CHAIRMAN: I have pleasure in welcoming you to this third meeting of Commission II which will go into the Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium 1980-81. Yesterday afternoon we started discussion on Chapter 2, Technical and Economic Programmes for the next biennium.
We also towards the end of the afternoon heard a statement by Dr. Bommer referring to some of the points made by the delegates. We now have names of several delegations who would like to continue the discussion on chapter 2.
Sra. Doña G. SOTO CARRERO (Cuba). Permítame, en primer lugar, unirme a los colegas que ya lo hicieron en el día de ayer para felicitarle por su acertada elección para presidir nuestros trabajos. Mi delegación considera que el Programa de Labores, y en especial, el Presupuesto de la Organización es el soporte material del trabajo que la misma realiza, tanto directamente en los países como en la propia Sede.
Analizando el documento C 79/3 consideramos que, en términos generales, los trabajos de la Organización se encaminan por buena y constructiva senda. Consideramos que la solución de los problemas del mundo subdesarrollado es una preocupación constante de la FAO y la concepción de su Presupuesto responde cada vez ms a este interés. Los objetivos propuestos necesitan recursos y si queremos práctica y verdaderamente apoyar la labor de la FAO, es necesario estar de acuerdo también por consiguiente, y apoyar el modesto incremento que se propone en el presupuesto. No comprendemos que se apoye una labor, y por otra parte se nieguen los recursos materiales, y mucho menos si se poseen esos recursos.
Nuestra delegación apoya el Presupuesto en su totalidad en la esperanza de que el incremento mínimo sea suficiente para resolver los programas de agricultura, alimentación, pesca, etc., incluyendo la continuación de programas tan importantes como es el de Cooperación Técnica y los Programas de Pérdidas Posteriores a la Cosecha, que tan importantes problemas están resolviendo rápida y eficazmente a los países subdesarrollados.
Con relación al capítulo, en el tema 2. 1. 2 referente a Cultivos, consideramos en el aspecto del plan de acción, que debe dársele especial atención a los programas de Semillas, y como decía anteriormente, a los programas de Prevención de Pérdidas de Alimentos, entre otros, ya que estos programas han traído mucho beneficio a nuestros países.
Con relación al punto 2. 1. 3 referente a Ganadería, y siempre refiriéndome al Plan de Acción, consideramos que deberían continuarse los programas para la lucha contra enfermedades de los animales. En especial, en el aspecto de la lucha contra la fiebre porcina, mi país presta ayuda a otros países de nuestra área, como un aspecto de la cooperación técnica entre países en desarrollo, que también es un elemento muy apreciado entre nosotros.
Yo le agradezco mucho la oportunidad que nos ha dado, y espero que haremos posteriores intervenciones cuando se traten otros puntos.
S. LATIF (Bangladesh): Since this is the first intervention on behalf of this delegation, let me congratulate you Mr. Chairman on your election to Commission II.
With regard to Chapter 2 we have comments to make first on the subject matter with regard to natural resources. My delegation would emphasize the need for priority attention that should be given to programmes and activities that reduce the non-renewable energy intensity of agricultural production; the shortage of fertilizers, the shortage of oil are affecting agriculture in Bangladesh and in many other countries, so how to improve the provision of natural production is a very important area in matters of development. Of course organic recycling and relative matters have been taken into account, but their approach has not been a very productive one in the sense that wherever attempts have been made there has been adversity in crop production.
With regard to crops, it is emphasized that the forecasts that were made on rice were focused on rainfed rice. Experience to date of major rice-producing developing countries would show that variabilities in rainfall not too infrequently precluded the possibility of rapid rice production. The total rainfall in a year may be adequate, but it is the amount of rain at the critical planting period or flowering stage which would determine the yield. The spread of high yield varieties started at a bank in the sixties and really ran out in the seventies, because we could not provide for irrigated rice production at the rate which is desired. In fact the recent land study has shown that the proportion of the cultivable land under irrigation has increased from thirty-five to seventy percent yield the crop area, and the yield of rice has also gone up from 2 to 4 tons per hectare. Expanding rice production has to come from intensive irrigated agriculture. It cannot be from rainfed rice.
With regard to the crops, we would emphasize that coarse grain, paddy rice and tuber crops have not had much attention to date. These have been the main source of protein in many parts of the world, and coarse grain is much the less input demanding. The crops are ideally suited for small farms. The crops are important from the nutrition point of view, and the crops are used for new development because this is a world development programme. We should emphasize the small farmer, and leading to better nutrition for the poor farmer. Their crop production has also an important role to play and the emphasis must be on the coarse grain, tuber and other crops which it seems has not been properly taken into account.
On the livestock sector I would emphasize a dairy development programme for small farmers following the successful new Indian model. In Bangladesh we have been also able to implement suitable modifications to undertake a cooperative development programme and institutionally implement this most important development for small farmers, which we think has a very important role to play for the income of the small farmer and the regional programmes to be undertaken in all the regions of the world.
In development, we consider that new possibilities have been opened in the economic zones because of the opportunity for the production of fisheries so that fisheries development may be undertaken. With regard to the fishery sector we have obtained already from FAO, we send our experts to China to learn their production techniques, which has been a valuable addition in fishery production and we thank FAO for it.
Those briefly, are our comments on Chapter 2.
G. ERICSSON (Sweden): As we dis not take the opportunity to speak yesterday allow me, Mr. Chairman, as an introduction to our comments to give a few general remarks which are indeed relevant to the implementation of the activities presented.
Like we did in the Council meeting on the basis of Summary Programme of Work and Budget we will now, when we have analysed the full Programme of Work and Budget, express our appreciation to the Director-General and his staff for the efforts made to state priorities and formulate strategies, as well as to allocate and reallocate the means to comply with these priorities. We feel that the priorities and strategies come very close to the possible best within given circumstances and we support the budget level proposes for 1980/81.
From the Director-General's introduction to document C 79/3 we would like to refer especially to paragraph 56 on strategies and priorities. From this paragraph I quote: "The work must continue towards a New International Economic Order and within that, emphasis must be put on increasing food production in developing countries and on increased activities aimed at rural development, with particular regard to the plight of the most poor and disadvantaged groups, including rural women. "
Since the work on the Programme of Work and Budget 1980/81 was already completed at the beginning of this summer, Member Governments have, in the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, adopted a Declaration of Principles and an Action Programme on national and international level. These documents have a strong poverty orientation and an emphasis on more equitable distribution of income and of more equitable access to social services, and they stress further people's real participation as a precondition for a successful development of rural areas.
We find it of extreme importance that all activities of the organization which are presented in the Programme of Work and Budget are focused on these aspects, to meet the demand from member countries. This will not always be easy, and we urge the management of FAO to be constantly aware thereof and to ascertain that this will be a clear FAO policy in all units and on all levels of the Organization.
Even when giving the full appreciation of the efforts in the Secretariat concerning strategies and priorities, we still feel that even more can be made during the implementation of this Programme of Work and Budget to present goals and objectives more clearly, as distinct from ways and means to achieve them, Mr. Chairman, I am now coming to more specific comments on Chapter 2. We are all of us aware that the preparation of the next budget grows from the implementation of the present one. I would therefore, Mr. Chairman on behalf of the Swedish delegation, like to point out some sectors and subsectors which we feel should be given special attention within the Programme of Work and Budget we are now discussing.
Under Natural Resources, sub-programme 2. 1. 1, the question of land and water capability as a basis for proper land use planning becomes more and more pressing. We feel that there might be a need of stronger coordination of soil and water management activities and a special attention to soil conservation measures to secure a sustained production from land for crop, which also deteriorates at an increasing speed.
