Sub Director of the FAO Praised Work in Agricultural Sciences

HAVANA, Cuba, May 9 (ACN) The General Sub Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Julio Berdegue and his regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean praised on Wednesday in Havana the role of Cuban science to solve the problems in the countryside.

The executive, who is in Havana participating in the 37th period of sessions of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, recognized "the precious capital" that Cuba has, explaining that many nations in the region do not make use the scientific potential.

During a tour to the Bee Research Center (Ciapi), the high ranking official highlighted that the investigations in Cuba has high environmental dimension due to the work on the protection and conservation of natural resources and sustained application of the principles in the conservation and agro-ecologic agriculture.

He said that FAO in Cuba is currently in a transformation process, its new representative, Brazilian Marcelo Resende, with a long history of support to agricultural and rural development in his country, has the mission to reinforce and expand work on the Caribbean island.

Berdegue, also pointed out that in the upcoming 50 years, humanity must produce more food, because if not, the problems of hunger will worsen in the world.

He called on to find ways of increasing production whose practices must not have a negative impact on the environment and efficiently use natural resources as well as industrial.

According to the General Sub Director of the organization, FAO and the Cuban government carry out a cooperation action plan to obtain food, environmental policy and South-South cooperation.

During the tour, researchers from CIAPI, Grain Institute, Pasture and Fodder, all belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture exchanged with Berdegue on the results of the centers and the strategic alliance with the FAO in the field of cooperation.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization supports Cuba with technical assistance to the sectors of agriculture and fishing before the impact of climate change.