CHAIRMAN: We resume our debate on item 5.
Ms. M. RAVN (Norway): On this occasion I have the pleasure to speak on behalf of the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and I would like to thank Dr. Islam for his interesting introduction to this item this morning.
The last meeting of the Committee on World Food Security was an important meeting. Indeed, as the discussion under the previous item has shown, the food situation in a number of developing countries, especially in Africa, has become increasingly bleak and the problems to be solved are extremely complex. Against this background the Nordic delegations welcome the report on the Food Security and the fact that through compromise and good will the report was adopted by consensus.
As is rightly pointed out by the Director-General in his opening statement, the main item on the Committee's agenda was the report of the Director-General on World Food Security; a Reappraisal of the Concepts and Approaches. The Nordic delegations were pleased to join in the consensus of a broadened and revised concept of world food security with the ultimate objective of ensuring that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to the basic food they need. The Committee also agreed on a wide range of specific measures on the national and regional levels in order to give the new concept a concrete form and which we fully support.
Our delegations further supported the idea of gathering the different existing technical FAO programmes related to food security under the umbrella of our food security action programme.
On the wide range of proposals at global level the Committee however was not in a position to agree. Some delegations felt that a number of the proposals fell outside the scope of the Committee whereas others felt the need for further clarification. The FAO and the Director-General have been given the task of following up the various proposals of the subsequent meeting of the CFS and modifying them in the light of the comments made and suggestions made by the CFS.
The Nordic delegations would strongly support the Committee's recommendation that further efforts on the global level be concentrated on those areas where a consensus seemed feasible in the near future.
Our delegations would welcome the strengthening of the Committee on World Food Security in the technical field within the Committee's existing terms of reference which we feel are broad enough for the strengthening of the work of the Committee. We are ready to continue the discussion of all outstanding issues at further sessions of the CFS.
During the debate in the Committee on World Food Security many delegations raised the question of coordination and cooperation among the organizations in the UN system dealing with food and agriculture. This question has also been raised in recent meetings of other international organizations. The Nordic; delegations are of the opinion that the terms of reference of these organizations constitute an adequate framework for a smooth functioning of inter-agency relations at headquarter level as well as in the field. We regret that valuable time has been spent on this issue in recent meetings, taking attention away from the substantial and serious problems of food and agriculture that we are all trying to solve. The Nordic delegations therefore urge all the agencies involved to cooperate and coordinate their activities so as to avoid duplication and maximize efforts and resources in our ultimate goal of securing food security for all.
Cooperation is always a two-way exercise. It needs mutual respect and willingness to compromise.
Before concluding my statement I would like to make a few brief comments on the Committee's discussion on the constraints on food production in low-income food-deficit countries of Africa. The Nordic delegations were most pleased with the very useful document which the Secretariat had prepared and it was well received by all members of the Committee. Our delegations fully support the priorities for follow-up activities at national regional levels in the field of training, research, delivery systems and institutional development, priorities which were proposed by the African countries themselves and adopted by the Committee. We would encourage our African colleagues to continue to elaborate concrete follow-up measures to improve the food and agriculture situations in their countries, which could also form the basis for external assistance and cooperation.
TESSEMA NEGASH (Ethiopia): Being a member of the CFS, and having fully participated in the deliberations of the Eighth Session of the Committee, my delegation fully supports the report as contained in the document before us - CL 83/10. While endorsing the report as a whole, we wish to highlight some of the points that we believe deserve further emphasis.
Although we cherish the current large increase of food supplies at the global level, latest food and agriculture information carries a warning signal that world food production and 1983/84 carry-over stocks could decline, falling below what is considered the minimum recommended safe level. This decline is attributed primarily to the steps taken by some developed nations to cut back in production under the pretext of "protecting their farmers against falling prices". This, coupled with heavily subsidized exports on the one hand and undue import restrictions on the other, simply aggravates the food security problem of developing food-deficit countries.
Cutbacks in production, export subsidies and import restrictions are nothing more than the reflection of introvert policies and directions, a trend which is contrary to the principle of global interdependence.
It is not a rare occurance that developing countries face a very tight choice of whether to use their scarce foreign exchange to import food items to save the lives of the hungry and malnourished sector of their population, or import goods essential for development. Here it should be noted that one is as important as the other and the choice between the two alternatives is governed by the magnitude and extent of the prevailing problem in either case. Thus, if we had not made proper use of current surpluses it is due mainly to this obvious reason.
We thus call for a spirit of understanding and positive change in the policies of our development partners in order to contribute to a lasting and stable solution to the problem of food and agriculture in developing countries. Short of this, as put by the Director-General of FAO, and quoted this morning by a delegate, "These short-term and uncoordinated remedies are bound in the long run to curtail food availability and could lead to destabilization of markets and a resumption of the surplus/shortage cycle evident over the past decade."
There is every reason to believe that we are heading towards this surplus/shortage cycle. In response to the legislative measures and incentives introduced by the Government of the United States, wheat area to be harvested in 1983 is expected to fall by 7 million hectares or 23 percent. For coarse grains the official expectation is a decline by more than 11 million hectares or 26 percent. On top of this, according to FAO Global Information and Early Warning System, "Spring crops are less than satisfactory as progress in Canada and the United States and in some countries in Western Europe is hampered by excessive wet weather. In the southern hemisphere where the harvesting of coarse grains is in progress, most countries in southern Africa will have a sharply reduced output, due to drought, and are threatened by serious food shortages, whereas the recent disastrous floods in several South American countries are not expected to compromise cereal production prospects to a marked extent."
This clearly shows the fears indicated by the Director-General and the precarious situation of food supplies in the coming years.
In the same way the Ethiopian delegation wishes to re-emphasize the following points relevant to the problem of world food security.
1. In view of the critical situation of food and agriculture in developing countries, food aid remains an essential component of development aid. It provides a guarantee of survival and serves as an instrument for development. As outlined by various delegates in their interventions this morning and yesterday, while food imports by developing countries have escalated tremendously in the past few years, food aid has dwindled sharply. This is a very disconcerting trend, particularly in the face of ample supplies in the main donor countries. Can these surpluses not be mobilized for constructive use in promoting development, meeting emergency needs and building reserves against future shortages, instead of introducing legislative measures that would only further global food crises?
We do sympathize with the economic problems facing our development partners. We fully understand their position. But our appeal is based on the question of relativity. On our part, our ability to meet our escalating import needs is limited by growing financial constraints, particularly J foreign exchange. Our ability to achieve self-sufficiency through increased production is limited by a host of other factors. These are all clear to our development partners. It is with this clear understanding of each others' positions that we renew our appeal for improved food aid and financial assistance in order to relieve, if not to alleviate, the food security problem of developing countries.
While discussing food aid, I would like to cite the example of Australia, a traditional surplus producer, who had to revert to purchases of food items from external sources in the face of unprecedented drought facing the country in order to meet their food aid commitment. We applaud with the highest of appreciation the positive steps taken by the government of Australia which we deem is worthy of emulation.
2. We refer to an agreement between the major grain producers and consumers to coordinate their action to build up national reserves during periods of ample supplies. As can be seen, such a cooperative action does not seem forthcoming. With regret, we again urge developed nations for a renewed determination to positively contribute towards this effort. We also reiterate our strong support for pre-positioning of stocks in strategic locations, as recommended by the World Food Conference. We urge that excessive concentration of stocks in a few geographical areas or countries be corrected, and request that they be placed in, or close to, where they are most needed. The reasons are obvious and I do not think I need to make any elaboration.
3. On the question of trade, most sources of global information indicate that developing countries are forced to carry an unfair burden of trade relations with developed countries. We are in a position where we will have to pay many times more for what we import compared to what we earn by exporting raw materials. To this must be added the negative effect of export subsidies, regulatory production control, import restrictions and steady fluctuation of currencies. We thus urge for a liberalization of trade, as presented in paragraph 64 of the document before us,
4. The continuous increase in the number of refugees necessitates special attention. People classified as refugees or those who are displaced from their normal abode due to natural disasters or man-made causes claim high doses of international assistance which would have otherwise been used for development purposes. Thus, noting a rapid increase in the number of refugees and displaced persons, we strongly support the establishment of a separate emergency reserve for refugees and/or displaced persons due to natural disasters or man-made causes.
5. We fully support the revised concept of world food security as outlined in the report of the Director-General, namely: ensuring adequacy of food supplies, maintaining supply stability, and ensuring access of supplies to all consumers.
6. While analysing the world food security situation I shall be failing in my duty if I fail to mention the important role of WFP in dealing with this global problem. The Programme has played a highly commendable role by assisting developing nations build national food reserves and meet emergency relief. Although we shall come to the details of the activities of the Programme later under a separate agenda item, I wish to put on record the appreciation of my delegation for the commendable job done by the World Food Programme in relation to world food security.
7. A large number of UN agencies deal with the problem of world food security. Although each has its own mandate and terms of reference, the ultimate objective and aspiration of all are to help the needy ones to achieve self-sufficiency in food and agriculture. As such, harmonious relations, coordinated actions and efforts should be expected. However, the present atmosphere of relations between some of these agencies does not seem healthy. We thus call upon all concerned for a closer cooperation and for coordination of activities so that they could effectively contribute to the causes of development.
8. At the last CFS meeting the African group, fully supported by other members of the Committee, had indicated priority areas that demand action to relieve Africa's current problem in food and agriculture as: training, research, delivery system and institutional development. In response to this call and in line with resolution 4/82 of the Regional Conference for Africa, held in Algiers, FAO had already taken a preliminary step to conduct a survey or assessment on the trained manpower needs of the region. Questionnaires have already been sent to the various capitals of Africa. The Director-General has formed a task-force to assist in compiling the necessary information.
This is a very gratifying step on the part of FAO, and I wish to convey my sincere appreciation for the prompt response given by the Director-General and his staff to the call made by the representatives of Africa. We look forward to seeing more tangible further steps and results.
The problem of food and agriculture in Africa has been given prominence and every emphasis that can be accorded in every agenda at all international fora. A lot has been written and dozens of resolutions and declarations passed urging for priority and special attention to the problem of Africa. But if we are to reconcile these resolutions and/or declarations with what actually comes out of them in real terms the results are rather saddening. That is why we tend to applaud positive steps and prompt actions like this one.
We request the Council to endorse these priority areas and commend the Director-General and his staff for the prompt action taken. We also request the Director-General to report periodically to the Council as well as to other relevant fora of FAO on the progress made and results achieved.
A.A. KHALIL (Sudan) (Original language Arabic): Our country gives great attention to this subject because food security has great incidence on the future of developing countries and of the relations between developing and developed countries. This matter also comes within FAO's concerns, and FAO is now analyzing all the proposals and guidelines to help Member Countries of this Organization.
