St George, Grenada: The IICA in collaboration with Grenada’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided to strengthen the agro sector of the country. The partnership has been set up to empower the farmers of Grenada after devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl. 7 farmers who were selected for the programme were given 700 broiler chicks and 196 bags of chicken feed. Among the 7 farmers selected, 4 were from Grenada and 3 were from Carriacou. The event took place on December 19th 2024 at the Ministerial Complex car park.
Definition and Function of IICA
The IICA is an acronym that stands for Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. The institute is a specialized agency for the development of agriculture and upliftment of farmers in the Inter American System. It was set up in 1942 as an institute for agro research and graduate training. Its main function is to provide technical cooperation, innovate and give specialized knowledge to the 34 member states keeping sustainability and regional competitiveness at the helm.
IICA’s commitment to Grenada farmers after loss due to Hurricane Beryl
The IICA has identified a total of 14 poultry farms till now who are going to receive necessary supplies and help in order to start their operations and regain their level of efficiency as they were before the hurricane took place. Thus, 7 of them are yet to receive the supplies consisting of 700 chicks and 476 bags of chicken feed in the upcoming weeks.
David Hopkin who is currently serving as Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture expressed his gratitude towards IICA by stating, “IICA has been a strong collaborator and partner over the years and I look forward to building a strong partnership that has been formed with IICA over many years.”
Objective of IICA initiative in Caribbean Islands
On hearing this, IICA’s Technical Specialist in Grenada and a representative of the organisation’s Eastern Caribbean States Delegation Gregory Delsol replied talking about the initiative’s greater objective that, “This small intervention is part of IICA’s wider support towards the rehabilitation of the agricultural sectors in countries affected by Hurricane Beryl and reflects IICA’s commitment to its technical cooperation agenda.”
He added, “We are happy to provide support to these poultry farmers whose operations were disrupted by the hurricane. The institute remains dedicated towards promoting the growth and development of the agricultural sector and improving the livelihoods of the stakeholders who are involved with it.”
There were talks about giving the farmers proper hands on training involving latest tech developments on poultry management along with providing feed and other supplies.
