ANSARI Hosein has been appointed Executive Director of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) effective March 1, 2022.

The announcement was made by the Chairman of the Board of Governors of CARDI, Crenston C. Buffonge, who is the Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment of Montserrat.

The CARDI Unit in Guyana coordinates the Caribbean Rice Development Network (CRIDNET) regionally and provides support to the local agricultural sector through collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and other key stakeholders and partners. Their office is located in the compound of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

According to CARDI, during his tenure Mr. Hosein will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Institute’s programme of work, inclusive of donor-funded projects, resource mobilisation and the development of market revenue generating initiatives throughout the Caribbean region.

Mr. Hosein, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, has served the Institute for more than 17 years, beginning at the entry level position of a technician, moving up the organisational structure to a research assistant and then a scientist.

Mr. Hosein has also served in various other capacities, including the Head of Trinidad and Tobago Unit, CARDI Representative in the Cayman Islands, CARDI Representative in Barbados and most recently as the Manager, Science, Technology and Innovation (MSTI).

As a scientist, Mr. Hosein has managed and implemented several research and development projects aimed to further the development of value chains for commodities such as cassava and sweet potato, hot peppers, small ruminants and coconuts.

Besides operating in these base countries, he has also done work in several others, including Dominica, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines through various projects. As the MSTI, he managed a team of professionals across CARDI’s 14 member countries and was responsible for providing technical and managerial leadership for the Institute’s diverse STI programme.

Mr. Hosein also sits on the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Agricultural Commercial Services Hub Limited (CACSH), CARDI’s commercial subsidiary and is the Chairman of the Regional Small Ruminants Commodity Group.

He has represented the Institute on various committees, conferences and other high level meetings at the national, regional and international levels. He is also the author/co-author of more than 30 publications which all seek to share knowledge to improve incomes and livelihoods of stakeholders in the regional agricultural landscape.

CARI noted that, over the years, Mr. Hosein has also developed good working relationships with various Diplomatic Missions, national, regional and international research and development agencies, including other CARICOM Institutions and also private sector entities seeking to commercialise various products.

Mr. Hosein holds an MSc in Tropical Animal Science and Production and a BSc General Agriculture from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine and a Diploma in the Practice and Science of Agriculture from the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry. He is presently pursuing a PhD in Livestock Science.