Felipe Meza Millán, Peru’s Minister of Agricultural Development and Irrigation, attended the opening of the II Agri-Food Summit “Global Food Systems” on March 23 and 24 at Fira Barcelona. The event brought together international authorities and sector stakeholders to promote dialogue aimed at expanding market access for Peruvian agricultural products in Europe.
The summit focused on fostering a more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive rural development agenda. During a roundtable titled “From Strategic Frameworks to Action: The Impact of Trade Agreements,” Meza Millán joined senior officials from the agriculture ministries of Spain, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He highlighted ongoing efforts to improve market access, align with international standards, and support small-scale farmers.
“Peru is advancing with determination and is consolidating a dynamic export capacity by strengthening efficient connections with major world markets. In addition, it is promoting an integrated strategy that strengthens cooperatives, promotes access to financing, technical assistance and quality certifications while encouraging association as the basis for competitiveness,” Meza Millán said.
He also said that MIDAGRI is driving an integrated approach supporting cooperatives as well as facilitating financing opportunities and technical assistance for producers. He emphasized the strategic role livestock plays as a key income source for many rural families.
Summit participants agreed on the importance of reinforcing cooperation between countries through clear trade agreements that benefit both businesses and small producers. They also concluded that sustainability and traceability are essential requirements for competing internationally. Supporting small- and medium-sized producers with funding, technology transfer, and technical guidance was identified as critical.
As part of his visit to Spain during the summit activities on March 24, Meza Millán scheduled a bilateral meeting with Luis Planas Puchades—Spain’s Minister of Agriculture—to discuss mutual interests such as expanding agricultural exports from Peru to Spain. Topics included sustained growth in Peruvian agricultural exports over recent years; challenges facing Peruvian asparagus under European Union harvest regulations; efforts to increase market access for livestock products; as well as accelerating approval processes for poultry products like chicken meat, turkey meat, fresh eggs into Spain and broader European markets.
