Peru’s MoU under Atoms4Food is aimed at increasing food security through climate smart agricultural practices. Peru has already enhanced its sugarcane production using nuclear and isotopic techniques. When the devastating banana disease Banana Fusarium Wilt began to spread to farms in Peru in 2021, the IAEA provided emergency assistance to the country’s Andean community, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Peru has benefited from IAEA assistance through its technical cooperation programme in adopting the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). As a result, it has established areas free of the Mediterranean fruit fly export in the south of the country and can export mangos without quarantine restrictions.
Peru is a major fishing nation, and Mr Grossi also visited Peru’s Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) which has been supported by the IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories in the aftermath of the Ventanilla oil spill in 2022 and in efforts to tackle microplastic pollution.
“Collaboration with the IAEA’s NUTEC Plastics initiative is key for sustainable marine ecosystems, addressing microplastics pollution and more, including emergency assistance after the 2022 Ventanilla oil spill,” Mr Grossi said.
Following the Ventanilla oil spill, the IAEA sent experts and sophisticated monitoring equipment to help limit the environmental damage.
