Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, José Ángel López Camposeco

Rome – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today met the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, José Ángel López Camposeco, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum (WFF), which is being held at FAO headquarters.

The Minister expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation provided by FAO and said that the Hand-in-Hand Initiative offers a very interesting platform to mobilize resources for agrifood systems transformation and rural development, particularly from the private sector. He noted that the Guatemalan delegation to the World Food Forum 2022 includes representatives from the private sector. 

The Minister highlighted that the Guatemalan government intends to support smallholder farmers through intensive agriculture, technology and innovation, and noted the potential of Guatemala in the production of vegetable, sugar, coffee and avocado. 

The Director-General emphasized Guatemala’s big potential to develop rural areas and support its farmers through market engagement, science and innovation. He suggested Guatemala to make the most of international platforms to promote its main products and assured that FAO is ready to support the country in this regard. 

Qu also highlighted FAO's work to develop and increase the resilience of agricultural areas located in the Central American dry corridor.