Brazil supports Caricom lobby in FTAA talks
-Jagdeo
Stabroek News
November 30, 2003
Brazil's President Lula Da Silva supports Caricom's lobbying for special and differential treatment within the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), says President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Briefing reporters on Thursday about his recent visit to Brazil, Jagdeo said it was the first time that Brazil had expressed its support for this initiative and for a regional integration fund.
Meanwhile, Jagdeo announced that representatives of Brazil's plant research agency, EMBRAPA, would be working along with the National Agricultural Institute (NARI) to share their expertise in plant and soil improvement, particularly, in the Rupununi and intermediate savannahs in Berbice.
He noted that EMBRAPA had a tremendous pool of knowledge working with plants in different terrains and different types of soil.
He has seen some of their work in improving the quality of soil and gave the example of African grass being grown for the first two years then cut and left to decompose to add to the quality of the soil. Soil testing, he said, would be done in collaboration with NARI.
Stating he had heard about the poor quality of soil in the Rupununi area, he noted that just on the other side of the Takutu River in Brazil there were huge plantations of soya bean and rice farms. He refused "to accept that God would just cut off the good soil at the Takutu River and gives us all the poor soil."
He said he was confident that the soils in the Rupunui could be cultivated, and with lands becoming scarce in the coastal areas there was a need to use the abundant resources of the country.
While in Brazil, Jagdeo said he had discussed with Lula strengthening ties with Africa. He said Caricom leaders also planned to meet with African leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria. He said in many ways the Caribbean and African countries "have grown apart and it is affecting to some extent our solidarity in various organisations."
In trade, Brazil is interested in concluding an agreement between Caricom and MERCOSUR. Jagdeo said Guyana had promised to try to advance this process within Caricom.
While in Brazil, the two countries signed the protocol amending the Guyana/Brazil Partial Scope Agreement which would allow for trade in a number of goods between the two countries.
He added that the audit of the financial improprieties regarding the Takutu Bridge was still being sorted out.