CATIE hosts visit of the Ambassador of Singapore

• Mr. Chaly Mah, Singapore's Ambassador to Costa Rica, learned about CATIE's work for Inclusive Green Development and food security.
  
  

On Wednesday, September 4, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) received at its Turrialba campus the Ambassador of Singapore in Costa Rica, Mr. Chaly Mah, accompanied by Ms. Yeo Xi Zin, official for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Directorate for the Americas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Asian country.

The purpose of this visit was to learn about CATIE's work, especially on issues such as Inclusive Green Development and food security. The Director General of CATIE, Dr. Luis Pocasangre, welcomed the Ambassador, with whom he discussed projects under development in Costa Rica and the region.

“We discussed potential topics for cooperation, namely biodiversity studies, ecosystem services, coffee and cocoa production, as well as the importance of agro-ecotourism and peri-urban production systems,” Dr. Pocasangre said.

Ambassador Mah highlighted CATIE as the leading center for research and higher education in tropical agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean, hence the interest of his visit.

Afterwards, the delegation went to the Botanical Garden, where they toured the facilities. They also visited the International Coffee Collection, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, and the International Cocoa Collection, which celebrates its 80th anniversary.

Singapore is a country located in Southeast Asia, which despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, plays a significant role in world trade and economy. In less than 50 years it went from being a developing country to one of the most developed countries.

This visit is part of CATIE's efforts to establish contacts and cooperation opportunities that will benefit the Latin American and Caribbean region through its different areas of action.