A Puerto Rican is the New Advisor to the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of the Federal Department of Agriculture

A Puerto Rican is the New Advisor to the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of the Federal Department of Agriculture

Ángel Santiago becomes the first Puerto Rican to hold the position.

The United States Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, announced this Thursday the appointment of Puerto Rican Ángel Santiago, executive director of the Caribbean Produce Exchange (CPE), as advisor to the Fruit and Vegetable Committee (FVIAC) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"I am honored to be able to collaborate with Vilsack and the USDA on the factors that affect the fruit and vegetable industry, the national market, and on issues of production methods, distribution, marketing strategies, and others for more than a score of industries," Santiago highlighted in a statement.

This is the first time since the creation of this advisory committee that a Puerto Rican has obtained a position in the organization.

With over 22 years in the food industry, Santiago has experience in the strategic development of a wide range of programs across multiple product and innovative service categories to meet both the local and export market.

His professional career includes, among other achievements, the implementation of initiatives in support of local agribusinesses, skill and training programs for federal quality compliance, safe food handling, marketing, and distribution.

He also established the F2F program that allowed the CPE to purchase local food so that farmers would not lose their crops during the COVID-19 pandemic and then distribute more than 1.5 million food boxes throughout Puerto Rico during the crisis.

Puerto Rico faces a historic loss of 70% of soil for agricultural use since 1966, which has led to a massive importation of food to cover the needs of the islanders.

However, the Government of Puerto Rico is obliged, by law, to validate the Land Use Plan. Said plan classified around 635,000 "cuerdas" (249.580 hectares) of land as "Especially Protected Rustic Soil of Agricultural Value," making these areas exclusive for harvesting.

Members of the Fruit and Vegetable Committee represent more than 25 sectors, including organic and non-organic producers, carriers, wholesalers, retailers, industry trade associations, importers, and exporters at local, regional, and national levels.

The FVIAC was established in 2001 and works under the standards of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The AMS establishes that the diversity of boards, councils, and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of its industries in terms of member experience, production and distribution methods, marketing strategies, and other distinctive factors, among others.

The Agricultural Marketing Service amplifies its reach to pay special attention to neglected and vulnerable communities, and reflect the diversity of the population with members who contribute their knowledge, skills, expertise, and ability to serve a population with needs.

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