Rural Development activities, sub-programme 2. 1. 5, will benefit during the next biennium from a higher budget increase than average. This is justified by the result of WCARRD and the new policy orientation which I referred to at the beginning of my statement. We find the present allocation relevant in a short perspective to lay a foundation for an increase during coming biennia. Nutrition, sub-programme 2. 1. 6 had strong support from member countries in the COAG meeting where a new strategy was presented. The budget increase is, however, close to average. Again, this might be proper for the coming biennium, but the work should be directed to a further increase in coming biennia. Furthermore, we associate ourselves fully with what was said on nutrition by the Danish delegation yesterday.
The EEZ-programme within Fishery, 2. 2, has our strong support as a well composed programme which could be viewed as a model for similar programmes within other sectors. In fact, we are already supporting financially under trust fund arrangements a regional small-scale Fishery programme in the Bay of Bengal which will play a role under the EEZ umbrella programme.
Within Forestry, 2. 3, we find the most spectacular changes of policy towards Forestry for Rural Development, and also a re-orientation of the total programme in this direction. We strongly support that.
To conclude, we are a little surprised to find so little said on Rural Energy in the present Programme of Work and Budget. Rural Energy was also a matter of concern in the discussion in COAG. We feel that real work has to be started during the coming biennium on the different aspects of the rural energy problem and this might be one of the main issues for the next Conference.
D. BETI (Suisse): Monsieur le President, je tiens à vous féliciter au nom de la délégation suisse pour votre élection à la tête de cette Commission.
J'aimerais faire tout d'abord quelques remarques générales au sujet du programme de travail et de budget présenté à la FAO. Très brièvement, en ce qui concerne le programme de travail tel qu'il est présenté, nous pouvons dire qu'il nous semble assez équilibré; et je voudrais pour l'instant en rester là et ne pas entrer dans les détails.
Nous avons examiné avec beaucoup de soin le budget que la FAO nous propose; ici encore, sans entrer dans le détail, nous estimons que le Directeur général, ces dernières années, a entrepris des efforts méritoires en vue de modérer les dépenses de l'Organisation sans lui enlever la base matérielle de son action. Mon Gouvernement est cependant d'avis que le taux de croissance retenu pour le biennium 1980-1981 reste élevé, et ceci quelle que soit la priorité que nous reconnaissions à la promotion de l'agriculture et au développement rural. Nous pensons que des économies pourraient encore être réalisées, en particulier sur les dépenses administratives qui découleraient d'une augmentation de l'effectif du personnel. J'aimerais ajouter que notre préoccupation s'inscrit dans la ligne de la politique constante que nous suivons à l'égard de toutes les institutions spécialisées du système des Nations Unies, et correspond d'ailleurs à nos directives sur le plan national.
Cette modération dans les dépenses pourrait à notre avis être poursuivie et même accrue également, en ce qui concerne le nombre d'études et de réunions. La priorité doit aller aux programmes de terrain. Le Directeur général l'a dit lui-même, dans l'introduction à l'examen du programme de terrain, et nous aimerions qu'il se maintienne sur cette voie.
Dans le document C 79/3 on mentionne à plusieurs reprises les efforts faits par la FAO en vue de décentraliser la réalisation de ces opérations. Nous reconnaissons avec satisfaction ces efforts. Nous pensons néanmoins que la FAO pourrait aller plus loin dans ce sens.
Le réseau de représentants FAO par pays nous semble être un bon moyen pour décentraliser, à condition cependant que ces représentants soient progressivement investis de compétences plus importantes aussi bien sur le plan technique que financier.
A notre avis, c'est le pouvoir de décision de la FAO qui devrait être dans une certaine mesure décentralisé progressivement. Un début a déjà été fait dans le programme de coopération technique où les représentants de la FAO par pays sont autorisés à engager des fonds à concurrence d'un montant limité. Il s'agirait maintenant de poursuivre dans cette voie. C'est dans ce sens qu'il nous semblerait opportun et raisonnable d'intercaler une phase de réflexion avant d'étendre le réseau des représentants de la FAO de 47 à 62 comme prévu dans le Programme.
Cette phase de réflexion serait aussi l'occasion d'entreprendre une évaluation indépendante du réseau existant, évaluation dont pourrait se charger le Corps commun d'inspection. Cette évaluation apporterait, nous en sommes convaincus, des éléments d'appréciation importants en vue de l'amélioration du réseau - du réseau existant déjà actuellement - et de son extension future. Si cette évaluation était entreprise, elle pourrait alors inclure également la question de savoir s'il est opportun de maintenir, voir même de renforcer, les bureaux régionaux, parallèlement à l'établissement des bureaux de représentants FAO dans les pays.
La FAO accorde depuis quelques années beaucoup d'importance à l'utilisation d'institutions nationales dans le cadre de ses projets, ainsi qu'à la promotion de la coopération technique et économique entre pays en voie de développement.
Dans le document C 79/3 on parle à plusieurs reprises de certaines difficultés que la FAO rencontre dans ces domaines. Cependant ces voies nous semblent être les bonnes malgré ces difficultés qui paraissent en grande partie propres à toute phase d'apprentissage même si l'avantage du recours aux capacités des pays en voie de développement ne semblent pas être évident dans l'immédiat, voir même s'il diminue temporairement l'efficacité d'un projet. Et si l'effort porte des fruits à l'année, la FAO devrait dès lors ne pas se laisser décourager pour poursuivre cet objectif malgré les difficultés qu'elle rencontre.
J. A. SANTOS OLIVEIRA (Guinée-Bissau): La Guinée-Bissau s'associe aux autres délégations qui l'ont précédée et vous félicite pour votre nomination à la présidence de cette Commission en tant que Vice-Président.
Nous félicitons également le Secrétariat pour l'excellent document du Programme qui nous a été soumis. Notre délégation appuie sans réserve le programme du budget (qu'il considère comme un minimum), pour la réalisation des objectifs prévus.
En ce qui concerne les points du chapitre II du Programme, "Programmes techniques et économiques", notre délégation attire l'attention sur le programme de l'élevage et la Guinée appuie toute l'action proposée en ce qui concerne la lutte contre la tripanosomyase africaine et la mise en valeur des zones.
En ce qui concerne le programme du développement rural nous voudrions manifester notre satisfaction quant à la rapidité de réponse de l'Organisation dans la mise en oeuvre du programme d'action dans certains pays et nous espérons que plusieurs autres pays, le nôtre par exemple, puissent en bénéficier aussi.
Notre politique de développement en ce qui concerne la création régionale d'un développement rural intégré, tend à favoriser les organisations dans le sens d'une coopération. Nous appuyons aussi les efforts faits pour la création de$ institutions financières en vue d'appuyer le développement rural et le Programme international de développement du crédit agricole.
C. THOMSEN (Denmark): Like some previous speakers this morning, I should like to make a few comments of a general nature on this item of our agenda.
First, my delegation would also like to compliment the Secretariat on the documentation provided to us as background for our discussions and consideration of the Programme of Work and Budget for 1980/81.
It seems to us that this is an important achievement which enables us to get a fuller picture of the situation and the proposed changes than we have ever had before. There is probably still room for further improvement, and I expect that we shall have opportunities later on to comment on this.
As far as Document C 79/3 is concerned, I should like to express our agreement with the analysis made, and we support the general policy and the priorities indicated. We particularly welcome the increased emphasis on country level activities, while at the same time we feel some concern as to the economic implications of the continued expansion of the countrv offices.
We support the need for selectivity in this process, and suggest we adhere to the exercise with regard to the rate at which the proposed expansion is implemented. We note with satisfaction that a large part of the proposed budget expansion has been made up for by reductions in other areas, and we would like to see this review exercise continued in the future so that it leads to further shifts.
Whereas, on the one hand, we welcome very much the fact that no major reorganization has been proposed, we would like to emphasise the need for the Organization to maintain the possibilities of these shifts and the necessary flexibility to avoid the risk of becoming fossilized.
