MEXICO CITY, April 18 2015 – The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock Farming, Rural Development and Food (SAGARPA) of Mexico, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), have launched the second stage of a programme aimed at building capacities needed to develop agriculture in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean.
The programme calls for 400 specialists and technical personnel from 21 countries to participate in training courses offered by scientific and educational institutions associated with the agricultural sector of Mexico, aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and encouraging further development in the region via the transfer of technologies and innovations.
The programme, which IICA is currently implementing in the Caribbean, will include, in this second stage, six countries of Central America and will offer for the first time virtual training programmes, certification courses and international seminars.
IICA Deputy Director General Lloyd Day stated that the cooperation being offered is possible thanks to the capacity of the research and educational institutions of Mexico, and to the talent of Mexican experts who are willing to share their experience and, in this way, improve agriculture in neighboring countries facing similar challenges in terms of production and productivity.
According to Day, specific actions will be taken in the Caribbean focused on improving Black Belly Sheep production, with support from the Autonomous University of Chapingo (UACH), and on the in vitro cloning of tropical plants in Trinidad and Tobago, with support from the Scientific Research Center of Yucatan (CICY).
Under Secretary for Food and Competitiveness of the SAGARPA, Ricardo Aguilar Castillo, stated that the goal for the first stage had been exceeded; with 295 specialists, rather than the 140 originally expected, receiving training in 15 countries of the Caribbean.
This programme is one of the outcomes of the technical cooperation agreement signed in 2014 in Yucatan during the Third Mexico-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit, held by SAGARPA and IICA.
The countries participating in the program are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The goal of this initiative is to address the specific needs of the participating countries, offering short training courses aimed at increasing the productivity and economic impact of their agricultural sectors.
The programme also receives support from the Secretariat of Foreign Relations of Mexico, the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), educational and research institutions of the agricultural sector, the Ministries of Agriculture of the participating countries, international organizations and institutions involved in training.
Caption: IICA Deputy Director General Lloyd Day (at podium) stated “The cooperation being offered is possible thanks to the capacity of the research and educational institutions of Mexico, and to the talent of Mexican experts who are willing to share their experience and, in this way, improve agriculture in neighboring countries.”
