Ecuador seeks to strengthen its agriculture and strengthen ties with IICA
The Government of Ecuador today expressed its interest in strengthening its agriculture and strengthening ties with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to achieve a stronger and stronger cooperation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, Xavier Lazo Guerrero, expressed his interest during a visit to IICA's headquarters in San José, where he held working meetings with the general director of the organization, Manuel Otero.
"We have come here to make our cooperation with IICA much stronger, stronger, more pragmatic and more visionary towards the agriculture we want in Ecuador for the coming years," said Lazo in an IICA press release.
According to the official, Ecuador must confront rural poverty, improve productivity and increase the use of technologies in the agricultural sector, through public policies with the aim of promoting commercialization and encouraging young people's roots in rural territories.
"We have to try to align ourselves in what we need as a country and in the great support that cooperation gives us, IICA has enormous experiences and knowledge," said Lazo, who also gave details of the programs of the ministry's portfolio related to youth. and gender in rurality.
He also highlighted the need of the Andean country to update its National Agricultural Registry, since Ecuador has not carried out a census since 2000.
"In that sense, the search for support to update the information we have available, and that allows us to formulate public agricultural policies for the next 20 years is also a very specific need," said Lazo.
During the meeting, the minister also highlighted the potential of Ecuadorian agriculture, livestock and fish farming out of traditional products such as cocoa, bananas, shrimp, tuna and flowers, and enhanced the role of development banking to boost development .
IICA is an international organization specializing in agriculture of the Inter-American System, whose mission is to stimulate, promote and support the efforts of its 34 member states to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being.
