Guyana aims for regional agricultural advancement as successful FAO regional conference concludes
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday lauded the successful conclusion of the 38th session of the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) held in Georgetown, Guyana.
At a closing press briefing held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Mustapha underscored that LARC38 served as a crucial platform for regional ministers and officials to discuss key challenges and collaborate on solutions in food security and agriculture.
“LARC38 served as a critical forum for ministers of agriculture and high-level officials from Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss key challenges and collaborate on solutions related to food and agriculture for a brighter future,” Minister Mustapha stated.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and Assistant Director-General for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mario Lubetkin (Photo: Ministry of Agriculture)
He highlighted the conference’s focus on strategies for building resilience and sustainable food systems. Themes discussed at the conference include environmental sustainability, economic resilience, social inclusion, and technological innovations.
“The outcome of LARC38 will play a vital role in advancing food security and sustainable agriculture development in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Minister Mustapha said.
He also announced that Guyana will chair LARC for the next two years and a task force will be established to work with regional partners to implement the recommendations and decisions made during the conference.
The task force also seeks to bridge gaps between Latin American countries and the Caribbean.
Recommendations included crucial areas such as financing, equal trade facilitation, and equal access to fishing for small island developing states.
“Financing is a very important area for many countries like small island developing states especially [those] looking for finance and they have called on the FAO to facilitate, not to give the financing but to facilitate financing.
“There are a number of issues, for example, the World Trade Organisation, the playing field is not level at all, because small island developing states only have a capacity to fish,” Minister Mustapha stated.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director-General for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mario Lubetkin, highlighted that coming out of the conference, the FAO’s focus is on efficient production, food security, climate change adaptation, and poverty reduction in the region.
With participation from 33 countries, LARC38 marked significant progress in addressing regional agricultural challenges and fostering collaboration for a sustainable future.