First, in the name of my delegation I would like to congratulate the CFS on the document which we are studying, CL 83/10, and which deals with the subject and all its facets. We would also like to congratulate the Director-General on his document which was the basis for the Eighth Session of the Committee and which brings together all the basic proposals which we have here in the document before us. My delegation supports this concept unreservedly, that is, this broadened concept of food security and its general structure and the new ideas and approaches for analyzing this complex problem in order to ensure that all countries will have sufficient food according to their needs by the end of this century. These proposals which have been presented by the Director-General in order to help cope with these problems and all the proposals and relevant solutions are going, if they are well coordinated through a global food security system, to enable us to solve these problems which we are facing here and help FAO to solve the great problem of hunger and malnutrition and help bring it to an end.
The Director-General's report calls for great efforts within FAO too, with three objectives: first, food self-sufficiency; second, stability and distribution in marketing of food; and third, to establish the means for a stability in the food distribution in the world. My delegation fully supports this new concept of the Director-General for food security, and also the proposals to cope with this problem.
We also fully support and stress the fact that all of these activities should be aimed at first to those who have low food production and are suffering from scarcity in food production and within this new concept to food security, which is a global question which can affect poor and rich countries, which is closely linked with all facets with development and production and the problems of marketing and investment without mentioning, of course, the social and economic aspects of the problems faced by countries.
We would also like to express our satisfaction for the consensus given by the CFS to this concept. This means that the Council is encouraged to support this new concept and that it should urge all other bodies dealing with food in the world to do the same. There is no doubt that countries which have low food production will always need financial and technical assistance to implement their national programmes and projects, and here FAO has to play a very important role. This is assistance in planning these programmes, so that they will fit in with their objectives and also in order to give them access to bilateral and multilateral financial assistance.
The CFS at its previous meetings and at the last one, too, accepted the guidelines of the Organization at regional level, and it has also just accepted the plans suggested for activities at national level. The Committee therefore has supported the Director-General's plans at both the levels I just mentioned, and this helps the Council to draw attention to the importance of these plans and also to support the Committee in this regard.
Something we consider very important which I would like to draw attention to is the fact that the CFS is the ideal body for dealing with this problem, and the proof of this is the global nature of the precise analysis that the CFS arrived at after considering the Director-General's report. Therefore, the Council should put forward suitable proposals to enable the Committee to carry out its activities, since this is the most specialized body in these matters.
Finally, I would like to mention the problem of the difficulties affecting food production in Africa. I would like very strongly to support all priorities which have been suggested by the Committee i.e. the activities in the field of training, research, and development of country level institutions, and we would like to ask the Council to support the request of the Committee to the Organization to prepare a second report clarifying more these points.
P.M. AMUKOA (Kenya): We wish to first commend the work of the Eighth Session on the Committee on World Food Security. We are in general agreement with what is contained in the report and request the Council also to endorse the report. We note that the Committee discussed fundamental issues on world food security including a broader concept of world food security. In this connection we wish to express our effusive thanks to the Director-General for his paper on this subject which contained many fundamental issues and proposals of interest to us, and as he has promised further elaboration on this paper, we look forward to receiving this.
The Committee also discussed the constraints on food production in low-income food-deficit countries in Africa. Discussions in the Committee went to the extent of indicating possible actions and priority areas of action, something which my delegation commends very much.
African countries inherited an agricultural system which encouraged the production of cash crops to supply raw materials to foreign industries and gave no emphasis to food production, especially smallholder food production. Also most of the research tended to favour these crops, and food staples were left behind; so the record of research activities on food crops was much less useful. These historical errors can take a long time to correct. This becomes even more difficult when some external investment resources in agriculture have minimum focus on food crop development, especially those foods traditionally adapted, including those which are resistant to drought. Food strategies should help correct these errors. The problem of food insecurity is a problem of poverty, and food production efforts must go alongside measures to raise the purchasing power of rural and urban communities. There is need therefore to integrate farms and non-farm activities, and the productivity of the farm sector must increase in order to consume the outcome of these non-farm activities and help generate employment opportunities.
In the same vein, the implementation of WCARRD has got to integrate in the overall concept of food security. In this connection, we recognize the special role women and children play in food production and food administration in the households, particularly when family nutrition is considered. Children and the youth are the future farmers and should be made to understand the language of the soil and that farming is a viable business, a means of making a sound living.
Other aspects of WCARRD, such as land tenure systems, are also important considerations in food security issues. Policies on food security issues at national and regional levels have tended to favour cereals alone. Crops like roots and tubers and pulses should also be given sufficient attention. Food aid will remain an essential component of food security as long as food production continues to be unstable and inadequate in recipient countries. However, food aid should as far as possible be used to stimulate food production. It should therefore be integrated in national food development strategy, including nutritional improvement programmes.
We also urge the international community to support triangular transactions in food aid, as this not only stimulates food production in the region or sub-region and therefore strengthening regional food security, but also encourages trade in that particular region in the true spirit of economic cooperation among developing countries.
Of course, also food aid recipients have a chance to obtain the food they are used to without any social or dietary adjustment problems. For timely programmes on food aid projects, the resources of those organizations directly involved need to be replenished in time and targets set need to be attained. There is need to increase the level of the Food Aid Convention and to negotiate a new International Grains Agreement. Here also my delegation wishes to emphasize that international organizations dealing with food issues need to coordinate their efforts with a view to sharpening focus and integrating these efforts in food, hunger and malnutrition problems. We are against duplication of effort whether in food studies or in the preparation and implementation of food programmes.
As regards the flow of resources for food security programmes, we support FAO's continued review of actions taken by governments and international organizations to meet food security assistance needs of developing countries. These will identify gaps in aid requirements. In this connection, we support the idea of preparing country project portfolios as suggested in paragraph 121 of document CL 83/10. Guidelines for use in developing portfolios should be prepared in consultation with the recipient countries and with donors.
In connection with the FAO plan of action, we wish to comment on one aspect, namely stock policies. We believe stock policies, particularly in poor countries, must define and answer questions, like stock levels, how these will be achieved, how much will come from domestic production and how much from imports. The administration and management of these stocks must be clearly set out. Before policies in these areas and others are defined it will be difficult to run a successful stock policy, whether nationally or regionally. A sound stock policy will, for example, set out procedures for procuring funds well ahead of time, whether by borrowing or by domestic financing.
In the agenda that preceded this one, we argued that it is difficult for many countries to build reserve stocks even when external food market prices are low because of the scarcity of foreign exchange. This is an area where we welcome the support of the IMF facility and other similar facilities so that we take advantage of building our stocks from low prices of food on the market. We wish to.observe here that even within some of our national boundaries it is sometimes difficult to buy our grain that our farmers are willing to sell because of lack of funds and insufficient storage facilities.
Let us now turn to the final section of our intervention, "Constraints on Food Production in Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries of Africa". We must first thank FAO for providing an opportunity to discuss this matter once as a committee, both at the Committee on world Food Security and at this Council. We are extremely pleased to learn that future action ië under plan to attack these constraints as forecast so that we free this area from persistent food problems, and I wish to endorse the remarks made by Ethiopia on this aspect. We endorse the fact that these constraints need to be examined further and a programme developed to reduce them. We call upon other organizations and governments to join in these efforts to intensify existing activities. The Committee's report sets out main priority areas to be focused on, namely training, research, delivery systems and institutional development. We shall not debate these issues as they are clearly outlined in paragraph 111, page 15 of document CL 83/10. However we request the Council to report and reflect them fully. The Secretariat may do this by reproducing the whole paragraph 111.
The subsequent paragraph 112 has also an important message to communicate. We request the Council to endorse the decision of the Committee on Agriculture to continue to keep under review the problems of the low-income food-deficit countries in Africa, and particularly request the Director-General to prepare a second report on the subject for its Ninth Session which should focus on what is outlined in paragraph 111, and also provide an outline of possible follow-up action. We ask that other organizations including ECA, the African Development Bank and the OAU be involved in these approaches.
R. C. SERSALE DI CERISANO (Argentina): Ante todo quiero expresar nuestra felicitación y agradecimiento a la Secretaría por haber sintetizado, con tanta claridad y precision, una cuestión tan compleja y delicada. A riesgo de ser repetitivos, queremos reiterar en este foro el apoyo de mi país al presente informe. Somos conscientes de que para poder solucionar un problema, primero, éste debe ser comprendido. En este orden de ideas, damos gran importacia al concepto ampliado de seguridad alimentaria mundial, ya que solo enfocándolo de esta manera es que podremos dar algún día a todos los hombres, en forma continua y permanente, acceso físico y economico a los alimentos básicos necesarios.
También queremos destacar que, a nuestro juicio, la última reunion del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria constituye un verdadero hito en el desarrollo agrícola. A partir de lo acordado en dicha reunión, la situación del sector agrícola sólo podrá ser analizada desde el punto de vista de la seguridad alimentaria mundial. Cualquier otro análisis sería incompleto y nos daría una versión fragmentada que no nos permitiría comprender la realidad y, por lo tanto, intentar una solución acertada.
También queremos demostrar nuestro entusiasmo por el resto de los párrafos aprobados que hacen las medidas de carácter regional y nacional, así como nuestro acuerdo con el rol central que le corresponde desempeñar al Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria Regionalcto. Ha pasado poco tiempo entre esa reunión y este Consejo, por lo cual no podemos aportar todavía nuevos elementos acerca de la labor del Comité de Acción para la Seguridad Alimentaria Regional del Sistema Económico latinoamericano que tendrá su primera reunión ordinaria en los primeros días del mes de julio de este año; pero tenga la seguridad, señor Presidente, que los países miembros de América Latina tendrán en cuenta este informe para esa oportunidad. Queremos dar un total apoyo al enfoque que se da para aliviar las dificultades más grandes de la producción alimentaria en Africa. La Argentina en reiteradas oportunidades ha dado muestras, en la práctica, de apoyo y colaboración económica entre países en desarrollo, y es plenamente consciente de la importancia que tiene el logro de la autosuficiencia alimentaria en este caso. En tal sentido, y como resultado de la reunión ministerial del Grupo de los 77 en Buenos Aires, mi país ha comenzado acciones de cooperación con algunos países africanos, relacionados con los sectores de la capacitación e investigación, tal como se cita en el párrafo 111 de este documento.
Finalmente, queremos, nuevamente, reiterar la importancia de este tema, y que la Argentina en su acción de cooperación estuvo, está y estará siempre guiada por la implementación de los fines incluidos en el preámbulo de la FAO para contribuir así a la expansión económica mundial y a aliviar del hambre a la humanidad.
