IICA presidency candidates to be examined by agriculture ministers from 12 countries

The contest for the leadership of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), a prominent organization responsible for shaping agricultural policies and safeguarding the health of animals and plants across the Americas, is reaching a critical stage this week in Lima. During this period, candidates from Guyana, Honduras, and Uruguay will present their proposals to ministers and deputy ministers representing twelve countries.

According to an independent press release on the matter, the contenders seeking to replace Director General Manuel Otero—an Argentine veterinarian who will complete his second term in office next January—are all agricultural engineers. They include Muhammad Ibrahim from Guyana, a seasoned international manager with 35 years of experience in executive leadership; Laura Suazo, currently serving as Honduras’s Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock; and Fernando Mattos, a former minister of Uruguay.

To date, Ibrahim reportedly stands out as the sole candidate to have garnered regional backing for his nomination, which was endorsed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM),  to which Guyana belongs. In contrast, it is reported that neither Suazo secured support from Central American integration entities, nor did Mattos gain backing from Mercosur, the South American trade bloc. However, on July 31, Suazo presented herself as Honduras’ candidate for the position at the Trinidad & Tobago embassy in Costa Rica.

Ibrahim’s endorsement by CARICOM was formalized by the Caribbean heads of state and government, expressed in a declaration issued during a recent summit in Montego Bay. The statement read: “The Heads of Government of CARICOM reaffirmed their full and unequivocal support for the candidacy of Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim of Guyana, given his outstanding qualifications for the position, and urged other hemispheric partners to lend their valuable support to his election,” the Caribbean leaders declared in July.

They also called on other nations in the Americas to support Ibrahim’s candidacy.

Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, which is experiencing a significant economic upswing driven by oil production, emphasized that Ibrahim’s nomination benefits from the support of the Caribbean region. Ibrahim’s previous roles include director general of the International Center for Tropical Agricultural Research (CIAT) and director of Technical Cooperation at IICA.

A senior source within CARICOM indicated that this “massive support” will be reaffirmed during the upcoming meeting of the region’s agriculture ministers scheduled for September in St. Kitts and Nevis. The final decision on Otero’s successor is expected to be made in November.

Meanwhile, the race faces certain challenges. Aside from the lack of consensus within Mercosur, Fernando Mattos is allegedly entangled in a controversy stemming from his departure from Uruguay’s Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries in late February, amid a scandal involving an over $350 million fraud scheme. As reported by several international news outlets, the scheme allegedly involved investors’ funds, which were purportedly used for cattle operations but were diverted into accounts in tax havens.

This incident, known as the “cattle funds” scam, was the largest financial fraud in Uruguay’s history, affecting over 4,000 investors and undermining confidence in the country’s cattle traceability system, which purportedly fell within the realm of Mattos’ professional authority.