Bilateral meeting with The Honourable Tiofilusi Tiueti, Minister for Finance and National Planning and Minister for Inland Revenue and Customs of Tonga

Rome - Today, the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, had a bilateral meeting with The Honourable Tiofilusi Tiueti, Minister for Finance and National Planning and Minister for Inland Revenue and Customs of Tonga, at FAO Headquarters. 

The Honourable Tiueti expressed his gratitude to FAO for its invaluable support in advancing agriculture in Tonga. He specifically applauded FAO for its unwavering aid following the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption and subsequent tsunami. The Minister informed that despite Tonga's modest economic standing and the relatively moderate scale of its agricultural GDP, the agricultural sector remains central, supporting approximately 70 percent of the population. Moreover, he noted that Tonga currently faces significant challenges in achieving sustainable agricultural development, ensuring local food security, and improving food transportation infrastructure. Given these hurdles, The Honourable Tiueti respectfully urges FAO to continue its assistance by strengthening capacity-building efforts, facilitating technological investments, and offering support across various pertinent areas.

The Director-General outlined the establishment of the Office of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) within FAO, underscoring the potential for FAO to expand and enhance its efforts. He noted that this includes supporting the development of the digital economy to better promote local agricultural products, advancing seed research, promotion, and transportation through initiatives like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Codex Trust Fund, as well as fostering inclusivity by involving more private enterprises in agriculture to increase production. Additionally, the Director-General expressed his aspiration for Tonga to fully leverage platforms such as the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) and One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) to elevate the quality and quantity of local agricultural products.

The two agreed to continue strengthening their collaboration to achieve agrifood systems transformation and the SDGs.