A.F.M. DE FREITAS (Brazil): My delegation which participated at the last session of the Committee on World Food Security as an observer would like to take this opportunity to offer some comments on the report contained in the document CL 83/10. The Eighth Session on the Committee on World Food Security had a very important item in its agenda and this was the Director-General's report. This report introduces a broader concept of world food security and proposes bold measures for an improved world food security system. The Brazilian delegation was happy to notice that the proposed concept was substantially similar to the idea that the Brazilian Government has been Provisionally supporting both in FAO and in other international fora where the subject has been discussed.
My delegation fully agrees that the three basic elements of food security are the production of adequate food supply, stability in the flow of supplies and the access of available supplies on the part of those who need them.
With respect to the measures suggested by the Director-General's report and discussed by the Committee on World Food Security, my delegation fully supports the proposal that at the national level the highest priority should be assigned to increasing food production in developing countries, particularly in the low-income food-deficit countries.
My delegation agrees with the corresponding paragraph contained in Section 3, small a., of the document CL 83/10. with respect to measures at the regional level, my delegation supports the idea that regional and sub-regional action to establish food security should complement national measures and should be consistent with its region's need. In this way the Brazilian Government considers as meaningful the following measures aimed at ensuring food security at the regional level : - to promote and increase in food production and productivity; to stimulate inter-regional trade; to include quality and price conditions of agricultural products in the developing countries; to strengthen national storage, transport and information facilities; to reinforce research and technological development; to establish a certain degree of coordinating of sub-regional, regional and global measures aimed at ensuring food security.
Those principles were adopted by the Action Committee on Regional Food Security recently established within the framework for the Latin American economic system. Brazil is proud to be one of the members of this Action Committee to which has been assigned the important task of effectively contributing to ensure food security in the Latin American Continent.
With respect to measures at global level the document CL 83/10 reflects divergent views expressed during the Eighth Session of the Committee. The Brazilian delegation supports the view that at the global level trade is one of the main components of food security. Accordingly the Brazilian Government urges the aplication of the GATT discipline to agricultural products as well as the application of the decision of the contracting parties taken in 1979, and concerning the differen-ciated and more favourable treatment to developing countries.
In addition to those measures relating specifically to international trade, the Brazilian Government also believes that the integrated programme of commodities and the common fund are to become relevant elements of world food security. Along the same lines of the global measures aimed at ensuring food security, my delegation thinks that a major role in the common efforts towards world food security belongs to FAO. My delegation favours an effective coordination of the action to be taken by the existing national organizations, and it believes that such coordinated effort will be a highly productive enterprise which will contribute decisively to world food security.
In concluding this topic, I would like to express the full agreement of my delegation with the
Director-General's statement during the Sixth Session of UNCTAD now in force in Belgrade. Production
and trade are two of the main components of world security. My delegation believes this is a succinct and effective definition of the concept which is at the centre of our discussion today.
I wish also to deal briefly with a subject of great concern to my delegation. This is the constraints on food production in low-income food-deficit countries in Africa. My delegation would like to join the developing countries in supporting the goal for increasing assistance for agricultural development of the poorer countries of Africa. Brazil has been active in sharing its experience and technical knowledge on agricultural development in Africa both on a bilateral basis and in cooperation with FAO.
Brazil is ready to extend its efforts in the present circumstances in order to help the poorer African countries to overcome the existing constraints on food production. My delegation supports the priorities suggested by the Committee on World Food Security regarding the immediate situation in Africa, and including training, research, delivery systems and institutional development.
My delegation also agrees that future sessions of the Committee of the Council continue to keep under review the problem of low-income food-deficit countries in Africa in the hope that measures proposed and discussed by the Committee may bear the fruit of a general improvement of food production in the African continent.
S.A. MAHMOOD (Bangladesh): To start with I should like to thank the Director-General and compliment him for his special contribution in bringing broader concepts and offering thought-provoking proposals for achieving world food security. I should also like to thank Professor Islam for his brief but highly precise introduction on this subject. The Report of the 8th Session of the Committee on World Food Security brings into focus the paradox and anomalies, as also the iniquities of the existing situation, identifying many of the factors rendering the concept of world food security not only in its newly defined broader aspect but also in the narrower and more limited application a difficult proposition.
The Report in its studied details makes it imperative for the stronger members of the international community to pragmatically appreciate the potential danger to their own respective strengths inherent in the further weakening of the weaker members. The slow growth in the effective demand for food resulting in large carry-over stocks and prompting production cutbacks in major food-producing and exporting countries is clearly indicative of the weakness of the existing approach and calls for immediate remedial measures in the interests of not only the weak developing economies, but also in the ultimate long-term interests of the developed countries.
Just as it is difficult on the part of many developing countries at the national level to maintain a sustained level of growth in food production, even with the availability of requisite technology and resources where large sections of the people do not have access to food at all times, so also would it be difficult globally to find adequate markets for food as also other commodities, unless the developing weaker economies are assured of an equitable share of income by providing the requisite fair market for their exports.
A negative approach to the problem would not only be extremely myopic and counter-productive, but also a denial of the most basic of human values. While it is indisputable that actions at the national level are indispensable to ensure improved food security - as has been rightly observed by the Committee - it would at the same time be highly erroneous to ignore the unsettling effects of the global factors on the national economics of the intranational employment situation, and the acute vulnerability of the weaker economies to the stronger ones. In fact, in the process of transferance of the burden, the same is magnified manifold when shifted to weaker shoulders.
The Committee has commented on the 'cost price squeeze on farmers', but I would like to emphasise that the farming communities in the developing agro-based economies are constantly facing a multiplicity of unbearable squeezes resulting in dangerous shrinking of productive employment opportunities.
It has been very correctly pointed out by the Director-General that unless the developing economies are at the present stage helped meaningfully in their efforts for agricultural development and attainment of food autarky through both bilateral and multilateral assistance and also providing and ensuring a favourable market for their exports by the developed countries, world food security may in all probability remain a distant dream. The revised concept of world food security and the possible range of measures suggested in the Director-General's Report for improving the world food security system at national,regional, and global levels, form the basis of this document CL 83/10.
Concensus was reached on a number of issues and measures. While my delegation agree with the conclusions and recommendations of the CFS, I would like to emphasise the paramount necessity of an efficient integration of national and regional food security systems with a more meaningful global system, without which the efforts at the national and regional or sub-regional levels may be seriously handicapped. Innovative approach such as developed by the WFP for Mali, and the WFP proposal for a'developing country owned réserveras strategies amongst others, deserve serious consideration within an "integrated framework of world food security macro system".
Improvement of market information systems and market intelligence at regional levels is also very important in helping developing countries in devising food security strategies in a situation of continued market fluctations and uncertainties.
In fully acknowledging the pioneering role of FAO in strengthening world food security and endorsing the agreed decisions of the 8th Session of the CFS, my delegation would request the Director-General to initiate follow-up actions on the proposals on which a concensus has been reached in the Committee, and also to take action for further detailed examination of the other proposals and issues. We are confident that, given the will, it should not be difficult to find a way to the goal of world food security; and I would like to conclude by expressing again our confidence in the efforts of the FAO and the "role of the CFS in helping the world community find that way.
J. TCHICAYA (Congo): La delegation du Congo, qui a activement participé aux débats de la dernière session du très important Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale, voudrait réitérer ici tout le bien qu'il pense de ce Comité en raison des fructueux débats qu'il engage sur les problèmes de fond touchant la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. Nous voudrions pour notre part apporter notre soutien aux résultats des travaux de la huitième session contenus dans le document CL 83/10. Nous sommes en particulier heureux de ce que le Comité a adopté unanimement la notion élargie de sécurité alimentaire mondiale proposée avec pertinence par le Directeur général de la FAO et, à ce sui et, le paragraphe 43 de ce document requiert tout notre appui. Il est essentiel qu'on ait reconnu la nécessité d'inscrire cette notion revisée dans un cadre de politique élargie englobant les trois composantes de la sécurité alimentaire, à savoir: assurer les disponibilités alimentaires suffisantes, maintenir la stabilité des approvisionnements et garantir à tous les consommateurs l'accès à ces approvisionnements. Mais ces objectifs ne seront atteints que si tout est mis en oeuvre pour privilégier l'accroissement de la production agricole et alimentaire dans les pays à faible revenu et à déficit alimentaire.
A cet égard, le paragraphe 44 mérite le soutien de ma délégation. Cependant, dans l'état actuel des choses ces mesures nationales sont insuffisantes et doivent nécessairement être épaulées par des actions régionales et mondiales telles qu'elles sont énumérées dans les paragraphes 54 et 55 et 56 à 71. La délégation de mon pays apporte également son appui aux mesures à prendre par la FAO. Au regard du débat que nous venons d'avoir sur le point 4 de notre ordre du jour, le chapitre 5 du document soumis à notre examen a retenu toute l'attention requise en raison de son importance puisqu'il évoque les facteurs limitant la production alimentaire dans une région qui focalise depuis un certain temps l'attention de l'opinion mondiale. Il est à notre avis encourageant de noter que les cultivateurs africains sont assez efficaces et qu'ils réagissent aux stimulants des prix et surtout aux possibilités d'investissement. Nous voudrions pour notre part insister sur ce dernier aspect dans la mesure où il est susceptible de contribuer de manière décisive à l'accroissement de la production alimentaire, tout en abaissant le coût de production; car selon nous, l'on ne peut augmenter indéfiniment les prix à la production sans compromettre grandement la consommation vivrière parmi les populations pauvres. C'est pourquoi nous approuvons le renforcement du Programme international d'approvisionnement en engrais du PASA, du Programme de développement et d'amélioration des semences et du PCT de la FAO qui visent tous à accroître la capacité de production chez les paysans pauvres.
La délégation de mon pays se félicite de l'appui que le CSA a apporté aux pays d'Afrique au sud du Sahara qui souffrent de déficit vivrier chronique, en insistant sur les mesures préconisées à Alger l'année dernière au cours de la Conférence régionale de la FAO pour l'Afrique. En effet, au cours de cette douzième session, l'Afrique a pu dégager ses priorités pour promouvoir un développement agricole et rural équilibré. Pour ce faire, la FAO et l'Afrique entière avec elle ont reconnu le rôle central de l'homme dans le développement de notre Région. C'est pourquoi la nécessité de développer les compétences qui font atrocement défaut à cette Région èst apparue comme hautement souhaitable.
Il en est de même de la recherche et de la nécessité de créer des systèmes de prestations efficaces au service des petits exploitants,y compris les femmes.
