Panama and FAO advocate establishing agri-food hub

According to the coordinator for Mesoamerica of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Adoniram Sanches, the initiative came from the president of Laurentino Cortizo, when he received this Saturday the general director of the w

The proposal, he added, will be presented next October in Rome during the FAO Agriculture Week, a meeting in which Asian investors will participate.

For his part, the Director General of FAO considered emblematic programs such as Solidarity Panama and Study Without Hunger, which assisted the population affected by Covid-19 through the transfer of financial resources and the distribution of food.

He pointed out that the canal nation has the conditions to become not only a new agrifood hub, but also a technology and medicine hub for the Asian continent and the entire planet.

The highest authority of the FAO had a brief stay in this capital to agree with the Executive on joint actions that allow progress in the context of the current challenges facing the agri-food sector in the world, states an official statement from the agency.

Cortizo and Dongyu agreed to jointly create an infrastructure that streamlines food distribution logistics in Latin America and the Caribbean, benefiting from the strategic position of Panama and the Interoceanic Canal.

In the talks held at the Palacio de las Garzas (seat of the Government) they also discussed other issues such as global inflation due to the rise in food prices as a result of Covid-19.

The head of state explained the progress made by the canal country in the regulatory framework for family farming and the facilitation of producers’ access to new technologies and the sustainable use of natural resources.

In environmental matters, Dongyu recognized Panama’s leadership in spaces such as the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP26, and the Central American Commission on Environment and Development.

He also called for Panama to consolidate an interministerial and intersectoral strategy that guarantees food security conditions for the entire population.

The Director General of FAO visited the country after participating in Quito, Ecuador, in the XXXVII Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition to meeting with Cortizo, he also held talks with the heads of the Agricultural Development, Education, Health, Social Development and Environment portfolios, together with representatives of the Foreign Ministry, among other authorities.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Tomás Duncan, Permanent Representative of Panama to the FAO, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System here, Cristian Munduate, and a highlevel delegation from the organization that included the Deputy Director General, Julio Berdegué.

The delegation was also made up of the subregional coordinator for Mesoamerica and representative in Panama, Adoniram Sanches, and the deputy director general of the Department of Economic and Social Development of the FAO, Máximo Torero.