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CELAC Supports Andean Quinoa Grain

La Paz, Dec 5. -Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Alvarado highlighted the support of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to declare 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa.Raul Castro Returns Home from CELAC SummitThe recently concluded regional summit of heads of state held in Caracas agreed, among its special resolutions, to support the Bolivian request to the United Nations, Alvarado told the Patria Nueva radio station on Sunday.

The CELAC also resolved to support the coca leaf, native and ancestral heritage of Bolivia and Peru, he said.

The quinoa is an Andean native grain, called "grain of gold", with wide genetic variation and adaptability to adverse climates and different habitats.

Because of its nutritional properties and few soil and water requirements, the quinoa has great potential to strengthen food security. (Prensa Latina)