Enfin, notre soutien au paragraphe 111 est total mais une fois de plus l'essentiel n'est pas d'énu-mérer les actions nécessaires à mener pour améliorer la situation actuelle, la volonté politique de la Communauté internationale est requise pour compléter les efforts actuellement en cours dans cette Région pour mettre en oeuvre les plans d'action de Lagos et pour ce faire plusieurs pays ont déjà mis au point des plans, programmes et stratégies nationaux de sécurité alimentaire.
A ce sujet, nous sommes particulièrement reconnaissants aux pays ou institutions qui d'ores et déjà aident ou s'apprêtent à aider les pays africains dans l'exécution de certains programmes nationaux, sous-régionaux et régionaux qui revêtent une importance capitale dans l'amélioration du niveau nutri-tionnel de l'Afrique. C'est le cas notamment des actions visant à améliorer le cheptel africain par la multiplication des races trypanotolérantes dans les zones infestées par la mouche tsê-tsé. De même, il est souhaitable de renforcer les programmes de lutte contre les maladies animales et,à cet égard, nous serons sensibles à tout ce qui sera fait pour enrayer ce fléau. Nous y reviendrons lorsque nous aurons à examiner le rapport du COAG.
En terminant mon intervention sur ce point de l'ordre du jour, je voudrais féliciter le CSA qui au cours de la septième session a unanimement confié au Directeur général le soin de préparer cette étude sur les facteurs limitant la production alimentaire en Afrique afin de mobiliser les ressources nécessaires pour inverser la tendance actuelle. Notre souhait est de voir se dessiner ici la même unanimité sur les mesures pratiques que les pays donateurs et les organisations internationales doivent désormais déployer pour mobiliser les ressources afin d'éliminer les principaux obstacles ~ qui se dressent sur le chemin d'une sécurité alimentaire durable dans cette Région.
Nous sommes certains que des institutions telles que le FMI, qui a probablement volé au secours du régime raciste d'Afrique du Sud pour lui donner les moyens de mener ses actions d'agression contre les paisibles peuples d'Afrique australe, sauront mobiliser davantage leurs ressources pour aider les peuples d'Afrique à surmonter leurs difficultés pour accroître la production alimentaire.
Bref, notre délégation apporte un appui global à ce rapport et attend avec beaucoup d'intérêt le rapport détaillé du Directeur général sur la question, rapport qui sera soumis à notre neuvième session du CSA.
LI CHENHUAN (China) (Original language Chinese): We carefully studied the report of the Eighth Session of the Committee on World Food Security, which reports to the Council about the latest developments on world food security. It helps the members of the Council to know better the world food situation. Paragraph 20 of the report especially draws the attention of the Council to the possible decline of world cereal production in 1983. This is a question worthy of the Council's concern.
The Eighth Session of the Committee on World Food Security discussed the food security situation in Africa, analyzed the unfavourable factors affecting the food production in the low-income, food-deficit countries of Africa, identifying four major areas of priorities on food production development in Africa. We fully endorse the views incorporated in the report. Our government has always attached great importance to economic and technical cooperation with African countries. In our bilateral cooperation programmes with them, agriculture has always been given high priority. We are deeply concerned with the difficulties encountered by the food-deficit countries in Africa. In the light of the principle of "equality and mutual benefit, diversity in forms, striving for effectiveness and seeking common development", we shall as ever continue to further strengthen our cooperation with African countries within our own capabilities, especially in the sphere of economic and technical cooperation concerning food and agriculture.
The new concept on food security put forth by the Director-General to the Eighth Session of the Committee on World Food Security is to ensure both physical and economic access to basic food by all people. This is a more comprehensive concept on food security as compared with the one initiated in the past, which is also a summary of the practice over a decade. Indeed, we still have a great deal to accomplish before world food security can be brought into being under the new concept. Therefore, we think it is only right for FAO to strengthen its work on food security including the establishment of a food security action programme in order to coordinate with other FAO programmes.
Regarding the proposal for a special world food security fund, we feel if the source of funding could be found with the support by donor countries, along with the FAO action programmes, it will no doubt constitute a new impetus to FAO's food security work. However, in view of the current world economic situation, the establishment of the fund might encounter some difficulties for the time being. Nevertheless, it is a positive proposal worthy of our further consideration.
Concerning the proposal on "measures at the global level", the Director-General pointed out in his opening statement that there was still a divergence of opinions at present. So he said "we could thus pursue those suggestions which appear likely to achieve consensus in the near future". We support such an approach. We deem that the Council should adhere to the spirit of "seeking common ground while acknowledging differences" and encourage the Secretariat to take action for proposals on which a consensus has been reached. The difference of opinions should in no way prevent FAO from enhancing its endeavours to improve world food security. Of course, in carrying out these activities, it is necessary for FAO to seek and strengthen its cooperation with other relevant UN agencies.
Before I conclude my remarks, please allow me once again to express our appreciation for the efforts made by FAO for world food security.
M. ARIZA HIDALGO (Cuba): Nuestra Delegación participo en el octavo período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria, siendo además miembro del Comité de Redacción; por este motivo se puede pensar que no tenemos elementos nuevos que añadir a lo ya convenido en dicho Comité; sin embargo, no es así, porque tenemos una condición de miembro de este Consejo que nos permite someter a discusión y aprobación este Documento.
Nosotros nos vamos a limitar a recalcar algunos aspectos que mi Delegación considera de sumo interés, porque la exposición hecha por el Dr. Islam fue una exposición que aunque breve, fue muy concisa y muy inteligente en cuanto a exponer de manera clara cuestiones fundamentales aprobadas por aquel evento.
Con referencia a ese octavo período de sesiones, nuestra Delegación apoya totalmente los resultados más importantes de ese Comité que fueron el consenso y lamentamos y no apoyamos, tenemos que expresarlo aquí, ya que no en nuestras funciones de miembro del Consejo, las pocas opiniones divergentes. Opiniones divergentes que nos hacen coincidir totalmente con lo expresado por el Director General en su intervención de ayer al referirse a que un consenso total en seguridad alimentaria era difícil por ser un campo minado por poderosos rivales, los intereses comerciales y financieros.
Consustancialmente con esa exposición y la exposición de la representación mexicana que esta mañana nos ofreció una relación muy importante de los consorcios que dominan la comercialización y por ende las finanzas, nos hacen lamentar que esos intereses no hayan redondeado totalmente lo que se consideró un documento audaz, nuevo y profundo sobre la seguridad alimentaria, que fue presentado en esa fecha por el Director General de la FAO. Y fue el tema principal analizado en esta discusión.
Este documento hace un análisis sobre los principios y métodos para adoptar un nuevo enfoque de la seguridad alimentaria, el cual intenta dar la amplitud adecuada e introducir las innovaciones necesarias en la dinámica que el desarrollo hace imprescindible. Consideramos un resultado muy importante de esas deliberaciones llevadas a cabo el hecho de que el Comité en su totalidad aprobó el concepto más amplio de seguridad alimentaria que fue propuesto; nos parece un logro importante, ya que este nuevo concepto tiene por objeto dar a toda la humanidad en todo momento el acceso material y económico a los alimentos básicos que necesita.
Apoyamos, pues, de manera expresa el contenido de los párrafos de las páginas 7 y 8 del. documento CL 83/10, versión en español, referente al concepto de seguridad alimentaria y a las posibles medidas para mejorar el sistema de seguridad alimentaria mundial, respectivamente, y especialmente los párrafos 40 y 43 ya que del contenido de los mismos se derivan las medidas para mejorar el sistema de suguridad alimentaria.
En cuanto a las implicaciones institucionales, incluyendo el fortalecimiento de ese Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria, apoyamos el párrafo 81, el cual consideramos decisivo al insistir en que es el único órgano intergubernamental del sistema de Naciones Unidas encargado exclusivamente de la vigilancia, la evaluación y consultas sobre la situación de la seguridad alimentaria mundial.
El Comité ofrecía, dice entre otras cosas, un foro consultivo -ofrece- apropiado para que los gobiernos analicen el problema de la seguridad alimentaria mundial en todos sus aspectos e hicieran recomendaciones sobre medidas de política teniendo en cuenta las funciones de otros órganos.
El párrafo 82, el 84 y el 86 de este documento, que estamos de acuerdo también con que se presente otro informe sobre este tema en el noveno período de sesiones del Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria que contenga ya las sugerencias hechas durante este octavo período de sesiones, así como en el Consejo y en la Conferencia.
Nuestra delegación dio también especial importancia a que el Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria dedicara un tema al análisis de las dificultades para el aumento de la producción alimentaria en los países africanos de bajos ingresos y con déficit de alimentos. Estamos de acuerdo en que se desprende de los análisis presentados que el índice de crecimiento de la producción alimentaria en esa región, especialmente en los países de bajos ingresos y con déficits de alimentos, deberá duplicarse con creces para el final de este siglo si se aspira a satisfacer la demanda tal como se expresa en el párrafo 92, pero coincidimos, y así lo expresamos en el Comité, con las medidas destinadas a aliviar las dificultades más graves de ese continente y que las producciones alimentarias de Africa deberán basarse en las prioridades que elijan los propios gobiernos africanos, aunque nos parecen acertadas las sugerencias que hizo el Comité y que están contempladas en el párrafo 111. Repetimos, son los propios gobiernos africanos, conocedores de sus necesidades y posibilidades, los que deben elegir y decidir las prioridades para el incremento de su producción alimentaria y donde debe tenerse en cuenta de manera especial la ayuda externa procedente de las distintas vías posibles.
Para concluir, mi delegación quisiera reiterar su apoyo a las medidas propuestas para reforzar de manera eficiente el plan de asistencia para la seguridad alimentaria, pero queremos expresar una preocupación que nos surge por lo expuesto por dos delegaciones que han expresado, en términos más o menos similares, una situación no clara para nosotros, por eso creemos, ya que este órgano nos permite aclarar, discutir y analizar todos los problemas de la seguridad alimentaria, de la agricultura de nuestro continente, de nuestro mundo, nos parece que es lógico que nosotros expresemos nuestras dudas.
Dos delegaciones han hablado aquí de que la situación que padecen los países en desarrollo fundamentalmente debe resolverse en el marco de cada país, que es el esfuerzo interno de cada país quien debe resolver los problemas. No entendemos qué se pretende con eso, señor Presidente; porque la situación que padecen los países en desarrollo, o subdesarrollados, no es producto de sus problemas internos, es producto de una situación externa, y el desarrollo que tienen algunos países no es producto de su esfuerzo único, es producto también de su exportación de capital, de la materia prima que viene de fuera, de la tasa de los intereses, de unas relaciones económicas internacionales aceptadas desde hace muchos años como desiguales; entonces me parece muy fácil ahora decir que el problema del desarrollo es interno de cada país y que cada país debe resolverlo internamente con su esfuerzo.