With regard to Chapter 2, my remarks are limited to Rural Development, where we hold the view that the follow-up of the World Conference will present a new managerial challenge to the Organization if it is to achieve the inter-divisional and inter-sectoral collaboration which has been suggested.
The Director-General in his introduction has well stated that the task is not only one of achieving increased food production but it is equally important to bring the small farmers and land owners into development in order to improve their purchasing power and in that way, their level of nutrition. This is no small task and it calls for good will and collaboration among all professionals involved. But they have different backgrounds and different ways of thinking. We appreciate the efforts that are being made at present in this direction, we believe the matter to be of crucial importance. I would like to add that this importance applies equally to the need for positive collaboration between all the international organizations concerned with regional development.
I would like, before closing, to express our appreciation of the way in which the document has dealt with the medium-term objectives, although it is still necessary, as is clearly indicated in the documents, to read this in conjunction with the special documents on medium-term objectives, and we will come back to that matter.
With these remarks, we can support the Programme of Work as proposed, and the budget level on the basis of the information indicated so far, but we shall await additional information about the rate of exchange to be adopted and the consequences this will have for the budget figure.
L. KOVACS (Hungary): First of all, the Hungarian delegation would like to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your being elected Chairman of this important Commission. You will certainly receive the full cooperation of my delegation in your work.
Taking the floor for the first time, allow me to make two general remarks. The Hungarian delegation would like to welcome the presentation of the Programme of Work and Budget for 1980-81. We feel the relevant document is competent and clear. May we add that the document is well matching the other key reports and papers submitted to the Conference, such as the Medium-term Objectives and Studies of Agricul-ture Toward 2000. The Programme of Work and Budget is considered by my delegation as competent with the proposal made by the Director-General in other documents on the implementation of the major priorities of the Organization. Taking into consideration the Medium- and Short-term goals of the FAO, my delegation agrees with the structure and the level of the budget as proposed by the Director-General discussed in the 75th and the 76th Sessions of the FAO Council.
Speaking on the level of the budget, we have to underline that the economy of Hungary suffers from the impact of, the world economic situation. We are in short of important natural resources and our terms of trade declines in spite of our efforts. We have taken various measures to tackle this problem but we feel that we have to go further on. In the light of this, Hungary has concerns about any increase in the budget level of the international organization.
We agree with the efforts to pare the budget down to the smallest possible increase, but we hope, turning to Chapter 2, that some programmes will be given higher priority. We would welcome the concentration of means and efforts on the implementation of the recommendations of the World Conference for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. In our view, savings which may be achieved during the two-year period should be devoted to these fields.
We hope the European region will carry on with the strengthening of the agricultural research network, marketing of agricultural products including problems of packing and transportation and the better utilization of energy in agriculture. We think the results of these programmes are available for developing contries.
Z. GHOSHER (Jorden) (interpretation from Arabic): We think the proposed restrictions of our finanacing institutions in the relevant programme must be very few. If we are indeed to overcome the foodshortage towards food scarcity, we should provide the maximum possible expansion and application of arable
\
- 51 -
land if it is to expand horizontally. Here also credits are very low, therefore more concentration should be made on vertical expansion which is appointed for the solving of the problem of shortage of food, and this requires more ample budgetary allocations.
W. K. NGULO (Kenya): Thank you for giving my delegation the floor for the second time. Firstly, my delegation wishes to thank the FAO for the assistance given to the Republic of Kenya in various fields of agricultural development. In this connexion my delegation is satisfied with the progress made by the FAO as enumerated in the various sub-chapters of Chapter 2 or Doc. C 79/3. My delegation wishes to commend the FAO staff working in our country for the humanity and sense of purpose with which they have carried out the tasks entrusted to them. We wish to commend also the Director-General for decentralization of offices and operations. This, to us, means that FAO expertise is available in or near Member Nations and the project preparations and consultations could be made more speedily.
My delegation wishes to support the delegations of the Nordic countries in that they have placed the emphasis on nutrition. We feel there is no use for anyone to produce food that the hungry are not going to eat. There is little use, also, for the hungry to eat the food in a condition that cannot be absorbed and utilized by the body, for this does not help us at all. Emphasis on production of food, therefore, must be accompanied by equal emphasis on nutrition if we are to aim at the heart of the problem.
On Document C 79/3 itself I said earlier that my delegation is generally satisfied with the progress being made by the FAO in Kenya. However, on page 76 of this document, on Programme 2. 1. 3., Livestock, par. 11, there is casual reference to the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases, and I will quote: "Production and distribution of an acaricide resistance test kit was started, and preparatory arrangements for the establishment of a World Acaricide Resistance Reference Centre (WARRC) have been made, " When the Chairman of the Conference made a joke about doing the impossible, he might have been truly joking about tick control. Yet when I look over page 77 of this document on the action proposed, there is nothing said about tick control. This gives the impression that nothing is being done during this biennium on this very important area.
My delegation welcomes the setting up of a World Acaricide Resistance Reference Centre (WARRC) but we wonder where it is going to be set up. In my delegation's opinion this vital centre should go to areas that are greatest risk and that, I think, means the African region, with a very close view on cattle.
We will join the U. S. delegation in suggesting that perhaps not enough emphasis has been place on this area. We say this because we are constantly talking about not having enought animal protein for humankind. This means that we have to resort to crossbreeding, selecting cattle, and embarking on artificial insemination. This, in turn, means upsetting the natural balances between diseases that exist and the resistance to animal hosts that we have to do in most developing countries. Therefore we will be introducing high-yielding but disease-prone cattle. In our experience we have found that these cattle that come as a result of cross breeding and artificial insemination are very vulnerable to diseases, especially tick-borne diseases. It is therefore imperative that animal improvement suggestions should go hand-in-hand with disease control. In recognition of this fact, we in Kenya have embarked on a compulsory foot-and-mouth disease control as well as compulsory tick control. But these are battles that can be won only if they are tackled on a regional basis. It is gratifying, therefore, to hear that the FAO is doing something about foot-and-mouth in Tanzania.
With respect to trypanosomiasis my delegation is happy that this notorious and important disease has been recognized and we shall be discussing further on this issue.
If I say something on animal production, I see on page 78 of the same document, C 79/3, that it is planned to expand the activities of a pilot project on the use of agro-industrial by-product utilization. This is a very welcome move, because in most developing countries, and I take my country to be an example, we figure that most of the animals we have, that is, graded or shall we say improved cattle, do not have enough to eat and we feel that by proper feeding itself we could perhaps double the milk output from the cattle.
When we come to look into this business of agro-industrial by-product utilization, we must also bear in mind the waste that is caused by slaughtering cattle in local slaughter houses whereby we just let blood and other byproducts go into the bush and generally cause pollution.
This is an area which this Organization could address itself to. With respect to forestry we feel that efficient afforestation through tree planting and improved plantation establishments and management techniques will go a long way to providing wood and other forest products and at the same time help to hold the depletion of resources. We support the work of the FAO and UNEP in conservation in forests and
agrestic resources, and Kenya is participating in the Programme. We support also the work being carried out on development of small-scale meals and we note with satisfaction this will be expanded and that training will be given high priority. Lack of adequate training of supervisors and managers is a real bottleneck in the development of forest industries in developing countries. We hope, therefore, that attention will be paid to vocational training. We are appreciative also of the regular monthly bulletins on trade and tropical forests and we hope that these will be continued.
