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The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Muhammad Ibrahim, held meetings with senior officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance a shared agenda aimed at strengthening food security, biosecurity, and agricultural trade in the Americas.
During his first official visit to the United States since taking office on January 15, Ibrahim held consultations with Luke J. Lindberg, Assistant Secretary for Foreign Agricultural Affairs, and Michelle Bekkering, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Foreign Agricultural Affairs. The meetings focused on strengthening practical cooperation to protect the Hemisphere's food supply chain, improving regional capacity for prevention and response to animal and plant pests and diseases, and expanding agricultural trade through robust, science-based regulatory frameworks.
“IICA stands ready to help implement this agenda in our 34 Member States by strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary capacity, harmonizing regulations based on risk, and supporting rapid response systems that prevent threats from turning into crises,” said Ibrahim.
Undersecretary Lindberg highlighted the importance of consolidating the Americas as a reliable global supplier of food, fiber, and fuel, ensuring that trade generates tangible benefits for producers and supports resilient supply chains. Along the same lines, Bekkering underscored the value of science-based standards and risk assessments as the foundation for predictable agricultural trade and protection against transboundary threats.
During the meeting, Ibrahim also reaffirmed IICA's willingness to support agricultural recovery and reconstruction efforts in Venezuela through technical cooperation, institutional strengthening, and risk management measures aligned with the objectives of food security and regional stability.
February 20, 2026/ Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
https://iica.int/es/noticias/
