NEW MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE WELCOMES USAID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 001397 SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID ANE/DAA, JAMES KUDNER E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2013 TAGS: EAID PGOV PINR YM ECON COM DOMESTIC POLITICS SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE WELCOMES USAID REPRESENTATIVE Classified By: Classified by CDA Alan Misenheimer for reasons 1.5 b. a nd d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Minister of Agriculture Hasan Omar Sowaid told Charge and USAID Representative that he welcomes USG assistance in the agriculture sector. Sowaid is the youngest Minister of the newly appointed Cabinet at 34, and new to the Sanaa political scene. However, with agriculture employing 54% of Yemeni workers, and accounting for 15.3% of GDP, Minister Sowaid has the potential to positively impact the lives of many Yemeni citizens. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Charge called on newly-appointed Minister of Agriculture Hasan Omar Sowaid on June 15 to congratulate him on his appointment and introduce Douglas Heisler as the new USAID representative to Yemen. Sowaid welcomed Charge and Heisler and briefly described the useful impact of previous USAID cooperation in Yemen. Sowaid added that there was still more work to be done in the field of agriculture, and that donor assistance in the agricultural field has recently been declining. Any US assistance, he said, will be warmly received. ¶3. (U) Heisler reviewed potential areas for cooperation, including production, processing and marketing of agricultural products. Sowaid was receptive to USAID's offer of consultants, especially concerning his plans to reorganize the entire Ministry. ¶4. (U) Charge also handed Sowaid an invitation from the Secretary of Agriculture to USDA's upcoming Conference and SIPDIS Expo on Technology in Sacramento. Note: Due to the recent change of government, and change of Ministers, Sowaid is awaiting permission to attend from the Prime Minister. End Note. -------------- -------------- Bio Note: Farmer One Day, Minister of Agriculture the Next -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Minister Sowaid is a political neophyte and, at 34, he is the youngest Minister of the new Cabinet. Long-time Embassy contact and prominent businessman Abdul Wahab Thabet told Pol/Econoff that Sowaid had approached his brother, Abdul Jalil Thabet, the GPC representative for the Hodeida Governorate, asking for a job in a local branch office of the Ministry of Agriculture. Thabet stressed that this man had little ambition beyond farming, and had not sought anything higher than a simple office job. However, after Sowaid had won his constituency and apparently through his good connections to the Thabets, Sowaid was appointed Minister. Thabet also implied that the Minister's appointment was also related to the geographical proportionment and that Sowaid's strong ties to Hodeida figured prominently in his being chosen as a Minister. ¶6. (C) In his conversation with Charge, Sowaid stressed his background as a farmer, saying he had personally recived assistance from both the United States and Russia for his farm. Sowaid was educated in Cairo, receiving his BA in Agricultural Sciences. He has not traveled to the United States. -------------- Comment: Hope for Ministry of Agriculture -------------- ¶7. (C) The Ministry of Agriculture was one of the most notoriously mismanaged Ministries in the former government. Sowaid seems open to new ideas and warmly accepted all offers of advice. While still young, he has the backing of one of the most progressive commercial families in Yemen and will bring welcome new blood for agriculture in Yemen. MISENHEIMER