The Secretary of Agriculture shall be the Chief in charge of the direction, administration and general supervision of the Department, and shall promote the development of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and livestock farming industry and commerce, including agro-tourism or rural tourism, as well as handcraft industries; he/she shall compile and publish statistics and all kinds of information relative thereto; he/she shall direct the investigations necessary for the improvement of agriculture, cattle raising, and industries and their economy; he/she shall obtain and distribute information in regard to the promotion of zootechny; he/she shall regulate the exportation and importation of plants, seeds and animals; he/she shall take such measures for veterinary policing as may be necessary for the protection of Puerto Rican cattle, and he/she shall also cooperate with all institutions and associations of good repute that may be formed for the promotion of agriculture, industry and commerce.
That he/she deems necessary to achieve the promotion, development, bolstering, and subsistence of agriculture in Puerto Rico in all its aspects, based on the premise that said actions are vested with the highest public interest and that the same are intrinsically linked to our food security.
History —Apr. 25, 1940, No. 60, p. 420, § 4; Aug. 21, 2003, No. 195, § 1; July 29, 2008, No. 133, § 3.