This content was published on December 19, 2022 – 7:13 p.m. December 19, 2022 – 7:13 p.m
La Paz, 19 December (EFE).- Bolivian President Luis Arce announced this Monday that Bolivia will host the VIII World Quinoa Congress, which will be held in the Potosí department from 28 to 31 March 2023 to “ the golden grain of the Andes”.
The opening event of the congress at the seat of the government was attended by the representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO in Bolivia, Rodrigo Roubach, the Minister for Rural Development and Land, Remmy Gonzales, as well as representatives of specialized institutions for quinoa and producers from different regions of the country.
“We will welcome researchers, academics and experts on properties, production and industrialization of quinoa from many producing countries,” said the Bolivian President.
Noting that Bolivia is one of the main producers of quinoa internationally, Arce reiterated that Congress should define “how to improve the production of this product” to contribute to food security amid the climate crisis.
“At Congress and in every possible scenario, the production of quinoa must be seen in the midst of the climate crisis, it is an urgent focus and we call on the universities of the country and region to come and share their knowledge, discoveries and research to quinoa,” concluded the Bolivian President.
For his part, the FAO representative stated that “on a planet of 8 billion people, the fact that the government of Bolivia is sponsoring the VIII World Quinoa Congress is notorious considering that the ancient crop contributes to world food security”.
“Quinoa is one of the few plant elements that contains all the essential amino acids, trace elements and vitamins and does not contain gluten, and that it should be included in the daily diet”, in addition, it is “an efficient water crop” and has great adaptability to ” different climates and soils,” Roubach said.
The Minister for Rural Development and Land said that the congress will develop thematic axes such as “resources, gene development, biotechnology, plant cultivation technology, soil protection” among other things.
“Knowledge management addresses issues of bioindicators, roles of women and men in production, forms and methods of preservation and preservation that our peoples still traditionally preserve,” Gonzales added.
According to official figures, Bolivia produces more than 61,000 tons of quinoa annually, of which 34,000 are exported and around 17,000 are consumed on the domestic market. EFE
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