A. RODRIGUES PIRES (Cap-Vert) : L'examen du rapport de la 8ème session du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale constitue sans nul doute l'un des points culminants de notre Conseil. La pièce maîtresse de ce document est, bien entendu, le rapport du Directeur général sur la sécurité alimentaire. Je ne doute pas pour ma part que ce document fera date dans l'histoire de la FAO car il constitue sans doute un effort louable, et selon moi réussi, d'aborder la problématique de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale de manière à la fois intégrée et exhaustive.
Il était nécessaire à cet égard de commencer par dresser un bilan des principaux développements de la situation alimentaire mondiale au cours des dernières décennies et des tentatives effectuées pour renforcer la sécurité alimentaire.
Je me réjouis de ce que le Comité ait approuvé ce bilan en concluant qu'en dépit d'une meilleure perception par la communauté internationale des problèmes de sécurité alimentaire, la mise en place des mesures nécessaires à sa garantie venait à peine d'être esquissée.
Ainsi la première leçon à tirer du rapport du Directeur général est que l'absence de sécurité alimentaire mondiale résulte non pas d'une méconnaissance du problème mais seulement d'une volonté insuffisante de le résoudre.
Etablir un véritable système de sécurité alimentaire qui "assure en tout temps et à tous les hommes l'accès matériel et économique aux aliments de base dont ils ont besoin" constitue, en effet, un projet vaste et ambitieux et ce d'autant plus qu'il nécessite de procéder à de nombreuses et douloureuses remises en question que les gouvernements hésitent à entreprendre. Les débats qui ont eu lieu au sein du Comité le montrent bien.
Pourtant, aucun de ses membres ne semble avoir contesté la notion élargie de sécurité alimentaire telle que définie par le Directeur général.
Le concept élargi de sécurité alimentaire dépasse le cadre limitatif de la constitution de stocks de réserve et intègre tous les éléments relatifs à la production de denrées alimentaires, au fonctionnement des marchés nationaux et internationaux, à la libération des échanges et enfin à l'aide alimentaire. Tous ces éléments sont étroitement solidaires. Aussi la FAO a-t-elle le mérite de souligner que toute action sérieuse se doit de traiter le problème dans tous ses aspects spécifiques : assurer la production d'approvisionnements suffisants, établir au maximum le flux des approvisionnements, assurer à ceux qui en ont besoin l'accès aux approvisionnements disponibles. Ce troisième et dernier objectif est aux yeux de ma délégation à la fois le plus important et le plus délicat à satisfaire. Mais l'action de la FAO dans ce domaine a déjà été tracée par la CMRADR. Aussi je me réjouis que le rapport du Directeur général établisse clairement le lien entre sécurité alimentaire et développement rural.
J'en viens maintenant au troisième chapitre de ce rapport relatif aux mesures pouvant être prises pour améliorer le système de sécurité alimentaire. Ma délégation souhaite à cet égard donner son appui à trois suggestions du Directeur général qui lui semblent les plus importantes : d'abord associer la priorité accrue donnée à l'accélération de la production alimentaire à l'attribution de ressources suffisantes pour les cultures vivrières; deuxièmement, accroître l'efficacité de la RAIU en portant son objectif minimum à 2 millions de tonnes; troisièmement, améliorer la convention relative à l'aide alimentaire.
En ce qui concerne, par ailleurs, les mesures à prendre par la FAO, ma délégation se prononce sans réserve en faveur de la proposition du Directeur général visant à établir "un programme d'action pour la sécurité alimentaire" qui servirait à coordonner l'appui de la FAO et à mobiliser une assistance extérieure aux programmes nationaux de sécurité alimentaire.
Enfin, je souhaiterais pour terminer m'associer à la majorité des délégués ayant déclaré que le CSA avait un rôle central à jouer dans les efforts internationaux en vue d'améliorer la sécurité alimentaire. C'est la raison pour laquelle ma délégation se déclare en faveur de toutes mesures visant à renforcer le rôle du CSA.
Je suis bien loin d'avoir épuisé tous les points du rapport du Directeur général. Ce document est si dense qu'il m'était impossible de l'analyser exhaustivement dans le cadre de ma présente intervention, que j'ai limitée à quelques remarques. Mais je souhaiterais conclure en félicitant le Directeur général de ce rapport de très grande qualité grâce auquel la FAO a prouvé une fois de plus sa compétence et son expérience inégalées en matière de sécurité alimentaire mondiale.
F.G. POULIDES (Cyprus): The report of the Eighth Session of the CFS (CL 83/10) poses for the Council's decision issues of great importance. These are indeed at the heart of FAO's mandate and intimately bear on its pre-eminent role as a lead agency to oversee the entire range and complexity of the measures necessary for safeguarding world food security.
The centre-piece of the session was the Director-General's report reappraising the concept of world food security, re-evaluating its components and offering, within a broad institutional context, new approaches in order to realize the international community's goal to banish hunger and malnutrition by the end of the century.
Against the background of developments in the post-war period, the Director-General has proposed a broader concept of world food security with the ultimate objective of ensuring to all people at all times both physical and economic access to the basic food they need. The new conceptual framework calls for appropriate measures on a broad front, which, viewed in an integrated manner, would lead up to a composite world food security system. These wide-ranging measures to be taken at the national, regional and global levels, including those to be taken by FAO, are required to be directed towards three specific aims: adequacy of food supplies and production; stability in food supplies and markets; and security of access to supplies. The comprehensiveness and thoroughness of the framework and its scope can be gauged from the fact that the measures envisaged are more than a hundred in number, their principal focus being on low-income, food-deficit countries.
The feature that most distinguishes the revised concept is the recognition that food security is a universal problem which affects the vital interests of all countries, rich and poor alike. It is based on and responds to policies relating to agricultural and rural development, food production, availability of inputs, the functioning of national and international cereal markets, the foreign exchange needs of importing countries, trade liberalisation, export earnings, increasing the purchasing power of the poorest strata of the population, financial, material and technical assistance, flow of food aid and arrangements to meet emergency requirements. These are all ingredients of the total system, each acting and reacting on the other, and all cumulatively contributing to the strength of the system. A welcome refinement is the enlargement of the concept by the consideration of pulses, tubers, roots and complementary food (including livestock in some areas). This is of particular relevance to the situation in African countries.
The fact that the CFS has unanimously agreed to the revised concept is reason enough for the Council not only to give its own strong approval, but also to recommend that the new concept should henceforth be the governing criterion for action by food agencies. In regard to measures at the national level which, according to the CFS, are the indispensable basis for improved food security, especially for low-income, food-deficit countries, the Committee agreed on the need for developing countries to evolve national food security programmes, set in a broad policy framework, with clear-cut objectives, an appropriate policy-mix to achieve those objectives, and adequate resources to implement the policies which had been identified. The Committee also agreed that in designing and executing these programmes, many developing countries would need multilateral and/or bilateral aid in the form of financial resources, food aid and technical assistance. A noteworthy suggestion to emerge from the discussion was that these programmes could be planned from the beginning as a joint venture and that FAO should continue to serve as a catalyst for aid commitments and their coordination.
The Committee reiterated that the Secretariate guidelines for actions at regional level, considered at its previous session, was a useful framework.
Thus, the approaches indicated by the Director-General at the national and regional level have secured the endorsement of the Committee, and the Council should draw attention to their significance and extend its support to the Committee's recommendations.
The measures at the global level, and by FAO, proposed by the Director-General, were complex in nature and broke new ground in many aspects. The discussion was essentially aimed at setting out the lines along which further work could be undertaken taking account both of the comments and suggestions made in the CFS, and of the reactions of the Council and Conference. The emphasis should be on proposals on which a consensus appeared possible in the near future. Among these, of special interest to the Council are the proposals for a coordinated system of national food reserves, arrangements for meeting emergency needs, pre-positioning of stocks, food aid arrangements and formulation of a detailed Food Security Action Programme which attracted the most support in the CFS.
Although there were divergent views in the CFS on the initial steps proposed by the Director-General to strengthen CFS, a welcome conclusion was that FAO had a pioneering role in efforts to strengthen world food security and the recognition that the CFS was the most appropriate body to assume the main responsibility in dealing with food security issues in line with the broader and revised concept. The Council should encourage the formulation of proposals with a view to enabling the CFS to play a more central role and carry more authority as the specialized policy body bringing together all the elements in the food security system.
The other important part of the CFS report is its study on the constraints on African food production and its choice of measures that take into account priorities in the fields of training, research, delivery systems and institutional development. The Council should endorse the Committee's request to the Director-General for a second report which could form the basis for follow-up action by adopting a more substantive approach in regard to the priority areas identified by the CFS.
M. AHMED (Pakistan) : The report of the Food Security Committee is as comprehensive and commendable as its introduction by Prof. Islam is lucid and convincing. We welcome and in fact wholeheartedly endorse the broadened concept of food security to achieve an ultimate objective spelled out in para. 43 of this report, that is, to ensure that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to the food they need. What is, however, required - and this is of vital significance - is the political will and determination in evolving and practically implementing a viable food security system not only at the national but particularly also at the regional and global levels.
We also agree to the strengthening of CFS within its existing mandate as and when possible to enable it to handle this multi-dimensional subject in a competent, professional manner. The imperative urgency of this need was very ably and convincingly highlighted by the Director-General in his opening statement, the keynote address.
We have, however, a few observations to make. We are happy to note that pulses have been included as one of the essential food items. We would particularly emphasize the importance in this connexion of grain, which in many countries serves the same purpose as meat for the common man. In addition to this, we would suggest the inclusion of edible oil, which is yet another essential item. In the broadened scope of food security, research on all levels, national, regional and global, also needs to be emphasized. This research should be specially focussed on increasing food productivity and production at the small and marginal farms and prevention of post-harvest losses right down to points of consumption.
I would also like to invite attention to the predicament currently being faced by some rice exporting countries, and this has arisen from the small volume of international trade in this commodity compared to its total production. For example, Pakistan, which ranks third in the category of rice exporting countries, is currently losing $40 to $50 per ton for each ton of rice exported. Corrective measures need to be evolved so that the contribution of such countries to world food security is not eroded.
At this stage, I would like to submit for the information of the Council an innovative approach being adopted by Pakistan for facilitating the access of the really poor to food supplies in accordance with the tenets of our religion, Islam, and this is the system of religious taxes on property and agricultural production if they exceed certain specified levels. It is as much a religious duty to collect them as it is to ensure that these are distributed to the really poor. Comprehensive lists have been prepared of such needy people by committees constituted at the grassroots level. I thought this may be of interest to the Council.
