This evening, The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise concluded the first of a 2-day Annual General Meeting.
This ministry, which is now led by PUP's Jose Mai, hasn't had an AGM in 9 years. So, the new government wants to reinstate the practice for those in the sector to celebrate successes in the different industries and to share in a detailed outlook of the Ministry's strategic plans for improvements in agriculture.
The entire first day of the AGM was live-streamed on Facebook, and here's what the keynote speakers had to say about this return to tradition:
Servulo Baeza - CEO, Ministry of Agriculture "We all know it has been a long time since an AGM has been held, so long that many of the news employees might not even remember the last time an AGM was held. Mr. Harrison, our CEO, tells me that the last one was in 2012, 9 years ago. But, the big day is finally here, and I know that our minister is happy. There's a need to know what is going on in the world of agriculture, and therefore in this AGM, we take that opportunity to share. Today is partly a celebration of the hard work you have put in the ground for the past 5 months, with us at the helm. But it is also a celebration of the work going on in the 9 years since the last AGM that was held. At the same time that we recognize and celebrate the excellent work going on, I'm sure some reports will bring to light the challenges that are faced by the industries and commodities that share our common agricultural fabric."
Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai - Minister of Agriculture "I have worked with this ministry. I have developed professionally in this ministry, and my friends are still here. So, this is family for me. Hence, it is a great honour, and with a high sense of humility, as well as a great opportunity for me to personally, as your minister, to deliver this keynote address. We need an AGM every year, and we will use it to go from strength to strength every year, and we'll use it to communicate to the government, to our partners, and to the Belizean people the outstanding results, outcome, and impacts achieved with our farmers and producers."
The AGM resumes tomorrow.
