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Friday, January 26, 2007 – Honourable Ezechiel Joseph, Saint Lucia's
new Minister for Agriculture will be the first participant in the Forum for
Leaders in Agriculture program that has just been created by the Inter-American
Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
The activity will take place at the ICCA Headquarters, in Costa Rica. The Forum
is an initiative of the Director General of IICA, Chelston Brathwaite. It
includes a two-day program designed especially for new ministers of agriculture
and other leaders of the sector interested in an up-to-date vision of
agriculture and rural life in the Americas.
During his visit to IICA, from February 01st to 3rd, Minister Joseph will be
accompanied by his
ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Martin Satney, and IICA’s Representative in the
Eastern
Caribbean States, Una May Gordon.
“The Forum will give us a golden opportunity to work with the new leaders of
agriculture and
rural life in the Americas, and even with the leaders of the future. Together,
we can focus on
identifying the challenges, devising new solutions for the countries’
agricultural sectors and
contributing to the development of a national agenda based on the Government’s
priorities,”
Brathwaite said when he announced the initiative.
“In today’s world, “ he added, “for a leader of agriculture to be successful he
or she needs to
understand what is happening in the global village and to be able to identify
the opportunities
and the challenges facing the sector.
The program of the Forum provides for wide-ranging discussions on IICA and its
role in
agricultural development in the hemisphere; the role of agriculture and
agribusiness in
economic development; the challenges and opportunities for agriculture in the
21st century;
and a minister’s responsibilities as a member of the Inter-American Board of
Agriculture, IICA’s highest governing body. The discussions will pave the way
for a “new IICA technical cooperation agenda in Saint Lucia.”
A new government took office in Saint Lucia on 15th December 2006. Agriculture
is one of the
main economic activities of this Eastern Caribbean nation, along with tourism.
In recent statements, the Prime Minister, Sir John Compton, has stressed the
need to reform
and transform the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Forestry.
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