The 1st South American Forum of Agriculture – CAS 2013 opens (ENGLISH)

Representatives of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay inaugurated the Forum held in Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil. During the ceremony Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Antonio Andrade indicated that “the whole world is expecting for South America to be one of the biggest producer and exporter of foods. They believe in our capabilities and they want the region to take advantage of them in order to stop world hunger.

On his turn, the Bolivian Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Víctor Hugo Vázquez, highlighted the advancements made in his country for harmonizing and balancing the agricultural development in iits two largest producing regions (Western and Eastern), being the former the most technologically developed and the one where soybean, sugarcane, sorghum and chia are grown; while the latter is dominated by family-driven agriculture focused on the production of potatoe, quinoa, alpacas and vicunas. Likewise, the official mentioned the great advancements made in terms of irrigation and law security for small farmers, and the promotion of agricultural insurance for the poorest farmers.

The roundtable also counted with the presence of authorities from Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Director of the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies for the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile, Gustavo Rojas noted that agricultural policy objectives of his country are developing a sustainable agriculture from the social, economic and environmental aspects. All challenges for which greater technological innovation is required, he stressed. Meanwhile, the Director of Planning for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Paraguay, Santiago Bertone said the region shows great advantages as food producer since it is located in an area with high water availability, which can produce up to three crops per year. Likewise, Gonzalo Souto of the Agricultural Planning and Scheduling Office for the Ministry of Livestock and Agriculture of Uruguay, remarked that "the natural resources and institutional quality that the Southern Agricultural Council provides to the the region will ensure the world’s food supply."