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
The forum is aimed at promoting South-South Cooperation (SSC) in access to technology cooperation and trade diversification and the regional countries at the event are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Suriname.
Representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) are also attending the forum.
IICA said that the main purpose of the event is to facilitate access to new technologies and cooperation and diversify trade between nations that are vulnerable in terms of food security and the effects of climate change.
Recently elected IICA Director-General, Manuel Otero said “this mission in Brazil marks the fulfillment of a specific commitment I made at the start of my administration, that of making IICA an institution that serves as a bridge between countries, regions, international agencies and issues, developing a new solidarity within our continent.
“We are determined to ensure that the Americas cease to be the continent with the lowest levels of trade among its countries,” he added.
The proceeding began Monday with presentations by the Brazilian Ministers of State and the President of EMBRAPA, Maurício Lopes, while on Tuesday, Caribbean ministers and representatives will visit  EMBRAPA that operates a climate simulation chamber for the production of vegetables under different environmental conditions and a station where organic fertilizer is produced.
They will then attend a lecture on good vegetable production practices for family farming.
 
The officials will also visit the Federal District’s Wholesale Produce Market (CEASA), where they will learn about a food procurement program, an example of a public policy for the purchase, distribution, and marketing of the agricultural production of family farmers.

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