Read-out of the Director-General’s meeting with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Her Excellency Mia Amor Mottley
The Prime Minister welcomed the Director-General to Barbados and thanked him for his support and work undertaken since taking up the leadership of the Organization, and shared with him her goals of ensuring the development of the agricultural sector in Barbados. The Director-General reaffirmed his support towards this goal and stressed the need to ensure food availability and accessibility for all.
Mottley and Qu held a fruitful exchange on the shared vision on the transformation agrifood systems, and the Prime Minister highlighted the limitations facing Barbados as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). She shared her vision of how Barbados could become a scientific and research centre for the subregion. The Prime Minister explained that through science and innovation, the country could expand agro-processing and create added value. Her plans include Barbados becoming a logistical hub that would help achieve food security at home and among its neighbours.
The Director-General shared with the Prime Minister his personal experiences and knowledge on how the country can achieve and implement these plans, and underlined the need for adequate and modern production capacity to achieve agrifood system transformation. He noted the challenges as a SIDS, but noted that Barbados could still flourish through appropriate land divisions.
The two agreed on the need for concrete support and technical assistance from FAO to advance these plans and further strengthen their partnership.