VICTOR M. Villalobos, a citizen of Mexico, will remain at the helm of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), of which Guyana is a member, for a second term from 2014-2018, the local IICA office reported yesterday.

The Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) re-elected by acclamation Mr. Villalobos as Director General within the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2013, which started on Tuesday in Campana, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina and concludes Friday.
Villalobos in June last pledged IICA support for the development of Guyana’s trade in agricultural products.
The pledge was given during a visit to IICA Headquarters in Costa Rica by a team comprising Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy,  Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Chief Executive Officer of  Guyana Livestock Development Authority  Dindyal Permaul, and  ICA Representative of Guyana, Wilmot Garnett.
Villalobos is a renowned professional who specializes in areas of agriculture and natural and genetic resources. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has an impressive résumé as a professor, researcher and governmental and international official.
Before taking office as Director General of IICA for the first time in 2010, he held senior positions at the Secretariat of Agriculture Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) of Mexico, IICA disclosed.
Visibly moved by being re-elected, Villalobos said the IABA had “acknowledged the work of a team drawn from all parts of the hemisphere and characterized by technical excellence and commitment.”
He then thanked the member states for their vote of support, in particular the Government of Mexico, which nominated him for re-election.
Mexico announced its endorsement of his candidacy at the meeting of IICA’s Executive Committee held in Mexico City in June this year.
The IICA Director General stated that during his first term of office, from 2010 to 2014, the institute had placed the concept of innovation at the centre of its activities, as the means to build a new agricultural paradigm.
“In these four years, we have worked with governments and strategic partners to move towards an agricultural sector that is more competitive, innovative and sustainable, as the cornerstone of food security and prosperity in rural territories,” he remarked.
Villalobos pointed out that during the last three years the IICA had strengthened its technical activities, citing as its main contributions to its 34 member countries support for the modernization of agricultural innovation and plant and animal health services, as well as efforts to help stimulate agricultural and export markets to create opportunities for small and medium-scale producers, young people and women in rural areas.
“All this has gone hand-in-hand with institutional reengineering to make it possible, among other things, to take better advantage of and promote more transparent management of available resources, and foster a culture of accountability to our member states,” he observed.