Bilateral meeting with the President of Paraguay – H.E. Santiago Peña Palacios

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with the President of Paraguay, H.E. Santiago Peña Palacios, at FAO headquarters in Rome.

The Director-General welcomed the President on his first visit to FAO and highlighted the potential of Paraguay to transform its agrifood system based on the abundance of its natural resources, including land and water, and its young population.

The President conveyed his appreciation to the Director-General and underlined the importance of agriculture in his country that has the potential to feed its own population, and beyond. He encouraged FAO to make Paraguay the next success story.

The Director-General noted that through science and innovation, as well as through FAO flagship initiatives such as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative and the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP), productivity could be increased, and the livelihoods of smallholder and rural farmers improved.

The pair further exchanged views on the importance of enhancing production and productivity through improved access to inputs, technologies, and innovations to achieve the transformation needed.

The Director-General and the President reiterated the collective will to strengthen the partnership between the Organization and the Republic of Paraguay and to join forces to work together towards common objectives.