Finally, we are in sympathy with the problems being faced by our African brethren in meeting their food needs. My delegation fully supports the action plan given in para. Ill of the CFS report to relieve the most severe constraints that Africa is facing in food production. With many of the countries of Africa we are cooperating and will continue to cooperate within the limit of our resources and as an expression of our solidarity with them.
LEE CHENG YAN (Malaysia) : The Malaysian delegation is grateful for the opportunity given to express our views on the report of the Eighth Session of the Committee on World Food Security. We would like to extend our appreciation to the Committee for the very useful and constructive deliberation and we believe the report contains some very important conclusions and recommendations which should get the support of all of us. In particular, I refer to the Director-General's Report on World Food Security and the report on constraints on food production in the low-income food-deficit countries in Africa.
Turning now to the report on World Food Security, without having to go again into the discussion of the report, which gives a new perspective and possible measures to promote greater stability and security in the world food supply and its equitable distribution, my delegation would like to reiterate our support to the new and broader concepts of world food security and possible measures to be adopted at national, regional and international levels, and those of the FAO as proposed by the Director-General and accepted by the Committee.
We particularly welcome the various measures for the pooling of efforts and resources within and outside the Organization to ensure that the limited resources available for food security programmes and activities would be effectively and efficiently used. As mentioned in para. 72 of the report, FAO and many other international development organizations could do much to promote and support national food security systems. My delegation agrees fully with the Committee's conclusion on the need for close cooperation, coordination and working relations among all international organizations dealing with various aspects of food security to avoid duplication and overlapping of functions. Para. 86 emphasizes this issue very clearly.
As mentioned by the Director-General, the concept of world food security has to be revised to meet the need of changing times and conditions. This report has taken into consideration various factors which in his judgement are important for the improvement of the concept. His proposals for specific measures are based on these reflections. Some of these measures need immediate implementation, while others require further consideration and study. We do, however, agree that this report contains valuable and inexhaustable information and should be used as a base line document for future discussion on measures for food security. There are many proposals contained in the report on which the Committee had agreed and in which I am sure this Council will concur. It is hoped that the Secretariat would be able to prepare in detail various aspects of its operation for consideration by this Council and possible implementation now and in the future. On those proposals which did not get full approval of the Committee, it might be necessary and worthwhile to reconsider them during a more appropriate situation. My delegation would endorse the report as approved by the Committee.
With regard to the report on the constraints on food production and low-income food-deficit countries in Africa, we would like to congratulate the Secretariat for being able to prepare a report bringing to our attention the problems faced by the countries in the African continent with regard to food production. The situation in Africa should be the concern of all of us. The focus by international agencies on Africa should be welcomed, and in this respect the priority given by FAO in its Programme of Work and Budget to Africa should get our full support.
We welcome the increased commitments by international agencies and donors, but we hope that these firm commitments are converted into firm action if we hope to see the African continent emerge from what is now a full decade of dismay and suffering. Equally, the countries in the African region will no doubt play their respective roles to deploy their resources to complement the external assistance in order to achieve the goals of self-reliance in food. We support the suggestion that in view of the complexity of the situation prevailing in this region, food and agricultural development programmes would be maximized if they were concentrated on a few key priority areas, as mentioned in para. Ill, and that the delivery systems should be conducted on a sub-regional or regional basis.
The report on the review on the implementation of the Plan of Action on World Food Security indicated that while there is desire among developing countries to adopt and implement the Plan of Action, they are constrained by a number of factors resulting in them not able to have adequate stock and therefore subjected to the constant danger of being without food. Food aid and increased financial assistance will continue to be an important element in world food security.
However, we are happy to note that there have been some very concrete developments that have taken place to foster collective self-reliance in strengthening food security. This is an encouraging sign that we feel should be supported by all.
G. DESESQUELLES (Observateur pour la Communauté économique européenne) : Sur ce point de l'ordre du jour : Rapport de la 8ème session du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale, je vous présente le point de vue de la Communauté économique européenne et de ses Etats membres.
L'amélioration de la situation alimentaire des pays en voie de développement ne pourra être vraiment efficace et avoir des effets durables que par une augmentation de la production alimentaire et par l'amélioration des systèmes de distribution dans ces pays. C'est pourquoi la Communauté européenne, depuis plusieurs années, attache une importance croissante à la coopération dans le domaine agricole avec les pays en voie de développement.
Dans ce contexte, comme vous le savez, le Conseil de la Communauté européenne a approuvé en novembre de l'année 1981 un plan d'action de lutte contre la faim dans le monde.
L'un des aspects principaux de ce plan concerne l'aide de la CEE à la mise en oeuvre des stratégies alimentaires des pays en voie de développement.
Il est évident que l'implication de la Communauté européenne et des Etats Membres doit se placer dans le cadre des orientations définies souverainement par les pays bénéficiaires dans leurs stratégies et dans la logique du développement sur laquelle elles reposent.
Le type de coopération envisagé suppose que les pays concernés, de même que la Communauté européenne et ses Etats Membres, aient la volonté d'entrer dans un mécanisme de concertation et d'adaptation permanent pendant sa mise en oeuvre.
Si cette démarche est exigeante pour les pays mettant en oeuvre ces stratégies, elle l'est aussi pour la Communauté européenne et les Etats Membres qui devront toujours être prêts à trouver une réponse adéquate aux questions concrètes soulevées à chaque stade de la mise en oeuvre de la stratégie alimentaire.
La Communauté est également convenue d'inviter d'autres organismes et pays donateurs qu'intéresserait la participation au même type d'action à se joindre à la Communauté européenne et à ses Etats Membres dans la réalisation de cette initiative, comme c'est déjà le cas pour le Mali.
Dans ce contexte nous accueillons favorablement la démarche entreprise par le Secrétariat de la FAO en ce qui concerne l'assistance technique aux pays en voie de développement pour la formulation et la réalisation de politiques alimentaires appropriées.
En ce qui concerne les aspects extérieurs, la Communauté a toujours insisté sur la nécessité d'un nouvel accord international sur les céréales comportant des dispositions économiques appropriées en vue de contribuer à stabiliser les marchés, d'améliorer la sécurité alimentaire, et de mettre en place un système coordonné sur le plan international de réserves alimentaires nationales. Malheureusement les efforts faits dans le cadre du Conseil international du blé pour arriver à un nouvel accord n'ont pas pu aboutir. Ce manque de progrès a des effets pour la sécurité alimentaire des pays en voie de développement, et des plus pauvres en particulier.
En ce qui concerne plus particulièrement le rapport de la 8ème session du Comité de la Sécurité alimentaire mondiale, la Communauté économique européenne tient à déclarer qu'elle peut marquer son accord sur le concept élargi de la sécurité alimentaire proposé par le Directeur général, mais qu'elle a plusieurs réserves sur les propositions concrètes, comme elle l'a déjà exprimé lors du récent Comité de la sécurité alimentaire. Ces propositions sont de nature préliminaire et il faudrait examiner les suites à leur donner lors de sessions ultérieures. A cet égard, la Communauté pourra préciser sa position sur les éléments détaillés au fur et à mesure qu'ils seront présentés par le Directeur général dans le cadre des prochaines réunions du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire.
A ce stade la Communauté tient simplement à souligner qu'elle espère que les contributions à la RAIU augmenteront afin d'atteindre le niveau prévu. En ce qui la concerne, la Communauté a largement contribué à cet objectif mais aussi à l'aide alimentaire en général.
En conclusion, la Communauté économique européenne est disposée à continuer à prendre sa part de la responsabilité commune liée à la lutte contre la faim dans le monde. Nous savons que notre part doit être importante et nous sommes désireux de montrer l'exemple dans ce domaine afin qu'un consensus puisse se dégager, car la situation est urgente.
A. NTEZILYAYO (Rwanda): Je voudrais profiter de l!occasion qui m'est donnée pour exprimer à très haute voix combien le rapport de la huitième session du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale est d'une grande qualité, surtout grâce aux nombreuses propositions constructives qu'il contient et que ma délégation appuie entièrement. La situation de la sécurité alimentaire apparaît comme très grave actuellement, même si certains progrès ont été réalisés ces derniers temps. Nous devons encore reconnaître que l'Afrique, à laquelle appartiennent les pays les moins avancés, est la plus menacée. Dans les forums internationaux on est actuellement sensibilisé, sur les problèmes des pays les moins avancés; on organise des tables rondes des bailleurs de fonds, on crée des comités spéciaux, on choisit des pays pilotes où l'aide est concentrée. Malheureusement, lors d'une nouvelle évaluation, on a eu l'occasion de constater que la situation de ces pays est encore plus dramatique. Aussi je pense que l'aide à ces groupes de pays auxquels appartient mon pays, le Rwanda, devrait dépasser le cadre des slogans et se traduire réellement dans les faits, la coopération internationale se mobilisant pour empêcher ces pays de mourir.
J'en profite toutefois pour remercier la FAO pour son intervention énergique dans le Programme de la sécurité alimentaire de mon pays, notamment pour la formulation et la recherche de financement d'un projet basé sur la définition d'une stratégie à long terme de la sécurité alimentaire, la recherche de technologies et de moyens de stockage des haricots sur des périodes longues sans perte de qualité, la mise en place d'un système de réserves alimentaires avec un stock initial de huit tonnes de céréales et de légumineuses. Cette action, à laquelle collaborent également d'autres coopérations manque encore malheureusement de l'essentiel, à savoir le financement du stock stratégique. Pourtant le Rwanda est un pays pauvre où des disettes dues à des conditions géographiques particulières sont devenues fréquentes, un pays très surpeuplé, bref un pays où la constitution d'une Réserve alimentaire d'urgence apparaît loin d'être un luxe. L'aide alimentaire intervient pour résoudre ponctuellement ces cas de disette et nous avons apprécié son efficacité dans plusieurs situations difficiles.
Néanmoins, nous pensons que nous avons encore des potentialités à mettre en valeur de telle manière que l'aide alimentaire puisse être réduite à très peu dans les années à venir. Il est d'ailleurs heureux de constater que le gouvernement a fait de la réduction de l'aide alimentaire un programme quinquennal. Nous comptons sur tout le monde pour nous aider à produire nous-mêmes notre nourriture. Nous croyons que la réussite des programmes de sécurité alimentaire passera d'abord par des stratégies nationales très réalistes. Nous voudrions à ce propos souligner notre appui aux propositions du rapport de la huitième session du CSA concernant notamment l'augmentation de la production agricole, le développement rural intégré basé sur le développement harmonieux du milieu rural depuis les infrastructures de communication sociale, les programmes de vulgarisation et de recherche jusqu'aux programmes à haute intensité de-main-d'oeuvre conçus spécialement pour les campagnes rurales, des mesures incitatives à la production, y compris notamment des prix aux producteurs assez rémunérateurs et une commercialisation très dynamique; une priorité aux cultures vivrières dont se nourrissent traditionnellement nos populations avec un accent particulier sur les légumineuses et les tubercules qui, jusqu'à présent, ont retenu beaucoup moins l'attention que les céréales. Il est urgent de les intégrer dans la chaîne de transformation de conservation et de commercialisation.
