Basseterre, Saint Kitts, October 25, 2025 (MOA):
Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Dr. Manuel Otero, has lauded St. Kitts and Nevis and other Caribbean nations for their determination to reduce the region’s high food import bill, enhance food security, and accelerate climate adaptation efforts through stronger collaboration, innovation, and farmer empowerment.
Speaking during an interview following the 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025), held in St. Kitts and Nevis from September 29 to October 4, Dr. Otero praised the ongoing regional dialogue and shared commitment toward achieving tangible results for the agricultural sector.
“I think agriculture in St. Kitts and other countries belonging to the Caribbean region are really concerned with the necessity to reduce the food import bill, to give more protagonism to farmers, to see different alternatives in order to cope [with] the climate crisis which is a very serious problem and especially in the Caribbean region,” he stated.
“The agenda is quite clear, so we have to focus on the results, and this is why IICA has to be very close to the ministries, to the farmers in order to provide better services”, the Director General emphasised.
Dr. Otero underscored that achieving agricultural transformation in the Caribbean requires unity of purpose and action across borders.
“It’s impossible to have one problem isolated from one country and this is why it is so important to put in motion differentiated but regional strategies. So training programs, designing policies, sharing different documents and best practices is much better done on a regional basis”, he explained.
Highlighting IICA’s central role in supporting this transformation, Dr. Otero reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to continuous engagement with member states, noting that CWA serves as an essential platform for charting the way forward for agricultural development in the region.
Dr. Otero said, “It is an institution committed to promoting rural well-being to farmers and I am here because for us it is very important to pay attention every year it’s held—CWA—to understand what are the priorities, how can IICA provide better technical cooperation. We have implemented at the Caribbean region a differentiated strategy focusing on priorities and trying to promote results. So, for us it is very important because the agricultural leaders are here in St. Kitts—the farmers, the farmers’ organisations, young people, [and] women. So, we have to pay attention to what they are telling us, and we have to reshape our agenda in order to provide better services in our technical cooperation strategy.”
At the Opening Ceremony of the 19th CWA, Dr. Otero was presented with the CARICOM Leadership Award, an honour that recognizes his unwavering commitment to transforming agriculture across the Americas and the Caribbean. The accolade celebrates his leadership in advancing innovation, inclusion, and sustainable practices that strengthen rural livelihoods and resilience in the face of global challenges.
This year’s Caribbean Week of Agriculture, hosted under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond,” brought together ministers of agriculture, regional and international agencies, farmers, youth, and women’s organisations to discuss practical approaches to achieving food sovereignty.
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