With all this and other activities one can perhaps find it a matter of regret that there is negative change in the programmes in Chapters 2. 31 and 2. 32. However, we appreciate with limited resources this was unavoidable in order to increase support for forestry for rural development. This is a field to which we attach great importance. It is important that forest reserves be maintained and intensified, afforestation and management sustained. While doing this it is also important to go outside these results to reach the rural communities. In the developing countries a large proportion of energy used by the rural communities is in the form of firewood and charcoal, and unless tree planting is vigourously taken to the people, it will be difficult to arrest forest depletion and the denudation of the land. In Kenya we have established what we call rural afforestation extension surveys. This is a young programme that provides extension and advisory services to the farmers and we are keen to learn from those who have the expertise in this field. In this connexion we are appreciative of the study tours that have been arranged like the FAO/SIBA one that is to take place in Thailand later this month. We welcome FAO's interest int the arid zone forestry and in Kenya we would like to take this opportunity to express appreciation of IDRAC of Canada for assisting us to establish research in afforestation of some arid lands. Production is also mentioned in the document Agriculture Towards 2000. My delegation feels that bee-keeping should be encouraged so that mankind can utilize further both planted and natural forests. We have in mind that the bee does not only make edible honey but it also is an agent of plant pollination. It fits very well, therefore, within the food production process.
G. de BAKKER (Netherlands): Speaking for the first time in this Commission I would like to start by congratulating you, as the Chairman of this important Commission, but even more the participants in this meeting of all the Governments present here. They are so fortunate to have you as Chairman because we feel there is all your experience, your international work you did before; we have good prospects for a successful meeting of Commission II. We are also fortunate that FAO found you were available for this job.
I would like to commend the Director-General and his staff for the good work done in preparing the Programme of Work and Budget. It is always the custom to say those things to the Director-General. I would like this time to pay tribute and place emphasis on the fact that a programme like this can only be prepared in all the details by a good staff, and I think that most delegates will agree that the countries and the Organization are fortunate that the majority of the staff pf FAO are good, and I would like to emphasize the fact that this is not a thing that goes by itself but that it requires time and attention to keep it good. Since it is not so that everybody has the highest mark that you can give, that the Director and people in Personnel do their best to adjust the composition of the staff to the new requirements of today. I have not often heard discussions about this subject, how to do that, and I would like to encourage that in the future, perhaps in the Programme and Finance Committee, some attention could be paid to this matter of adjusting staff to the requirements of today. It may cost perhaps some money, but I think that money is well spent when that is necessary. That is my first remark.
My second remark is that I am making a number of general remarks not specially directed to Chapter I or Chapter 2 but you will not mind. We are discussing the Programme of Work and Budget of FAO, the multilateral organization in the field of agriculture and food. I do not know exactly the percentage, but I guess that the money that is channelled through FAO either through the regular budget or old income from UNDP from trust funds is perhaps not more than 15 per cent of the money that is spent on food and agriculture by the total donor community, I mean of the bilateral donors. We do talk always quite a bit about better cooperation, better coordination between UN agencies that have to do with agriculture and food in this case, but I would say that it would also be very important to try to do a bit more to get in contact, and bring in contact with each other the bilateral donors with the multilateral donors, the multilateral organizations. I must say there are a few examples where FAO plays a role in that. I am just mentioning a few. There are certainly more, but a few that our country has been in touch with, for instance the fertilizer field: in the Fertilizer Commission, you find the bilateral and multila-teral organizations, and even companies that do business in fertilizers. We have the new ACC Sub-Commission on nutrition and there has been contact with the bilateral donors through this Commission. There is the Food Security Assistance Scheme. We have had some meetings with bilateral donors in the same field. The point I am trying to make is since much more money goes to the recipient countries of the world through bilateral donors there is some need, I feel, to have fuller information on what those bilateral donors are doing next to what the multilateral organizations are doing. I feel that
per country, when you take a certain country it is certainly in the first place the task of the country, the planning ministries of those countries, to try to coordinate and get full information of all the programmes, but I am talking here more of the subject-matter oriented exchange of information that could be organized by FAO. I wonder whether perhaps the Secretariat or other delegates here could give their opinion on the possibility that a multilateral organization like FAO, with the very many special programmes which they have, for which they ask for special funding, could do a bit more to try to be a sort of clearing house for information on what the bilateral programmes are in the same fields. I feel that that would be as important as spending more money that has come in from trust funds, special donations from donor countries. One could be done and the other could not be neglected.
I would like to make a few remarks on programme priorities. In general we can go along with all the priorities presented in the documents. We are not going to repeat here what our delegation has been saying in the different committees of FAO, COAG, COFI, COFU etc. I only want to make this point on the programme that we are often talking about that we must try to reach as much as possible the small farmers, the poor peasants, and that our programmes in the first place, when they are directed at them, are really poverty orientated. We are a bit concerned that by paying too much attention and priority on the major crops and the major important animals - I mean by major crops, wheat, rice, and by the major animals the major animal-production attention, cattle in the first place. I feel by placing too much emphasis on those crops and those animals that there is someplace, and I feel that sometthing more should be done for crops and animals that are specifically more within the sphere of interest of the small farmer. In the first place in the field crop or in the crops fields, horticulture. I have been making that point in the COAG, the Committee on Agriculture, and I was quite pleased that several delegations supported that point of view. I have the impression that the horticultural group here in FAO once was composed of about six people and it has gone down now almost to one. I am not sure that that is sufficient to be in touch with the many field programmes, the many projects in the field of horticulture that are executed in the different countries. In the livestock field I am a bit afraid that what is happening at present in the developed countries, namely pig production and poultry production shifts more and more to very big farms and very big enterprises with thousands of animals, that the same thing is going to happen in the developing world.
It is attractive because it can be organized in a very labour-intensive way so that it may bring in more money. But I do not think labour-intensive farming is the first thing one would expect to be encouraged in a developing country. I would say that more emphasis should be given to small animals for the small farmer; pigs, poultry and sheep would be a good thing. I know this is not easy because the staff of the Animal Production Division is not very large, but it is not up to us as delegates to say how that could be solved. We have a good staff and a good Director-General and I hope they can solve that problem.
Now a few remarks on the budget: certain sectors in our Government have expressed concern about the budget and this is perhaps understandable because the economy of our own country is at present at a low ebb. The Government has very big problems over making one right move with our own government budget, so it is understandable that every increase almost beyond zero is considered undersirable. On the other hand, I must also say that there are sectors in our Government who appreciate the Programme of Work and Budget because it is realistic, it is field-oriented at present and we realize that it is moving in the right direction.
Without money it is impossible to do the job, so balancing these two opinions, we feel that after further consultation with some of the friendly nations whom we meet once in a while, our country will after all vote in favour of the present budget.
However, I must make some remarks on the budget, and I think I could do that by saying a little about the three levels on which the programme is executed and on which the money is spent, namely: headquarters staff and programmes, regional staff and programmes, and the country representatives.
On the country-level programmes and the money spent for them, we can agree with the decentralization of the Director-General. We can therefore also agree in principle with the country representatives who exist and those who are being appointed more and more. We agree with our Danish colleagues that the speed at which they increase should be more moderate and that perhaps more consideration can be given than in the past to combining some of the smaller countries with a smaller number of projects into one combined country office, just as we do with our embassies in the smaller countries. Where the interest of our country is not so great we combine several countries in one embassy office. It is not particularly satisfactory, but when money is restricted one must do something, and we hope this will be given more attention.
We agree that the headquarters budget and headquarters staff should be about stable, they should not be decreased or increased too much. The only remark we would like to make is that headquarters staff in
the programmes and projects should more fièld-oriented. We are not sure that all the headquarters staff are backstopping the work on the projects in the many developing countries and many projects executed there.
We would like more attention to be paid all the time to better integration of the field and headquarters programme. However, we have our doubts on the intermediate level of the regional offices which are mentioned. The regional offices were very important in the past because there was less emphasis on the country offices, less money was spent on the country offices but the more money we spend there, when the total amount of money is restricted, the less should be spent on the regional offices. So I would hope that the backstopping of more field work could be done better by headquarters beca, use there are more specialized staff there. In the regional offices it is impossible; there is a maximum of one man per division so he can never be a specialist.
