— Minister Mustapha inauguration ceremony of IICA Director-General

ENJOYING strong support from the ministers of Agriculture of the Americas and international officials, Manuel Otero, an Argentinian, assumed office as Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) for the 2022 – 2026 period.

This is the veterinary surgeon’s second consecutive term as head of the specialist agency in agricultural development and rural well-being. The many officials representing all the countries of the Americas who were present to witness the ceremony made mention of Otero’s efforts to advance agrifood system sustainability in the hemisphere.

The ceremony was held at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, with most of the officials attending virtually, given the health situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the many officials who took the floor and emphasised the institute’s role in  tackling the challenges facing food production in the region and the world were the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro; Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Rodolfo Solano Quirós; Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply and Chair of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA),  Tereza Cristina; Argentina’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Julián Domínguez; Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos; Paraguay’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock and Chair of IICA’s Executive Committee,  Santiago Bertoni; Minister of Agriculture of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto Caesar; Costa Rica’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Renato Alvarado; and the Bahamas’ Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, Clay Sweeting.

Other speakers at the ceremony were the Deputy Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund, Javier Manzanares; former President of the Dominican Republic and IICA Goodwill Ambassador, Hipólita Mejía; Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; the Honduran Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock, Mauricio Guevara; and the Minister of Agriculture of Nicaragua, Edward Centeno.

The ceremony was also witnessed by Ambassadors of IICA Member States in Costa Rica, heads of mission of international organisations with offices in that Central American country, private sector representatives, members of academic institutions and representatives from the international and national press.

HONOURED
IICA also used the ceremony as an opportunity to honour three outstanding women of the Americas for significant contributions to food production and rural well-being and the strengthening of the region’s agrifood systems: Maris Llorens, a Swiss-born Paraguayan livestock farmer and philanthropist; as well as scientists Raquel Chan and Gabriela Olmedo, from Argentina and Mexico, respectively.

After administering the oath of office to Otero, with his two young granddaughters, Catalina and Sofía, looking on, Minister Tereza Cristina remarked that, “Otero’s tremendous coordination capacity served to advance critical issues for the hemisphere’s agriculture sector. We hope that IICA will continue to support the countries in protecting agriculture and free and fair trade. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in generating income and employment and guaranteeing food and nutritional security. IICA is the home of agriculture in the Americas and we, the countries, are counting on you.”

KEY
Guyanese Minister Zulfikar Mustapha also highlighted the dramatic social and economic consequences of the pandemic, noting that, “As the pandemic continues, our economies will continue to face challenges, and we must therefore adapt. We must consolidate the progress achieved over the past four years and focus on social development projects.”

From Honduras, Secretary Guevara noted that the IICA team had provided the Central American country’s agrifood sector with considerable assistance to overcome difficult situations, such as those triggered by violent hurricanes.

In turn, Costa Rican Minister, Alvarado praised Otero, describing him as “a person committed to agriculture and to the men and women in the countryside who work day to day to provide us with food.”

“We must guarantee the food security of our population and ensure a fair price for the efforts made by farmers, so that they don’t fall victim to the different means of commercialisation. It is time to turn our gaze towards producers, to ensure their well-being and dignified existence”, noted Alvarado.

In his inauguration speech, Otero expressed his excitement at assuming a new four-year term at the helm of an institution like IICA, which is now looking towards the future.

“From that first day, and with the clear leadership of the member countries of IICA, we have sought to ensure that agriculture and rural areas are regarded as strategic assets of the countries of the Americas, a region that has tremendous potential to contribute to resolving the regional and global crises that affect all of us”, he said.

The Director General reviewed the transformation process launched during his first term, which he will now seek to consolidate. (IICA)