Readout of the bilateral meeting with H.E. Lennox J. Andrews, Minister for Economic Development, Planning, Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, Marine Resources and Cooperatives of Grenada

Georgetown, Guyana - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met H.E. Lennox J. Andrews, Minister for Economic Development, Planning, Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, Marine Resources and Cooperatives of Grenada on the sidelines of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC38) in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Minister appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Director-General to discuss priority issues for small countries. He added that the country's production of banana remains for domestic consumption but remains a big producer of cocoa for which it needs the support of FAO to strengthen the agricultural sector. 

The Minister also highlighted the importance of FAO as a partner to seek support for access to scholarships for tertiary-level education in agricultural domains.

The Director-General noted the importance of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference, especially for the CARICOM members whose presence and voice are regularly heard at FAO headquarters. Regarding support for scholarships, the Director-General referred to South-South Cooperation, as well as FAO’s e-Learning Academy.

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.