So I would suggest that for the next biennium, 1981-82, and perhaps even during this biennium more attention should be paid to the possibility of decreasing the total staff of the regional offices. In the proposals we found that it is even increased this time and I also remember that when the Director-General was speaking at the first Council Meeting, he said he was going to place much more emphasis on the country level and less on the regional level. I have not seen very much sign of that. I have seen the former very clearly but not less emphasis on the regional offices which I feel in the first place ought to be concerned about regional projects. As regional offices they could play an important role in promoting and helping regional projects. Also, there is certainly a place for some discussion, perhaps on the UN level, on the delineation of tasks and terms of reference between the regional offices of FAO and the agricultural programmes of the Economic Commissions of the UN in the different regions. I am not sure that in certain cases there is not an overlap between those activities. Whose fault it is I do not know, but I would suggest that more attention be paid to discussion of that overlap which exists in certain regions.
I would also like to emphasize that when moves in those directions are made, it should become easier for many of the larger contributing countries to accept more readily some increases in the budget which very clearly have a high priority.
My last remark is on the special FAO programmes for which special money is requested. When the Head of our Delegation speaks tomorrow in the Plenary Session, he will announce some new contributions from our Government to certain special programmes of the FAO.
G. ARMENTO (Italie): Permettez-moi d'abord de m'associer aux délégations pour vous adresser toutes nos félicitations pour votre élection à la présidence de cette Commission. Le Gouvernement italien considère le problème de la faim dans le monde comme celui dont la solution doit requérir la plus haute priorité. Non seulement mon Gouvernement mais le Parlement et l'opinion publique en général considèrent que ce problème comporte les caractéristiques d'une véritable tragédie. C'est dans cette disposition d'esprit que mon Gouvernement prévoit pour l'année prochaine des crédits supplémentaires destinés à l'aide aux pays en développement s'élevant à 100 milliards de lires (à peu près 140 millions de dollars). Je peux dire d'ores et déjà qu'une très grande partie de ce crédit supplémentaire permettra à mon pays de participer à la lutte contre la faim.
Quant au chapitre 2 du budget, je voudrais faire quelques observations sur le plan strictement budgétaire. Je voudrais tout d'abord me référer à certaines activités prévues dans ce chapitre, notamment aux publications de données, aux études, aux rapports, et aux programmes pour l'environnement que j'avais déjà pu trouver dans les budgets précédents. Ma délégation n'a pas d'objection contre ces programmes mais elle estime qu'avant d'en proposer d'autres, il faudrait procéder à une vérification des résultats que ces programmes ont pu apporter dans le passé; à savoir: est-ce que les pays bénéficiaires ont profité de ces programmes ? Est-ce que les résultats de ces programmes ont entraîné une amélioration de la production agricole? A partir du moment seulement où l'on s'est assuré de ces résultats, on peut proposer d'autres programmes.
Cela pose encore une fois le problème - déjà soulevé par d'autres délégations que la mienne dans le passé - de l'élaboration de programmes que nous estimons être un problème crucial pour l'efficacité de l'activité de la FAO - et pas seulement de la FAO d'ailleurs.
Le problème qui nous préoccupe le plus concerne les frais d'administration en général. Nous apprécions beaucoup les efforts faits par M. le Directeur général visant à réduire ces frais et à limiter la disproportion entre les frais administratifs et les frais opérationnels proprement dits, mais nous estimons malgré tout qu'il existe encore une marge de réalisations possibles pour faire d'autres économies dans les frais d'administration. Nous nous référons en particulier aux frais de voyage et aux frais du personnel.
Ma délégation n'a aucun doute au sujet de la capacité et de l'efficacité du personnel. Cependant, à l'heure actuelle la plupart des pays sont confrontés à des problèmes d'inflation et les salariés, qu'ils soient fonctionnaires, employés ou ouvriers, voient leur pouvoir d'achat se réduire. Et je me demande personnellement si le personnel des organisations internationales ne doit pas supporter et accepter lui-même une partie au moins de cette inflation.
E. OSSINGA (Gabon): Hier nous avons eu l'occasion déjà de faire quelques commentaires d'ensemble sur le programme de travail et de budget. Nous voulons maintenant centrer notre déclaration sur les problèmes de la pêche. La délégation gabonaise appuie dans l'ensemble le Sous-Programme portant sur l'information dans le domaine des pêches, et notamment sur l'objectif tendant à l'amélioration des systèmes nationaux du rassemblement, du classement et de la diffusion de données. Un effort particulier nous paraît nécessaire, à partir de la base, pour améliorer une banque de données mondiale pour les pêches. Nous savons que la collecte de ces données pose des problèmes complexes, non seulement d'ordre méthodologique mais pratique, en ce qui concerne la réalisation du travail sur le terrain. L'établissement des statistiques de pêche coûte cher; c'est pourquoi nous apprécions, parmi les nations proposées au programme du budget, le renforcement des capacités nationales dans le cadre des projets de terrain^régionaux et interrégionaux. La délégation gabonaise a eu l'occasion d'appuyer, à la Dixième Assemblée de la COI - Commission océanographique intergouvernementale - en octobre dernier, à Paris, les efforts que la FAO a su déployer pour dynamiser le Système d'information sur les sciences halieutiques et la pêche, le ASFIS, organisme dont la FAO partage le parrainage avec la COI.
Dans le cadre de ce système d'information sur les pêches, d'autres régions du monde bénéficient déjà du Système ASFIS, et nous souhaitons vivement que le Système ASFIS voie le jour le plus rapidement possible dans la région africaine après négociations préalables avec les Etats membres intéressés par la création de ce centre.
Dans le cadre du Programme d'exploitation et d'utilisation des ressources halieutique\s, six thèmes de travail sont signalés dans le programme du budget. Nous aimerions en rajouter un autre, ne fusse qu'en filigrane, étant conscients des contraintes financières qui lui sont liées: il s'agit de la contribution de la FAO à la mise en oeuvre des structures techniques d'appui à la gestion des pêches. En effet, la gestion des administrations des pêches est de plus en plus liée à des structures techniques de base, et à un dispositif de recherche scientifique national et régional. De nombreuses décisions, même d'ordre juridique, ne peuvent être prises qu'après l'éclairage de ces dernières par ces structures. Ainsi, par exemple, l'application de nombreuses décisions de la Conférence sur le droit de la mer ne pourra être effective qu'avec la publication de la carte bathymétrique des océans en cours de conversion.
Et je me permets de fermer très rapidement cette parenthèse en ajoutant que, plus près de nous, dans le secteur même de la pêche, la contribution technique de la FAO aux Etats Membres, qu'il s'agisse de la systématique de l'espèce marine, de la biologie, de l'évaluation des stocks, de la gestion et du contrôle des activités halieutiques, passera mieux à notre avis à travers des structures techyniques nationales et régionales appropriées.
La délégation gabonaise encourage l'intensification des contacts de la FAO avec d'autres organismes tels que la COI, en vue de l'implantation dans la région de la côte ouest africaine de ces structures techniques de base qui font cruellement défaut dans la perspective d'une gestion moderne des pêches dans cette région.
Dans le domaine de l'information, notre délégation félicite et encourage la Division des pêches de la FAO pour l'effort qu'elle n'a cessé de déployer en vue de l'abolition du matériel didactique en matière de pêche et d'aquaculture. S'agissant de la politique halieutique, la délégation gabonaise se félicite de l'action des organismes de pêche régionaux, notamment du COPACE et souhaite que celui-ci oeuvre davantage en faveur de la promotion des structures techniques de base en vue du développement de la pêche dans la région.