A ce propos, le Programme des farines composées enrichies en protéines et dont on parle tant devrait commencer à voir le jour dans nos pays. La FAO et les autres organisations internationales peuvent faire beaucoup pour soutenir les programmes nationaux. Nous pensons qu'au niveau de la FAO le renforcement des ressources du PASA pour que ces interventions soient plus consistantes serait souhaitable.
Quant à l'organe d'intervention appelé Programme d'action sur la sécurité alimentaire, nous sommes d'accord avec son principe, s'il devait contribuer à accroître l'efficacité dans la coordination des actions dirigées vers la sécurité alimentaire.
La constitution d'un fonds spécial de sécurité alimentaire mondiale, que propose le Directeur général de la FAO, apparaît être un instrument supplémentaire d'intervention au niveau des politiques et programmes nationaux de sécurité alimentaire, mais certaines inquiétudes sont effectivement permises au moment où la reconstitution des ressources du PNUD, de l'IDA et du FIDA pose des problèmes.
Quant au Pacte mondial de la sécurité alimentaire, il me semble acceptable et être à la hauteur des interventions de la FAO.
Pour terminer, j'aimerais souligner que le diagnostic de la situation de la production alimentaire dans les pays d'Afrique à faible revenu et à déficit alimentaire qui est fait dans le présent rapport est très convenable. Par ailleurs, il est vrai que les mesures visant à réduire les obstacles et contraintes de la production alimentaire doivent passer par les priorités gouvernementales et nous pensons que la priorité doit être accordée aux changements structurels et institutionnels : crédit agricole, commercialisation, recherche, vulgarisation, formation et planification, même si les contraintes économico-financières sont également importantes.
Enfin, je voudrais appuyer encore une fois la nouvelle conception de stratégie alimentaire qui se veut plus détaillée, plus globale, plus proche de la préoccupation de beaucoup de nations en ce sens qu'elle parle de l'autosuffisance alimentaire collective et individuelle permanente.
S.P.MUKERJI (India): In the Declaration issued after the New Delhi meeting in March this year there were 101 members of the non-aligned movement representing almost two thirds of the nations of the world and half of mankind who collectedly proclaimed that food was a fundamental and universal human right. The right to survive is obviously the first and indispensable condition for the enjoyment ot any other right. If hundreds of millions are still to go to bed hungry and to live in dire want and despair, it is not because of the perversity of fate or the niggardliness of nature but because of human folly or callousness.
As we all know, hunger and malnutrition can be totally wiped out by the spread of modern technology and skills, and by the more equitable distribution of the world produce. What is lacking is an effort of will and a sense of common humanity. The non-aligned declaration on world food security combines a sublime spirit of universality with practical wisdom. The twelve point programme drawn up in New Delhi constitutes so to speak a bill of duties to ensure the right to survive for all humanity. The five point plan of action adopted by the FAO was endorsed as a key-stone, the other major blocks of the arch of world food security being a new better deal in respect of trade in agricultural commodities, aid, emergency food reserves, finances for food import, use of food surpluses for promoting development, pre-positioning of food stocks at strategic locations. The predominant role of FAO in the planning and realization of the role of world food security was fully acknowleged in the New Delhi Declaration. They also reaffirmed the need for increased resources through food aid conventions to the extent of 18.5 million tons.
At the same time the New Delhi message proclaimed on behalf of the entire non-aligned movement through the Prime Minister of India that in our shrinking and inter-dependent world, global problems had to be tackled globally in a spirit of mutual understannding and cooperation, and not in a spirit of anger, bittnerness or hostility.
It is gratifying that our Director-General's opening address to this Session of the Council was characteristically broad in its sweep and lucid and profound and noble in its content. It also sought; to create a common basis for understanding and action. It is our good fortune that at this junction, when the dark clouds of global recession, which are pierced but by a few uncertain openings, have cast a deep shadow over the economic plight and prospects of the developing countries, in the most vital area of food and agriculture, we have as Head of the FAO Dr. Edouard Saouma, and Dr. Swaminathan as the Independent Chairman of the Council. I feel there cannot be any greater form of food security for the world than having Dr. Saouma as Director-General of FAO and Dr. Swaminathan as Chairman of the Council.
The Director-General has been a relentless fighter and a tireless advocate for those large sections of the human population who are going to bed hungry.
This morning you referred, Mr. Chairman, to darkness and light in the world food situation. Let me take the darkness first. Shadows are getting longer. Rising stockpiles of food concentrated in a few countries are casting cruel shadows on those millions, especially in Africa, who cannot have access to them. The invisible walls of trade and economic barriers have been created and are being raised higher and higher between the foodless and the food, between the hopeless and the hope, between the lifeless and life.
As these papers have indicated and as I referred to in the morning, as many as 43 countries in the world today are having a rate of growth of food production which is outpaced by the rate of growth population. It has been estimated that between January and April this year 35 countries faced serious food shortage, as compared to only 24 countries during the same period last year. Per capita output of food grains has been declining during the last five years, but what is more tragic is that the external assistance in the field of agriculture for increasing agricultural production has been coming down between 1981 and 1982. We are still in a condition where in most of the developing countries at least 10 percent of the food grains produced is being damaged by pests and 10 percent by disease. It is apprehended that at the end of 1983/84 world stock of food grains, even if it is higher than 17 to 18 percent now as indicated by the FAO world food security, will fall below 17 to 18 percent. The share of aid to the developing countries through imports of food grains by them declined from 25 percent in 1977/78 to 16 percent in 1982/83, insofar as the food-deficit countries are concerned.
But now I see light also; light in the Director-General's missionary spirit to light the torch of world conscience in helping the poor countries to get food, either by aid or by trade; and, what is most important, by productive and managerial efforts. I feel that the Director-General's report is an eye-opener, a conscience-rouser and a constructive document which must be taken literally and in the spirit in which it is written, and it should be adopted with unreserved sincerity by all of us.
I see also light in what India has achieved in the field of agriculture by its own genius and efforts. I indicated a few figures in the morning but let me say that ever since India attained independence, wheat production has gone up from 6 million tons in the 1950's to 41.5 million tons this year. In 1981/82 we had a record production on sugar-cane and in that year India became the largest sugar producing country in the world. But apart from production, India has been paying attention to giving incentive to the farmers by price support operation in case of cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, and it has also been injecting, through its employment generation schemes, purchasing powers in the rural areas; and, what has become a part of India's food scenario, we are maintaining our buffer stocks of 16 to 20 million tons of food grains and we are distributing every year, through 300 000 fair price shops, 14 million tons of food grains in every part of our country; and we are producing every year about 15 million tons of food grains through cooperatives and government channels.
The Indian delegation fully and strongly endorses the Director-General's Report and agrees that the Committee on food security, being the only agency in the United Nations system and in the world dedicated to food security, must be strengthened. Follow-up action, as indicated in paragraph 90 of this document, should be taken up. My delegation would request the Director-General to kindly take note of the various developments that have been taking place and, on the basis of the comments made in this forum, he may kindly report further to the Ninth Session of the CFS so that the foundation of a new order is laid where man's right to food for survival is vindicated, and that a new order is ensured whereby production of food grain in any part of the world will be rewarded and not discouraeed. so long as there is a single mouth in any other part of the world which did not get its last meal of the day.
We welcome the Director-General of FAO to come up with a solid action programme which will enable us to go from rhetoric to reality, from feelings and thoughts to action and - what is most important -from darkness to light.
P. GOSSELIN (Canada): We have read with interest the Report of the Committee on World Food Security. The Canadian delegation like many others in this room participated fully and, as a general framework, we can endorse the Report as well as the broadened concept being proposed for food security; and we would advocate continued attention to the national measures and to the extent that they are complementary to the regional measures. We continue to have some reservations on the many specific proposals made in the CFS in a preliminary fashion. We will look forward to more concrete proposals at subsequent meetings of the CFS.
In paragraph 6 of document CL 83/10 we are told that "The Committee assessed the world food security situation"; and in paragraph 7 that "The Committee recognized that while there had been a further increase in the food supplies at the global level, the food security situation in many low-income countries had deteriorated."
In document CL 83/4, the Report of the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees we are told in paragraph 1,2 that: "The Committee fully agreed with the Director-General's assessment of the world situation and in particular the continued gravity of the world food situation."
We have some difficulty in accepting or endorsing this statement of the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committee, i.e. we would not agree with the assessment of the continued gravity of the world food situation. In document CL 83/10 it is stated, in paragraph 8, that: "The World cereal production had risen again in 1983." But then it says: "Regrettably, only in developed countries was there a large increase in output. World production was expected to exceed utilization for the second successive year" etc."
While it is regrettable that only the developed countries, and a few less-developed ones such as Pakistan and India, had large increases, it is still fortunate that at least they have had them. It is also worthy of note that many others did show small improvements, which is where we believe the stress should lie. The continued small increases in many less developed countries are to be complimented and encouraged and should not be glossed over or forgotten.
We also note in paragraph 8 that "a further sharp rise in carry-over stocks of cereals which were forecast to be equivalent to 21 percent of projected consumption in 1982/83, were above the 17-18 percent which is estimated by the FAO Secretariat as the minimum level necessary to ensure food security."
The world food security situation, then, has improved; it is not one of continued gravity. What is of major continuing concern to us all is noted in paragraph 9 of document CL 83/10, and that is that in some low-income food-deficit countries, production has again declined. This situation is particularly acute in Africa but there are other parts of the globe which - although on a smaller scale - have experienced similar declines.
Paragraph 10 states that:
"According to the FAO Early Warning System, 20 African countries were affected or threatened by food shortages due to poor crops, and the presence of large numbers of refugees and displaced persons had made the situation even more difficult for some of them."
As we all recognize, however, poor crops are not the reason or cause; it is a result. Poor crops are the result of environmental conditions such as drought, floods, hurricanes, etc., but also the result of poor management, low incentives, inadequate national priorities, inadequate production techniques, etc. These latter causes - i.e. the inadequate government priorities, low incentives -are rarely, however, given the emphasis we believe they deserve. At least, some of this emphasis is recognized in Section III under measures at National Level.
