Bilateral meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, H.E. T. Taraba, together with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, H.E. R. Takáč, and other high level government officials

Bratislava - Director-General QU Dongyu and Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, H.E. T. Taraba, met today in Bratislava during the Director-General’s visit to the Slovak Republic.

The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, H.E. R. Takáč, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Mr R. Chovanec, the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, Ms G. Matečná and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr V. Vnuk, as well as other senior officials. 

The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the Director-General to Slovakia and outlined the potential of Slovakia to be a highly innovative global leader in food production. He outlined the government’s objective to transform agriculture in Slovakia, noting that this ambitious plan aimed to add value to more diversified agrifood products, such as for example, by focusing on the production of high value vegetables and animal products, making optimal use of the available water and the environment in a sustainable way. He further emphasized that this transformation should also serve to boost Slovakia’s self-sufficiency for food production.

The Director-General thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for Slovakia’s commitment to FAO, including through its focus on water and other technical issues, as well as during Slovakia’s recent role as Chair of the European Regional Group. The Director-General also thanked Slovakia for the refurbishment of the Slovak Delegates Lounge, which is in high demand as an important venue for delegates to work and host meetings at FAO Headquarters in Rome.

Minister Takáč thanked the Director-General for the close collaboration with FAO and he proposed further enhanced technical cooperation to realize the full potential of Slovakia’s agriculture sector, as well as its forestry, which covers 50 percent of the country. The Minister, in addition, referred to Slovak expertise, especially in agri-technology, which could be beneficial for countries with similar conditions. 

The Director-General highlighted Slovakia’s unique environment, agriculture and forestry, including the plentiful availability of water, which he noted had great potential for improved utilization. The Director-General also commended the unique and positive synergy between the Ministries of the Environment and Agriculture.

The Director General concluded by thanking the Government of Slovakia for the invitation to visit the country and to attend the important AGROKOMPLEX agriculture fair in Nitra, which this year would mark its 50th anniversary. He also highlighted his objective of ensuring that FAO maintained a balanced approach through the Four Betters to ensure an equal measure of attention to agriculture, the environment, nutrition and quality of life, and how this approach should encourage all relevant Ministers to work together in a coherent manner, as exemplified by Slovakia. Finally, he emphasized that in essence this entailed producing good quality and diverse food – “to produce more with less’’.