Readout of the bilateral meeting with H.E. Jorge Luis Tapia Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba

Georgetown, Guyana - The FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with H.E. Jorge Luis Tapia Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba on the sidelines of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Deputy Prime Minister conveyed the greetings from the President of Cuba, H.E. Miguel Díaz-Canel, and thanked the Director-General for the opportunity to meet.

The Director-General acknowledged the close links with the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and reaffirmed the FAO's support to Cuba for the transformation of its agrifood system.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance of FAO's assistance through projects to enhance the production of rice, maize, poultry, and pork to substitute imports. He added that a new project under the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative would be presented in October in Rome during the World Food Forum 2024 Investment Forum.

The Director-General highlighted that several ongoing crises are affecting countries globally, and this requires a pragmatic and creative approach, including through sharing of international experiences and best practices.

The pair further exchanged views on the importance of enhancing production and productivity through technical support and innovations to increase value and achieve the transformation of agrifood systems.