En ce qui concerne les services consultatifs destinés à agir sur la promotion du développement halieutique, tel qu'il est signalé par ailleurs dans le document, nous pensons que l'action des consultants sera plus efficace dans les pays en voie de développement lorsque ces consultants pourront être reçus et travailler dans les structures techniques appropriées de ces pays. En revanche, le financement des opérations de pêche mérite à notre avis une place plus importante que celle qui lui est accordée en ce moment, car ce financement pourrait jouer un rôle décisif en permettant aux Etats Membres d'avoir d'amples informations sur les possibilités qui leur sont offertes grâce aux contacts privilegies que la FAO peut entratenir avec les organismes financiers mondiaux.
NGA MA MAPELA (Zaïre): Pour commencer, je voudrais déclarer que ma délégation appuie sans réserve toutes les actions que la FAO se propose de réaliser dans le cadre de son programme pour le prochain biennium. Nous voudrions rappeler à ce propos les conclusions auxquelles le Comité de l'agriculture avait abouti à la suite de l'examen de ce programme, à savoir notamment que les activités inscrites dans ce programme constituent le minimum que la FAO doit entreprendre dans les pays en développement. Ma délégation sous-entend par là que la FAO peut faire plus si on lui en donne les moyens nécessaires.
Tout en appuyant la priorité qu'il convient d'accorder à la production du riz au cours du prochain Biennium, nous insistons sur le fait que d'autres cultures telles que le manioc et l'ignam, qui constituent aussi un aliment de base pour un très grand nombre de populations, en Afrique en particulier, devraient mériter l'attention de la FAO.
Avant de terminer, ma délégation voudrait avoir quelques éclaircissements à la suite des explications fournies hier par M. Bommer au sujet de la nécessité d'assurer une coordination des activités des organismes du système des Nations Unies en matière de recherche. A partir du moment où nous savons que les activités de recherche font partie intégrante des activités pour le développement en général, ma délégation pense que l'on devrait éviter toute équivoque possible en ce qui concerne la coordination de ces activités, c'est-à-dire que l'on devrait chaque fois préciser le niveau auquel on se réfère pour assurer cette coordination. Ainsi, j'aimerais savoir à quel niveau doit se faire la coordination dont nous parlions hier.
Nous posons cette question pour la simple raison que nous voudrions souligner et rappeler ici qu'au niveau des pays la coordination des activités entreprises par le système des Nations Unies doit être assurée par le gouvernement de chaque pays concerné.
Enfin, après avoir écouté avec attention les commentaires du délégué des Pays-Bas, au sujet des bureaux régionaux de la FAO, ma délégation voudrait rassurer tous les délégués ici présents sur le fait qu'en ce qui concerne le bureau régional pour l'Afrique il n'y a pas de double emploi possible avec d'autres organismes des Nations Unies. Pour avoir bénéficié du service de ce bureau, ma délégation est en mesure de confirmer que ce bureau est, pour nous, d'une grande importance; nous suggérons plutôt qu'à l'avenir tout soit mis en oeuvre pour remplacer l'activité du bureau régional pour l'Afrique ainsi que les activités des bureaux des représentants de la FAO dans les pays en développement.
A. F. M. DE FREITAS (Brazil): As this is the first time the Brazilian delegation takes the floor of this Commission, I would like to congratulate you on your election. I would also like to thank the Director-General for his important speech at the opening of our work in the Plenary. I am sure that his remarks will provide the guidelines for our debates at this conference and we will direct the conference's attention and endeavours to the great question of hunger and malnutrition that man has faced for the last two decades.
With your permission Mr. Chairman I would like to make a general statement on item 11. As regards the Programme of Work and Budget my delegation would like to state its support for the level proposed in document C/79/3 set out during the meetings of the Programme Committee and the Council. We are conscious, as was pointed out by the distinguished delegate of Yugoslavia, that this level is just the consequence of the different programmes, the sub-programmes that constitute the document and which are subject to the approval of the delegates.
Although we would like to see some changes in allocation among the different programmes and sub-programmes, especially in what concerns Latin America, we gave our approval to them all as well as to the strategies and priorities defined in the document. We also recognize that when any administration is dealing with scarce resources, the choice of priorities becomes a matter of making available an organization, and I believe that this has been learned in FAO, so we reiterate our approval for the budget level proposed for the biennium 1980/81.
Even so I would like to make some comments on the allocation to Latin America. First, I cannot say that I accept as satisfactory the qualification presented here yesterday by Mr. Bommer as regards agricultural research in Latin America, but nonetheless I would like to state for the record that allocation for Latin America involves a regular programme, and acts of budgetary funds are far behind those earmarked for other FAO areas. My delegation believes that more equitable distribution for the different regions should be sought. In this specific item of nutrition for instance, our region is scheduled to receive less than half, or even one third of the amount allocated to the other areas with the exception of Europe, which has overcome the problem of hunger.
Notwithstanding these remarks I would like to point out that my delegation sees with great interest the programmes already approved, or in the process of being carried out in Latin America. I would also mention especially plant protection activities and disease control, the preparation of technical
budget on the! preparation of proposed harvest losses, technical assistance to countries, in particular to Brazil, in the formulation and implementation of the national food and nutritional policies and the important programme for food and agricultural information and analysis, which among other things include the preparation of a study on trade problems on agricultural commodities, the collection, processing and analysis of the information required for the periodic appraisal undertaken by FAO for interpreting the agricultural situation, and their outlet in Latin America, vis-à-vis the world situation.
My delegation would like to reserve the right to intervene again on the occasion of the final approval of the budget for 1980/81.
H. REDL (Austria) (interpretation from German): Since this is the first time the Austrian Delegation has taken the floor in this hall, please allow me to start by congratulating you on your election, Mr. Chairman.
Now I should like to make a few comments on the Programme of Work and Budget before us.
The Austrian Delegation would like to stress that we support the Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium 1980-81 as submitted to us by the Director-General, and we should like to point especially to our support for the priorities suggested to us.
The increase in the budget is really extremely modest. We support the reduction of the administrative costs and the strengthening of the activities of the Organization. I should like to say once again that we fully support the strengthening of the work in the technical field. When we come to the individual points, we will speak on these individually.
The increased research activities also merit our support. The Delegate of Hungary has also stressed the importance of the scientific systems and the utilization of this work for the European Region and for other regions, and has considered them fully justified. I am very happy to be able to support that statement.
The delegate of Sweden also pointed to the special significance of energy and rural utilization of energy. The Austrian delegation also feels that this group of problems should be stressed, particularly in the future work of the FAO as this problem becomes every day more urgent. Therefore. we support the proposal made in this field, and we hope that it will very soon be taken into consideration in the work of the FAO.
We also attribute particular importance to the vocational training of specialists, both in Forestry and in Agriculture, and we will make every effort to promote this activity of the FAO within the next two years, within the framework of our own possibilities.
The Austrian delegation reserves the right to come back during the course of the discussion to certain specific subjects.
R. C. SOOD (India): In his address to the Conference, the Director-General stated, in respect of the World food situation, that he is obliged to paint a sombre picture. He has stated that on the basis of most criteria the situation has deteriorated, and he has, in fact, described the situation as "grim". These are strong words.
What is even more disturbing than the Director General's assessment of the current food situation is the the findings of "Agriculture Toward 2000". The Director General has stated in this connexion:
"The countries less endowed with agricultural resources would still have to import agricultural produce, especially cereals and milk products. Total cereal imports by developing countries would have to rise from 50 million tons in the mid-seventies to 115 million tons by the year 2000".
It would appear even on the basis of the projection for the year 2000 that the situation would be as bad, if not worse, even 20 years from now.
Agriculture toward 2000 is an expert assessment, and is perhaps a realistic assessment. It is nevertheless highly disappointing that even after 21 years we do not see as much as a ray of hope, and hunger and malnutrition will continue to be with us.
