With the United Nations-designated International Year of Fruits & Vegetables (IYFV) now in its second month, Guyana, widely regarded as the regional leader in the agricultural sector, is yet to make public its official programme of activities to mark the country’s participation in what is being celebrated as a global event.
On December 15 last year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu launched IYFV with an appeal to countries to seek to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste. Qu, who reportedly described the IYFV initiative as “a unique opportunity to raise global awareness.” noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had challenged people to find new ways of fighting hunger and malnutrition, and said IYFV would highlight the role of digital technologies in improving nutrition and market opportunities.