According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Mesoamerica Coordinator Adoniram Sanches, the initiative came from President Laurentino Cortizo when he received the world body’s Director-General Qu Dongyu this Saturday.
The proposal, he added, will be unveiled next October in Rome during FAO Agriculture Week, a gathering that will be attended by Asian investors.
For his part, the FAO Director-General looked at iconic programs such as Solidarity Panama and Study Without Hunger, which have helped populations affected by Covid-19 through financial transfers and food distribution.
He pointed out that the canal nation has what it takes to become not only a new agri-food hub, but also a technology and medicine hub for the Asian continent and the entire planet.
FAO’s highest authority had a brief stay in this capital to agree with the executive branch on joint measures that will enable progress related to the current challenges facing the agri-food sector worldwide, an official statement said the agency.
Cortizo and Dongyu agreed to work together to create infrastructure that will streamline food distribution logistics in Latin America and the Caribbean, taking advantage of the strategic position of Panama and the Interoceanic Canal.
In the talks at the Palacio de las Garzas (seat of government), they also discussed other issues such as global inflation due to the increase in food prices as a result of Covid-19.
The head of state outlined Channel country’s progress in the legal framework for family farming and facilitating producers’ access to new technologies and the sustainable use of natural resources.
On environmental issues, Dongyu recognized Panama’s leadership in areas such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 and the Central American Commission on Environment and Development.
He also called on Panama to consolidate an interdepartmental and intersectoral strategy that guarantees food security for the entire population.
The Director General of FAO visited the country after attending the XXXVII. Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in Quito, Ecuador.
In addition to the meeting with Cortizo, he held talks with the heads of the departments of agricultural development, education, health, social development and the environment, as well as with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Tomás Duncan, Panamanian Permanent Representative to the FAO, Cristian Munduate, the resident United Nations system coordinator here, and a high-level delegation from the organization, which included Deputy Director-General Julio Berdegué.
The delegation also included Sub-Regional Coordinator for Mesoamerica and Representative in Panama, Adoniram Sanches, and Deputy Director General of the Department of Economic and Social Development of FAO, Máximo Torero.
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