Paragraph 44 notes that: "The Committee considers that action at national level provided the indispensable basis for improved food security, especially for low-income food-deficit countries." It might have been rephrased in even stronger words to the effect that each individual country has a primary responsibility for ensuring that the highest priority is given to its own agriculture food production sector. Without this, we believe that we will be faced with a situation of ever-increasing dependence on others, a situation that no developing country, nor any other country for that matter, wants. We hear a great deal about basic human rights in this forum but we hear, we believe, little enough about basic human responsibilities. Inadequate priorities to food and agriculture, mismanagement, inner ministerial competition,whether this be in the developed countries or in developing countries are, as we all recognize, impediments to sound development. It therefore behoves us to support, indeed strongly support, the statements made by the Director-General to the delegations assembled at the Sixteenth Session of the FAO Conference for the Near East. In that Conference he said "Investment in agriculture has not so far been given the necessary priority by the countries of the region." He further said "If technical and administrative shortcomings are added to the inflationary factor the general picture of agricultural investment is not very e encouraging. It shows on the contrary that the present trend towards increased dependency in feeding people of the region will continue and become worse in time unless governments become aware of the negative implications of such a trend and take action to mobilize their potential and their energies for agricultural investment." These are perhaps difficult choices to make for most countries but in fact we believe that there are no other choices and perhaps no other solutions. It is for this reason that we have given our support, both moral and financial, to the concept of food security strategies as we believe them to be a useful tool to assist in focussing attention and the scarce resources to the issues of highest priority. National measures are also the area we would advocate that the FAO concentrate its activities, given its limited resources, as these measures are those that will probably present the greatest potential impact, at least in the short and the medium term.
Turning to the section of the paper on Constraints on Food Production in Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries of Africa, here we see the other side of the food security coin, that there is more to food security than consumption. It is fitting that the CFS and this Council continue to focus a substantial portion of its attention on the regions where food security problems are gravest. My Goververnment intends to intensify its efforts towards attacking the African food problem in partnership with increased efforts on the part of the African countries themselves. Africa is already the primary regional focus for our official development assistance, it accounted for 40 percent of all Canadian bilateral assistance last year. As well the Canadian International Development Agency has clearly identified food and agriculture as the first priority for the 1980s aiming at an objective of 4.5 million in total assistance to that sector over the next five years. The second priority will be human resources development.
Finally, we believe that in respect of this part of the report if follow-up action to the present debate takes the form of further analyses on constraints and their solutions we would hope that these analyses would refer to work by other institutions, notably the CIDA family and WFC and be prepared in consultation with the governments themselves.
M. TATIETA (Haute-Volta): La delegation de Haute-Volta a pris connaissance avec grande satisfaction du contenu du rapport sur la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. Elle tient à exprimer ses félicitations au CSA pour l'analyse exhaustive des problèmes de sécurité alimentaire.
Monsieur le Président, la délégation de Haute-Volta approuve la proposition faite au sujet des structures de stockage aux niveaux national, régional et mondial. Nous voudrions, avec l'indulgence du Conseil, donner quelques informations sur les structures de stockage en Haute-Volta.
Elles comprennent un Office national des céréales, qui est présent dans la plupart des grandes régions du pays. Mais ces structures se sont révélées limitées dans la ventilation des vivres à temps auprès des populations nécessiteuses. Pour cette raison, la Haute-Volta a encouragé, et continue d'encourager, la constitution de banques de céréales par les organisations paysannes sous forme de coopératives et de groupement villageois. Ce faisant, il est certain que ces vivres sont distribuées à temps, et cela aura pour conséquence l'intégration des populations dans la gestion des stocks de sécurité et réduira les gros dégâts imputables à la manipulation de grosses quantités dans un seul endroit.
Concernant la constitution de stocks au niveau régional, la Haute-Volta fait partie des pays du Sahel et a participé aux rencontres pour la mise en place de ces structures. L'espoir existe pour que ce projet voie le jour. Ma délégation serait très reconnaissante à la FAO des mesures qu'elle pourrait éventuellement prendre pour appuyer le CILSS dans la recherche de moyens en vue de réaliser le projet.
La délégation de Haute-Volta accorde son plein soutien au nouveau concept de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. En effet, un des moyens les plus sûrs d'atteindre la sécurité alimentaire est l'organisation des producteurs en vue d'une augmentation de la productivité et de la production. Cela pourra se faire par une analyse des contraintes au développement de la production dans chaque pays, et en prenant toutes les mesures pour y remédier. D'une manière générale, ces contraintes se résument en un manque de formation dynamique des agriculteurs, une insuffisance des moyens de production, une structure de prix au producteur qui ne tient pas compte des prix de production, un manque de structures pour les problèmes fonciers, une recherche agronomique pas toujours en mesure de mettre à la disposition du producteur des variétés hautement productives, un manque de circuits de collecte et de commercialisation, etc.
Nous venons d'énumérer le manque de structures de l'agriculture voltaïque, et nous pensons que la mise en oeuvre du nouveau concept de la sécurité alimentaire nous aidera à résoudre ces difficultés et à progresser dans la voie d'une sécurité alimentaire.
Nous terminons en renouvelant notre adhésion au nouveau concept, parce qu'il renferme un espoir pour les pays à faible revenu avec déficit alimentaire, dans la résolution avec le maximum de succès de leurs problèmes alimentaires.
L. MOHAPELOA (Lesotho): The report is indeed a well written one with welcome additions within the expanded conceptual framework of food security. The recognition of the importance of relating production to distribution, storage and consumption represents an increased relevance of food security. We are therefore most satisfied to register our support for the report of the CFS.
Under the discussion of the extended framework we identify the problem and indeed the CFS itself has resolved to design further ways and means of effectively addressing the question of food.
It appears to me that the questions of additional strategies in line with the expanded concept, we could use, for reasons of economy, those findings of those that have looked into the matter and collaborate with them. By so doing we are probably leaving our hands free to address the problem of production that the FAO have done so well to this point.
Mention has been made of the inadequacy of production and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It is to be noted that for the most part, without referring to the low production in this part of the world, it is the southern African states that are to be cited, mainly, of course, this is due to drought. The drought has been in the area for some time and indications are that it is to continue. Under the discussion of long-term strategies it seems appropriate therefore to address this problem by particularly thinking of harnessing the water resources that one still finds in the rivers. In this regard then I would wish to invite the FAO to consider and look into the possibility of irrigation in that area.
Next if you will allow me I will go on to the question of food aid. Admittedly this has its own place in the discussion of the CFA report, but I feel there is just one point which makes it relevant even if it is part of our discussion. The question of food aid as we look at it should be relevant to and related to the whole question of food strategies insofar as it assists directly increased production. In this regard food aid becomes an integral part of food security. This point is brought out in this report and we are happy to note that. Relating it therefore to some of our strategies I feel that FAO could look into the possibility of using food aid in the case of the southern African countries to support the irrigation that I have just referred to.
Mention has been made of the need to restructure the process of food production in order to overcome the problems of almost total dependence on imports and to satisfy the requirements of the developing countries in particular. The only addition to be made here by way of emphasis is the need to ensure complementarity and integration of all projects and programmes designed to improve the food security. This consistency is a task for all the participants - that is, the donors on the one side and the individual countries on the other. The point here is that the disintegrated nature of development that is brought about by approach oriented development plans warrants special attention.
Lastly on the question of food security I would like to point out that many countries of the southern African region would have advanced a great deal in food security were it not for the fact that they are forced to divert their scarce resources to defending their sovereignty. The Fascist regime in South Africa is an agent of destabilization. It is unfortunate that some of the powers that ought to give meaningful support to food security are the ones that are giving support to this agent of destabilization. This is another area that deserves special and urgent attention.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: I am grateful for this opportunity to add a few remarks at the end of your proceedings this afternoon, particularly as you are going on tomorrow and by adding these remarks I hope that discussions will be facilitated tomorrow. I have in mind particularly some comments that have been made about the suggested tendency of the Secretariat, the Committe on Food Security and even the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees to deplore or appear to deplore the fact that increase in food production tends to be concentrated in a few developed countries, in particular the North American producers. I am not here to defend the Committee on Food Security, or for that matter the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees, on which incidentally some of the speakers have representatives who have agreed their reports. Those committees, which means you, can defend themselves. But insofar as Secretariat documents and speeches are concerned I think I ought to explain that it is never the intention to suggest that increased food production, particularly by the larger producers, is a bad thing. The governments themselves apparently think sometimes that there can be too much of a good thing because they do take measures to restrict production. But we are not saying that increased production in developed countries is a bad thing. On the contrary, the Director-General in the document and in his speeches always draws attention to that as a positive element in the situation, and if I remember aright that is what the Director-General said in his opening statement to this Session this week. He began with the positive aspects. What is significant is not that they produce more but that such increase as there is is not coming on an overall basis, and as the Committee on Food Security says, the food security situation in many low-income countries has deteriorated. If it deteriorated in high-income countries that would be bad, but if it deteriorates in low-income countries it is much worse because they do not have the means of cushioning either themselves or their neighbours against the food shortages which result and because they are low-income countries they cannot afford to purchase supplies on the market and become more dependent on food imports and food aid. That is what we are emphasising, You can say, "Forget that, be optimistic, emphasise the positive, make people feel happy", but unfortunately no one is here to make people feel happy, we have to reveal the facts as they are.
The same applies to a lesser extent to the question of stocks. Of course it is a very good thing that stocks have risen above the acknowledged minimum level. But the same point applies, unfortunately stocks are not evenly spread over all countries, they are concentrated, and again the same problem applies.
So I hope-we can get away from the idea that the Secretariat is being overpessimistic or that some countries think we should be overpessimistic. We are trying to present the facts in a sober way so that measures can be taken. Here I do not think there is any basic difference between any members of this Council because I think most of you accept that there has to be increased emphasis on food production at the national level, and if some of you, many of you, feel that food sector strategies, whatever you call them, may be an important way of achieving this, well and good, FAO will play its part in assisting countries with their strategies, with their plans, with their priorities and programmes to achieve the same end.
The feeling I got from some interventions was that somehow there was a difference between this part of the hall and parts of that part of the hall, and there is no difference as far as I can see. We are trying to present the facts as they are, realizing the positive and the negative and concentrating our efforts where we can get the best results, which is developing food production in the low-income countries as well as on a general basis and encouraging the largest producers and the largest stockers to continue to be such and to continue to be generous in helping the less fortunate countries.
CHAIRMAN: With that we will come to a close this afternoon.
The meeting rose at 17.30 hours.
La seance est levée à 17 h 30.
Se levanta la sesión a las 17.30 horas. .
