Bilateral meeting with the State Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras, H.E. Laura Suazo

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - During his visit to Honduras, FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu met with Her Excellency Laura Suazo, State Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock of the Republic of Honduras during which the Office of the Minister provided the Director-General with a presentation on the joint work between the Organization and the Ministry.

Minister Suazo recognized the valuable work of FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean, and particularly in Honduras in the fishery sector through aquaculture development, fostering trade relationships in fairs and exhibitions, and the challenges faced in the Dry Corridor. In the presentation, Minister Suazo stressed that Honduras was fully committed to the transformation of its agrifood system and food security issues in the country, and beyond.

The Minister added that the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative in Honduras provided benefits in guiding the Government and local farmers to combat global challenges, including land and soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and declining agricultural production. However, the Minister stressed that they were also facing challenges related to technical and financial support, agricultural insurance, and access to irrigation.

Finally, the Minister highlighted the successful FAO programme in school gardening and conveyed her appreciation to the Director-General for having undertaken a field visit in Honduras to one of the programmes.

The Director-General appreciated the leadership and the collaborative work with the Minister and her team, and suggested that Honduras consider participating in the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative through which FAO could provide all the technical support needed to improve capacities. The Director-General also advised promoting farmers’ associations - especially related to the youth - and strengthening support for their cooperatives.

The pair further exchanged views on the importance of enhancing production and productivity through innovation and data collection for digital farming to increase value and achieve the transformation of agrifood systems.