Suriname and Brazil sign agri deal

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO — Relations between Suriname and Brazil are at unprecedented heights in terms of the fields of cooperation including energy, the agrarian sector, government policy and social development, says Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota.

Saturday the Brazilian official signed three memorandums of understanding with his Surinamese counterpart Winston Lackin. The MOUs deal with intensified cooperation in the field of agriculture. Lackin explain that the MOUs contain concrete guidelines for the implementation and start of several agrarian projects.

‘Suriname’s benefit is that we’ll have the technical tools at our disposal to know up front which agrarian activity to employ in what part of the country. Another benefit is direct cooperation with research institutions like Celos to decide what products to cultivate for production,’ Lackin explained to the press. Technical support from a seasoned agrarian country as Brazil will boost the quality and professionalism of Suriname and help it to realize its goal to become the food supplier of the Caribbean.

Patriota referred to the several missions recently between the two countries to emphasize the intensified cooperation. In the weeks ahead the Ministries of Social Affairs of both countries will study possible cooperation. ‘These are but a few examples of the fields of cooperation we would like to engage in with Suriname, a country with high growth potential and social development,’ said Patriota, who drew the line to the cooperation in Unasur and the Organization of American States. Both ministers agreed to meet at least twice a year. Lackin referred to Patriota’s visit as a height in the mutual relations between the countries.