Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), has commenced a significant four-day diplomatic mission to Brazil aimed at reinforcing agricultural development partnerships across the Americas. The Guyanese agronomist, who assumed leadership of IICA in January, will engage in high-level consultations with Brazilian government officials and regional stakeholders during his visit.
Ibrahim’s agenda features pivotal participation in the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS), the ministerial coordination platform comprising agriculture ministers from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. IICA provides essential technical and administrative support to this consensus-building mechanism that has successfully addressed regional agricultural challenges for over twenty years.
A central objective of the mission involves presenting the development status of IICA’s Medium-Term Plan (MTP) 2026-2030 to CAS ministers. This strategic framework has been formulated through comprehensive consultations with member states to ensure technical assistance programs align with national agricultural priorities.
The Director General will conduct bilateral meetings with Uruguay’s Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Alfredo Fratti and Paraguay’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Carlos Giménez. His schedule also includes participation in the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, where IICA will host a specialized panel examining challenges within regional agri-food systems.
Additional high-level engagements feature meetings with Caribbean and Central American ministers, Brazil’s Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Laura da Rocha, and Carlos Antonio Vieira Fernandes, President of state-owned Caixa Econômica Federal bank.
A particularly significant component of the visit involves strategic discussions with Silvia Massruhá, President of EMBRAPA—Brazil’s preeminent agricultural research organization. Their dialogue will focus on establishing an innovation hub specifically designed to serve Caribbean and Central American nations, leveraging EMBRAPA’s globally recognized expertise in agricultural science and technology.
Further meetings are planned with Brazil’s Minister of Social Development Wellington Dias, senior Planning Ministry officials, and Senator Tereza Cristina, former Agriculture Minister. The itinerary also includes consultations with leadership from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency, the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives, and corporate representatives from Corteva Agriscience and Toyota.