Visit of the BMLEH Vice-Minister: dialogue, exchange and cooperation to further strengthen ties between Uruguay and Germany
On July 13 and 14, a German delegation led by Martina Englhardt-Kopf, Vice Minister at Germany's Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH), visited Uruguay to deepen bilateral cooperation.
The mission, comprising representatives from Germany's political, academic and agricultural sectors, carried out a joint agenda with Uruguayan authorities and institutions.
The meetings began on Monday at the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) with an exchange among the main cooperation partners, focusing on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The agenda also included meetings with AHK Uruguay - the German-Uruguayan Chamber of Commerce and Industry - and Uruguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to jointly analyse opportunities to expand agricultural exchange, including aspects of the European Union-Mercosur Agreement.
The day concluded with a reception at the Residence of the German Ambassador, where Minister Alfredo Fratti (MGAP) and Vice Minister Martina Englhardt-Kopf (BMLEH) signed an addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding that incorporates “blue bioeconomy” as a new area of cooperation between Uruguay and Germany.
On Tuesday, the delegation visited the MGAP National Tree Nursery in Toledo and the INIA Uruguay Experimental Station in Las Brujas. The Uruguayan-German Dialogue on Agriculture (DAUA) was presented there, as well as scientific and technical cooperation projects between institutions from both countries, including the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI). The day ended with a visit to the Finnish forest company [DW1.1]UPM's specialized pulp terminal at the Port of Montevideo.
During the visit, DAUA, through its project leader Dagmar Wittine, presented the progress made in its areas of work, highlighting technical cooperation, knowledge exchange and institutional coordination to promote more sustainable agriculture.
In this context, representatives of the German delegation and participating institutions highlighted DAUA as a reliable partner and a reference for political, technical and scientific cooperation between Uruguay and Germany. This recognition reflects the joint work that the ministries (BMLEH and MGAP), research institutions (JKI and INIA) [DW2.1]and other actors of both countries have been undertaking to promote innovation and sustainability in the agricultural sector.
These days reaffirmed that international cooperation grows stronger when knowledge and trust are translated into concrete action. This is the vision that guides DAUA: connecting stakeholders and institutions, facilitating knowledge exchange and generating joint solutions to the present and future challenges facing the agricultural sector.