As against this, we in India have been advised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research that "even at the currently available levels of technology, average yields can be increased by as much as three to six times". I am quite sure that considering the very low-level of present day productivity, the scope for increase is equally large in other similarily placed under-developed countries. If this is a valid assessment of the gap between the present level of productivity and its potential, what is needed is the right kind of effort.
On the other hand, I feel that the fact that the developing countries are able to subsist at their present pitiable levels of productivity is, in fact, a ray of hope in itself, as the scope available for increasing productivity is vast. Given this kind of gap between present production and the potential, the picture given in Agriculture Toward 2000 is surely defeatist.
As I have suggested, the potential is there, and all that seems to be needed is the right kind of effort. The Programme of Work of the FAO, particularly its Technical and Economic Programmes covering over AO percent of its total budget outlay, needs to be considered in the context of the kind of effort needed for bridging the large gap between the present levels and the potential.
I find in this context that the proposed programme concerning agriculture, including natural resources and crops, in particular, is comprehensive and well conceived. On the other hand, I feel that this well conceived programme may perhaps miss the point unless a mechanism is also available for successful transfer of all this technology to the farmers.
Agricultural production in the ultimate analysis is what we can get the millions of little farmers - like little ants - to do in their own fields. We cannot get our agriculture moving in India unless we mobilize all our 500 million farmers. This is easier said than done, and the normal reaction would be to give in and accept defeat before we start.
In that context, I should like to draw your attention to an experiment in the strengthening and reorganization of agricultural expansion being undertaken with the World Bank assistance in India over the last five or six years. In my view, that provides a key answer to the otherwise hopeless agricultural situation. We have had excellent results, and may be able to provide an engineered answer to the problem of agricultural production.
It is our suggestion that the Technical and Economic Programmes proposed by the Director-General should take greater note of this kind of development and provide funds for the strengthening or extension on these lines, both under the Technical and Economic Programmes and under TCP, for effectively involving FAO in this effort. I would earnestly recommend, further, that considering the hope effective extension can offer to the otherwise grim situation, the house may consider also the possibility of mounting a special action programme with extra budgetary contributions for mounting an effective programme of extension.
I am sure that would serve as a catalyst for results in geometric proportion, and would attack the basic problem of agricultural production in the needy, under developed countries, not so much through aid through to the year 2000 and afterwards, but through self-help, because aid when all is said and done, can only be a token and not a solution to the problem.
A. NORMAN (Angola): Parce que ma Delegation prend la parole pour la première fois, je m'acquitte du devoir de vous féliciter de votre élection à cette très importante Commission.
Sous votre direction, j'espère que les travaux de notre Commission arriveront aux résultats que le monde attend de cette importante Organisation.
Ma délégation donne son appui au Programme de travail et budget qui nous a été présenté par le Directeur général. En effet, chez nous, comme dans les pays en développement en général, l'agriculture est considérée comme une base de développement. Ainsi, outre l'inflation qui ravage le monde, proportionnellement à l'augmentation des besoins alimentaires et à l'augmentation démographique, il est inévitable que la FAO, Organisation internationale qui a le devoir d'essayer de résoudre le problème de la faim dans le monde, puisse assister son budget car il peut permettre de faire face aux graves problèmes qu'elle a à résoudre.
Je disais donc que ma délégation approuve et appuie entièrement le Programme tel qu'il nous a été présenté. Nous nous réservons toutefois le droit d'y revenir ou de le commenter à un moment opportun.
A. MA'IA'I (Samoa):May I take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and extend to your delegation our warm wishes on your election.
I seek to intervene at this stage to underscore the importance that Samoa attaches to Programme 2. 2. We support the budget emphasis for this Programme, and in particular the emphasis placed on the EEZ. As a small island nation, the development of the Exclusive Economic Zone is of importance to us, and in view of the general Assembly Resolution adopted in 1974-75 this has heightened the importance of this particular development for Samoa.
We welcome any possible assistance from FAO on effective management conservation, utilization and harvesting of living resources in EEZ, and would also welcome any assistance on the question of fishing licence, and technical assistance on the best possible advice to determine a possible way of negotiation with foreign fisheries.
On a general level, I should like to add our support to a remark made earlier by the New Zealand representative with regard to fair distribution of FAO resources among the region. The South West Pacific is populated mostly by agricultural countries, and in this respect we certainly look forward to any possible assistance from FAO.
D. BETI (Suisse): Après les remarques d'ordre général que j'ai eu l'occasion de faire tout à l'heure, j'aimerais émettre deux ou trois remarques un peu plus spécifiques ayant trait au chapitre II en discussion en ce moment.
Nous comprenons que dans le Programme de travail proposé il ne soit, dans les faits, pas encore tenu compte du programme d'action adopté par la Conférence mondiale sur la réforme agraire et le développement rural. Matériellement ce n'était pas possible. Nous pensons cependant que ce travail devra être entrepris à l'avenir. Bien entendu nous pourrons discuter de cette question sous un point spécifique de notre ordre du jour. Nous aimerions toutefois, d'ores et déjà, attirer l'attention du Secrétariat de la FAO sur le fait qu'à notre avis les programmes ordinaires et de terrain ne devraient pas être poursuivis sans, qu'en même temps, ils soient réexaminés et réactualisés au vu Ju programme d'action de la Conférence mondiale sur la réforme agraire et le développement ruralafin de pouvoir apporter en cours d'exécution, à chaque projet, les modifications qui pourraient s'avérer nécessaires.
Dans le cadre des différentes activités de la FAO, notre pays donne, en ce qui concerne ses contributions, une certaine préférence aux programmes spéciaux. Nous appuyons tout spécialement les programmes d'assistance à la sécurité alimentaire pour l'amélioration et la production des semences, ainsi que contre les pertes alimentaires. Nos expériences nous montrent que ces programmes sont, dans l'ensemble, valables. En outre, les projets de ces programmes financés sur la base de fonds fiduciaires ont pour nous le grand avantage de rester identifiables pendant toute la durée de leur cycle. Nous ne pouvons donc que souhaiter que la mise au point et l'exécution de ces programmes deviennent plus rapides et encore plus efficaces.
Nous appuyons spécialement l'importance qu'accorde la FAO, dans ses programmes de terrain, à la mise en place d'une sécurité alimentaire fiable pour chaque pays. Nous approuvons pleinement l'idée selon laquelle l'accroissement de la production alimentaire dans les pays en développement eux-mêmes constitue la base la plus solide de la sécurité alimentaire à long terme. A ce propos, si on peut être d'accord avec la priorité dont semble jouir la promotion de l'élevage dans les programmes de la FAO, nous estimons que la préférence devrait aller avant tout aux programmes de production animale qui visent à satisfaire les besoins alimentaires des populations des pays producteurs eux-mêmes.
Sra. Dona G. SOTO CARRERO (Cuba): Le agradecemos la posibilidad que nos ha dado de expresamos nuevamente sobre el aspecto específico que tratamos. En relación al punto 2·1·5: Desarrollo Rural, apoyamos todos los aspectos que aquí se proponen con relación a la participación de la mujer en el desarrollo rural. Consideramos que debe dársele cada vez mayor participación en los programas de capacitación, pero no solamente a los que se refieren a la economía del hogar, la familia, etc.
La mujer campesina debe tener posibilidad de capacitación igual que el hombre a fin de participar en los procesos de desarrollo económico y social de sus países. Este aspecto fue analizado en la Conferencia Mundial sobre Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural oelebrado en julio pasado y recibido en el Plan de Acción aprobado en la misma.
Eh el epígrafe 2. 1. 7: Información y análisis en materia de alimentación y agricultura, nos parecería conveniente que se preste especial atención a los análisis de los productos básicos para apoyar las
actividades de asociaciones de productores, realizando estudios más frecuentes sobre la situación y perspectivas de los mercados de aquellos productos biaioos, sobre los cuales existen asociaciones de productores.
