Central Region meets in Panama

Delegates from the Central Region and the Dominican Republic met in Panama on September 17 -18 to define future actions of the Regional Market Information Network (RRIM) and to analyze the results of the MIS self-assessment exercise. The meeting was also attended by MIOA partners in the RRIM: SIECA, Fews-Net, and SECAC, in addition to FAS-USDA. During the meeting, the countries agreed to request authorization from the Executive Committee for MIOA to serve as the technical counterpart of SIMMAGRO to the SIECA. Participants also defined a strategy to establish the institutional structure of the RRIM, for approval by the ministers of agriculture of the region. Furthermore, stemming from the self-assessment exercise, the Central Region identified the following issues as priority areas: a. Users: the establishment of user registries and the determination of users’ level of satisfaction; b. Dissemination of information and promotion of the MIS c. Preparation of manuals for data analysis. The Technical Secretariat will identify successful experiences in these areas that may prove useful for the Central Region and will manage proposals on initiatives and projects for presentation to the Executive Committee. Finally, during the visit to Panama, RRIM members were taken on a morning tour of the recently launched “Merca Panama”, where they were able to directly observe the dynamics of how the market operates.