And while Prime Minister Briceno was having high-level meetings in New York, Agriculture Minister Jose Mai was leading trade discussions in Chetumal. Mai met with his Mexican counterpart, Victor Manuel Villalobos Arambula, the Secretary of Agriculture.
A release says there were wide ranging discussions where the delegations agreed on cooperation in areas including livestock inspection, importation requirements, surveillance, and genetics improvement; technical assistance for small farmers with various cash crops, including soursop, coconut, citrus, and soybean; support for training and technical expertise to the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, among other initiatives.
Here's what the leaders of both delegations had to say about the promising meeting:
Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise
"I received a call from the Mexican Ambassador in Belize indicating that Minister had requested a meeting with the minister from Belize and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity, something that I did not expect, to be honest. Mexico is a big country with a lot of agricultural responsibility. I know that he is a very busy minister, so I was so overwhelmed to hear that request and here we are today."
Dr. Victor Manuel Villalobos, Secretary of Agriculture, Mexico
"It is a great pleasure and great opportunity to exchange ideas, views and I would like to refer that we had instructions of the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to strengthening the relationship with Central American countries as well as Caribbean countries. So, I think it is a great opportunity, not only to meet with the Minister and his staff, but also what we expect that in this dialogue we can be able to exchange ideas and look for more opportunities. We share a border. We share possibilities and potential, but at the same time I think there is a need for us to have a more direct contact and collaboration between the two countries."
Reporter
"And what are some of those areas that you see possible collaboration in Belize?"
Dr. Victor Manuel Villalobos, Secretary of Agriculture, Mexico
"I think it is within the three major subsections, agriculture, cattle and fisheries, particularly aquaculture."
Both Ministers have made a firm commitment to use the occasion as a starting point for greater cooperation in agriculture.
