Celebrating the close of the International Year of Quinoa in Argentina

The Officer in Charge of the FAO Representation in Argentina introduced the "International Quinoa Recipe Book: tradition and innovation" in a seminar organized by the Ministry of Agriculture

Buenos Aires, 18 December, 2013  - To commemorate the close of the 2013 International Year of Quinoa and welcome the beginning of the International Year of Family Farming the seminar, “Quinoa: integrating the Andean region” was held at Foreign Ministry of Argentina.  The event was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Office together with the Embassy of Peru.

Yofre Francisco, Officer in Charge of the FAO Representation in Argentina, introduced the "International Quinoa Recipe book: tradition and innovation " which included recipes from the Argentine chefs Dolli Irigoyen, Juliana Lopez May and Martiniano Molina.

Speakers received a copy of the recipe book and participants received an abridged copy which can be downloaded here (in Spanish).

Yofre said that through quinoa FAO  "are recruiting a new ally in the fight against hunger," and highlighted the nutritional value of this crop.

The chef, Dolli Irigoyen, underlined the importance of producers and stressed that "quinoa should not only be considered a gourmet product, but must be made accessible to all."

In addition to Yofre, José Luis Peres Sanchez -Cerro, Ambassador of Peru to Argentina, Carla Campos Bilbao, Secretary of Rural Development and Family Agriculture, and Pablo Prosperi, Director of the Secretariat for Institutional Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, participated in the presentation. 

Representing the Ministry of Agriculture, the agronomist Amanda Fuxman, focal point for the International Year of Quinoa in Argentina, said that during this year there was a greater production and consumption of quinoa in Argentina, as well as more visibility and greater availability of scientific information about the crop.