21 June 2023, Rome: The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today received the visit of the President of the Republic of Cuba, H.E. Miguel Díaz-Canel, at FAO headquarters in Rome.
The President expressed his appreciation for all the support provided by FAO in recent years, particularly in the design and implementation of the Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education Programme in Cuba. He emphasized that Cuba’s priorities are aligned with FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31 and the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda. The president also thanked the Organization for its support in challenging times, such as the Supertanker Base fire and the impact of Hurricane Ian in 2022.
The Director-General highlighted that Cuba has great potential to develop its agrifood systems, with emphasis in some specific crops such as avocado and sugar, and referred to FAO’s Farmer Fields School (FFS) programme aimed at training farmers. He noted that Cuba needs more investments in machinery, mechanization and cold chain storage.
Qu also mentioned the potential of aquaculture in Cuba, and noted that Cuba has a wealth of knowledge to share with other countries, such as in the field of biotechnology.
The Director-General acknowledged the impacts of the climate crisis in Cuba and stressed the need to promote resilience and anticipatory actions to natural disasters, and in this regard referred to FAO’s close collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The President and the Director-General highlighted the potential of transforming agrifood systems through science and innovation.
