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The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fishery (MGAP), Tabare Aguerre, visited INIA's and INAC's stand and then inaugurated, together with the Institute's authorities, MGAP´s stand at Expo Prado 2010.
During his visit, the Minister was accompanied by Uruguay's Rural Association's (ARU) President, the Institute's authorities and Directors of the MGAP.
The Minister observed the lecture of a label of a cut, used in China to demonstrate traceability to the visitors at the Uruguay Natural Meat Deli Restaurant.
He saw a film on Traceability at INAC´s stand, in a cinema designed to transmit the concept of the stages of the process, from field to table, highlighting the experience at the Restaurant in China.
During his speech, he pointed out the actions which are being jointly developed to strengthen the profile of an agro-intelligent country.
Likewise, he emphasized that Uruguay is the only country in the world which has an individual and mandatory traceability system, renowned internationally and which allows differentiation in production.
Aguerre explained that the information technology platform which supports the system, is the main platform of data and figure transformation which is found in different sectors of the Ministry and of the public non-governmental institutes to start the implementation of the National Agricultural Information System.
He mentioned that in a worldwide ranking, Uruguay is fifth in regards to meat production, sixth in dairy products, seventh in soy and sixth in rice production.
He pointed out that in this 105th. Edition of Expo Prado, it is the first time that the stands of the three related institutions are inaugurated jointly. In this regards, he said that MGAP articulates public policies with INIA, INAC, INASE, INALE, INAVI and with the Agricultural Plan Institute. He added that this strategic design is projected from the Executive Power but, the public non-governmental institutions are the ones who carry out theses policies.
He expressed that this joint inauguration is one of the programmatic themes of this Administration. To build institutionality from integration, articulation, participation and evaluation.
On the occasion, Tabare Aguerre announced the implementation of an ear-tag reader designed by the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay, which connects with the 300.000 computers of Plan Ceibal which are distributed all along the country. He added, that this way technology will reach the youngest hands in rural areas through a productive practice.
Aguerre took a toy cow with ear-tags, material that will be given to children from public schools from the country side to explain traceability, in the framework of an experience organized jointly between MGAP and INAC.
