Panamá se propondrá ante la FAO como «hub agroalimentario» / Panama and FAO advocate establishing agri-food hub

CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ.- El Gobierno de Panamá dijo este sábado que planea presentar en octubre próximo ante la FAO la propuesta de que se establezca en el país centroamericano un centro regional de distribución de productos agroalimentarios con miras al mercado asiático.

Esta propuesta será elaborada por el Gobierno panameño y un equipo de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura o FAO, según acordaron el presidente panameño, Laurentino Cortizo, y el director general del ente mundial, Qu Dongyu, en una reunión celebrada en la capital de Panamá.

«Lo que necesitamos es tener un documento bien pensado. Debemos dar los primeros pasos hacia adelante porque esta es una muy buena idea para fortalecer al sector productivo panameño e impulsar la generación de empleo», dijo el presidente Cortizo en un comunicado.

Esta propuesta para establecer en Panamá un «hub agroalimentario» para distribuir alimentos para Asia será presentada en Roma, en octubre próximo en el marco de la Semana de la Agricultura de la FAO, encuentro en el que participarán inversionistas asiáticos, de acuerdo con la información oficial.

El director general de FAO aseguró que Panamá «se puede convertir en el nuevo centro de distribución de alimentos, tecnología y medicamentos para el mundo, especialmente para Asia», dijo la misiva de la Presidencia panameña.

EFE

Panama and FAO advocate establishing agri-food hub

According to the coordinator for Mesoamerica of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Adoniram Sanches, the initiative came from the president of Laurentino Cortizo, when he received this Saturday the general director of the world entity, Qu Dongyu.

The proposal, he added, will be presented next October in Rome during the FAO Agriculture Week, a meeting in which Asian investors will participate.

For his part, the Director General of FAO considered emblematic programs such as Solidarity Panama and Study Without Hunger, which assisted the population affected by Covid-19 through the transfer of financial resources and the distribution of food.

He pointed out that the canal nation has the conditions to become not only a new agri-food hub, but also a technology and medicine hub for the Asian continent and the entire planet.

The highest authority of the FAO had a brief stay in this capital to agree with the Executive on joint actions that allow progress in the context of the current challenges facing the agri-food sector in the world, states an official statement from the agency.

Cortizo and Dongyu agreed to jointly create an infrastructure that streamlines food distribution logistics in Latin America and the Caribbean, benefiting from the strategic position of Panama and the Interoceanic Canal.

In the talks held at the Palacio de las Garzas (seat of the Government) they also discussed other issues such as global inflation due to the rise in food prices as a result of Covid-19.

The head of state explained the progress made by the canal country in the regulatory framework for family farming and the facilitation of producers’ access to new technologies and the sustainable use of natural resources.

In environmental matters, Dongyu recognized Panama’s leadership in spaces such as the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP26, and the Central American Commission on Environment and Development.

He also called for Panama to consolidate an interministerial and intersectoral strategy that guarantees food security conditions for the entire population.

The Director General of FAO visited the country after participating in Quito, Ecuador, in the XXXVII Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition to meeting with Cortizo, he also held talks with the heads of the Agricultural Development, Education, Health, Social Development and Environment portfolios, together with representatives of the Foreign Ministry, among other authorities.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Tomás Duncan, Permanent Representative of Panama to the FAO, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System here, Cristian Munduate, and a high-level delegation from the organization that included the Deputy Director General, Julio Berdegué.

The delegation was also made up of the subregional coordinator for Mesoamerica and representative in Panama, Adoniram Sanches, and the deputy director general of the Department of Economic and Social Development of the FAO, Máximo Torero.