The Minister for Agriculture, Hon Inia Seruiratu, was unanimously elected to Chair the 11th Session of the Governing Council of the Center for the Alleviation of Poverty through Sustainable Agriculture (CAPSA) meeting in Bogor, Indonesia on the 12 and 13 February.
CAPSA is a Regional Institution of the UNESCAP serving 53 Members and 9 associate Members of ESCAP. The current members of the Council are Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan and Mongolia for the period 2012-2015.
In his brief remarks at the Opening Session, Minister Seruiratu was thankful for being elected to the Chair. He emphasized his presence was in recognition of the important role that CAPSA plays in the sharing of knowledge towards the members attempt to alleviate poverty through sustainable agriculture, a priority he accords for the Fiji agriculture sector. He further emphasized the need for networking among the members particularly in the alignment of domestic policies and programs with regional and even international advances in the context of sustainable agriculture to alleviate poverty.
He also thanked the Government of Indonesia for being a very supportive host to CAPSA. He vowed to be as effective as members want it to be during his term.
Minister Seruiratu departed Indonesia for the Food and Agriculture Office in Rome on Saturday 14 February 2015.
DEPTFO