Industry leaders convened by IICA to a high-level roundtable agreed that fruits and vegetables are essential for food and nutrition security and the socioeconomic development of Latin America and the Caribbean
San Jose, 23 August 2021 (IICA) -- Fruits and vegetables will play a key role in transforming agri-food systems due to their considerable contributions and benefits to human health and to achieving the balanced diet that more and more consumers demand, in addition to their contribution to the socioeconomic and rural development of the countries of the Americas.
These were the conclusions drawn by international experts and agro-industry leaders convened by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to a roundtable with the aim to share current knowledge on the sector’s role in sustainable agri-food systems.
The dialogue was moderated by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, and the panelists included Cristián Allendes, President of Chile’s National Agriculture Society (SNA); Miguel Curiel, Vice President and General Manager of Driscoll’s Mexico; Jorge Sauma, General Manager of Costa Rica’s National Banana Corporation (CORBANA); and A.G. Kawamura, former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (2003-2010) and current owner/partner of Orange County Produce, LLC.
The event analyzed the contributions made by fruit and vegetable farmers in the Americas to global exports and to food and nutrition security, particularly to promoting a balanced diet, as well as the road that must be taken to reconnect modern consumers with farmers.
The event also underscored the need for all levels to recognize the importance of the agricultural sector, which was made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Consumers today are looking for produce that is grown sustainably; they are more aware of what they are consuming and demand more and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Thanks to our experience and climate, our continent has all the necessary attributes to meet these demands”, stated Allendes.
In this context, the president of Chile’s National Agriculture Society summarized the American continent’s production and export potential: “For example, our exports account for 52% of oranges, 37% of pineapples, 29% of apples, 58% of table grapes, 32% of pears, 62% of cherries and 60% of bananas in the world”, he added.
The specialists further emphasized the need for the fruit and vegetable sectors to continue moving toward more sustainable production, using natural resources more efficiently, implementing science-based practices and adopting new technology to ensure product traceability and safety.
“We must double down and ensure both short- and long-term sustainable production, but we cannot do that without the support and coordination of the government. Today, in light of the pandemic, we have seen a shift—an increase in awareness and education—toward a healthy consumption and lifestyle. Consumers are moving toward a more balanced diet; they are concerned with the origin of their foods, where they come from and how they are produced”, stated Miguel Curiel, General Manager of Driscoll’s Mexico.
The panelists also underpinned the importance of production for the countries’ economies in terms of foreign currency, jobs and the positive aspects involved in consuming fruits and vegetables.
“Banana is Costa Rica’s leading export crop; it generates jobs in rural areas—140,000 direct and indirect jobs—and is a source of fiber, serotonin, potassium, magnesium and lecithin. In 2019 Latin America and the Caribbean was responsible for 19% of all fruits produced worldwide. Given our share in production, we can contribute a lot to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to reducing hunger, poverty and climate change through more sustainable production techniques and modern, environmentally-friendly agriculture”, assured Jorge Sauma, General Manager of CORBANA.
Throughout the roundtable, the panelists dived deeper into the challenges they are facing in terms of production, including climate change and the need for vigorous public policies and communication tools to reach and educate consumers, underlining the sectors’ importance as well as their social, economic and environmental contribution, in which farmers play a key role as the guardians of biodiversity.
They also recognized that academia plays an essential part in raising awareness.
“We recognize that we need new crops, new varieties, different seeds and plants that are drought-, flood- and heat-resistant. These are the challenges we are facing now; we need the government’s support to help farmers and the farming community instead of calling us out”, commented Kawamura, former Secretary of California’s Department of Food and Agriculture.
The Director General of IICA concluded that the time has come to “unite and to defend agriculture, which has an enormous future for our countries as a generator of jobs and foreign currency for exports”.
“We need to revive agriculture; these are difficult times and we need to reach a consensus, to demonstrate to the world that our agriculture, even with its faults and imperfections, is still standing and willing to fulfil what the rest of humanity expects from the continent in terms of food production. Without us, all hope of food and nutrition security would be lost”, concluded Manuel Otero.
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