Óscar Enrique Guardado Calderón, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador, and Sérvulo Matías Baeza, Vice Minister of Agriculture of Belize, met with the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, at the Institute's headquarters in San José, and discussed the need to promote cooperation and integration in the regional agricultural sector.

At the meeting, Guardado underscored the importance of strengthening the institutional framework in El Salvador and promoting food security in the country. Together with Otero, he agreed to work on concrete actions to boost technical capabilities in agriculture in El Salvador and promote the training of leaders in the agricultural sector.

"El Salvador is innovating in precision agriculture and IICA is a fundamental ally in the development of these activities, which will boost the country's economy", said Guardado.

The Minister said that IICA is an important partner in providing technical assistance and training to develop the agriculture of the future in his country.

In the case of Belize, Baeza said that it is necessary to modernize the agricultural sector and consolidate production chains in order to promote the country's regional integration in the Caribbean and Central American context.

He also underscored the challenge of involving the new generations of Belize in agriculture, in which IICA, as an ally, can help to shorten the paths so that young people can play a leading role in the modernization of the sector.

"IICA has been a very helpful partner in dealing with disease outbreaks in Belize's agricultural sector. The Institute's help was essential in securing resources and providing technical assistance to stop the spread of diseases and prevent them from spreading to other parts of the country", said Baeza.

The authorities of the two countries agreed on the technical actions that would be a priority during the pro tempore presidency of the Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (CAC) which will pass from Belize to El Salvador in the second half of 2023.

The CAC brings together the ministers and secretaries of agriculture of Central America, a body whose Executive Secretariat is supported by IICA.

In a tour of the IICA Open Doors together with Guardado and Baeza, Manuel Otero highlighted the relevance of the technical cooperation being carried out in El Salvador and Belize and commented on the importance of partnerships to address the Central Region's agricultural challenges.

"IICA is an institution that clearly recognizes that its member countries are the owners of IICA, they are the principals, so we are very pleased to welcome the Minister and Vice Minister, with whom we have an agenda for technical cooperation in development", said the Director General of the Institute.

Translated by: A.M