Sobre el punto 2. 1. 8: Política alimentaria y agrícola, según se plantea en el documento que analizamos, el objetivo de este aspecto es analizar y vigilar el progreso hacia el Nuev. o Orden Económico Internacional en el sector agrícola. Ni delegación considera que, efectivamente, solamente se puede lograr una solución duradera de los problemas de los países en desarrollo por medio de la reestructuración consecuente y fundamental de las relaciones económicas internacionales, y mediante el establecimiento del Muevo Orden Económico Internacional.
En el aspecto concreto que analizamos, mi delegación considera que debemos rechazar intentos de introducir conceptos, normas y principios tales como el acceso a los suministros, la graduación, la selectividad, la utilización de la llamada Estrategia de las Necesidades Básicas y el concepto de diferenciación con miras a desviar la atención de la comunidad de las prioridades de desarrollo de los países en vías de desarrollo. Es un hecho real que no se alcanzarán los objetivos agrícolas de la Estrategia de las Necesidades Básicas para el Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas. Consideramos que la labor de la FAO en este sentido ha sido digna de destacar.
En los planos tanto regionales como interregionales, se han concebido Planes y ejecutado Programas tendientes a incremontar la producción, el comercio y las inversiones agrícolas a fin de fomentar la autosuficiencia colectiva de los países en desarrollo. La ayuda de FAO a los países seriamente afectados, entre otros, constituye un importante aporte al cumplimiento y ejecución del Plan de Ayuda para la Seguridad Alimentaria Mundial. Apoyamos el Plan de Acción propuesto, en relación a la ampliación de ayuda a los países en materia de política de productos básicos, considerando que debe incluirse entre ellos el azúcar, y propiciar el intercambio de experiencias entre países acerca de los productos fundamentales.
Nos parece que deberán incrementarse los estudios sobre los precios y las condiciones actuales del comercio internacional que son tan desfavorables para los países en desarrollo.
Por último, mi delegación considera que la PAD debe seguir colaborando con la UNCTÀD en las reuniones preparatorias sobre productos agrícolas con arreglo al Programa Integrado, y en la aplicación de las decisiones referentes a la creación del Fondo Común. El cumplimiento del Plan de Acción aprobado por la Conferencia sobre Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural en la cual la FAO tiene un papel rector, es un buen punto de partida.
F. ZENNY (Jamaica): This is Jamaica's first intervention, therefore I would like to join the others in congratulating you on your election as Chairman.
We now intend to make some general observations and not to get too much involved in the details which we are satisfied have been sufficiently thrashed out in Council. But we do wish to take this opportunity to make our position quite clear. We are generally satisfied that FAO has gone a long way in its Programme of Work and Budget to sharpen itsprioritiesand its strategies so that they bear a very relevant and real relationship to the needs of developing countries. We are particularly supportive of the activist approach of the Organization in a continuing dialogue to improve and establish a new international economic order. We support the emphasis on land reform and the concentration of efforts that this should bring on the rural poor and on the role of women in particular in the developing world. We applaud the improvements in the business of managing the resources of the Organization in the way the budget has been prepared.
We feel that when one can look back -- and I can certainly look back over a period of say 10 years -- it is quite obvious that some real progress has been made in these areas. However, we do feel that as at the political levels in our countries, and I think Jamaica is an example, the rhetoric may not be matched by the means made evailable. It is one of the commonplace things in a developing world that we all stress the importance of agriculture, we all consider it to be significant to the improvement of our economies and the welfare of our population, but when the budget comes along as the annual exercise, then inevitably the more "popular" appeals from the urban section -- health, education and what have you -- inevitably reduce the means whereby these vital programmes will be implemented. The medium-term strategy, the Agriculture' Toward 2000 is eloquent testimony of this. We speak of figures, and we need to keep this as a background, because the budget is nothing if it is not a means of implementing medium-and long-term goals, it must fit into a general approach and not be divorced between what we do now and what we hope to do in the near future. We have certain figures where we are told domestic demand for agricultural products was consistently below production in the last Development Decade. The prediction is that this may very well happen in the next Development Decade. We have
prediction that developing countries as a group may have to produce 21/2 times more food in the year 2000 than they did in 1975. We are told that if we wish to reach the target growth rate of 3. 5 - 4 percent for agriculture in the developing countries the amount of transfer of external assistance or money transfer from the developed world in the form of assistance to the developing world must be increased significantly. Now FAO must be a part of that transfer in the same way that the record ¡of success between the deliberate transfer of resources from the urban to the rural areas is, at best, a qualified success in the developing world.
At the international level, we must consider that the rural areas of our globe must be provided with that deliberate transfer of resources and technology, not because of European ideals or because we in the poor countries are asking for too much, but because there is in a very real sense a common interest in this kind of development, or else we may find ourselves in some serious trouble. If FAO is part of this transfer of resources and technology then I am afraid I am at a loss to understand why at this point in time we can only be suggesting somewhat timidly that all we can afford in agriculture -- not in industry, not in health, not in education but in agriculture -- against all this background is at the very best a 2 percent increase in the budget of this Organization. I challenge this 2 percent and doubt very much if there is a 2 percent increase, I think there is no increase at all. This is not to say we are not in favour of more efficient uses of resources. This is not to say we are not in favour of some hard management decisions within the Organization as to where those resources ought to go and ought to be best maximized, but we do have some very serious reservations on this. Having said so, Jamaica feels constrained to support the budget simply because it feels it has no other choice. Therefore, we wish to make our position clear on that.
On the question of resources we agree that the Organization should become far more active on mobilizing extra-budgetary funds. They exist in the system and we would prefer they go to agriculture and not elsewhere.
We note with some concern the declining share of UNDP in the FAO budget or allocation to FAO. We believe developing countries are partly to blame for this because at the country level it is largely determined at the request of the government so we have a reflection on our priorities on our own countries. I appeal to my own government and myself and to the other developing countries to make sure that a greater share of the UNDP resources does go into agriculture and support the FAO effort.
We are in favour of decentralization because here again we feel that the onus has been shifted towards the developing countries themselves making their own choice, and the emphasis here is to have at the government's disposal a representative of this important organization so that we can collectively determine how the government is to proceed within the framework of its own development plan, and its own decision-making procedures. We are in favour of the increased emphasis on FAO helping us to mobilize investments from the other banks in agriculture. Here again the rhetoric has shifted. We hear it from the World Bank Aid, that agriculture is a priority, but we would like the rhetoric to be matched with action and we do wish FAO to continue the role of assisting us in mobilizing these funds. We do wish, however, to have some assistance in bringing some pressure to bear and this Organization should take a very positive stand on this in simiplifying the procedures and the conditions which often go hand in hand with this kind of development funding. We in Jamaica find these conditions and these procedures very time-consuming and unnecessarily burdensome. We question some of the conditions that are attached, in fact, as towhetherthey are intended more to help the donor countries rather than the recipients, or if they are not a little too tied to a traditional approach to the business of funding.
We agree with the emphasis on special programmes. We will have something to say about EZ when it comes up separately. We agree that there needs to be some follow up from the Land Reform Conference, and that it must not merely be another conference that has come and gone. We see Jamaica relating to these programmes, if you like, as situations of opportunity, because they reflect in a very real way what we ourselves are trying to do. We have a seed programme. We expect some assistance in it and we are getting it. We do have very serious concerns about post-harvest losses, and we expect some assistance in this area. We do have some very real concerns about food security and, therefore, we support this. In the area of forestry we welcome the emphasis on community development. Generally speaking we are in favour of these schemes as a means of mobilizing extra-budgetary resources in key areas of priority.
As a whole Jamaica would like to commend the Organization on the new thrust which has been reflected in this Programme of Work and Budget and which has been some time in coming.
For the time being, that is all we have to say. We do reserve our rights to come back on other issues which may arise in the course of the discussion.
J. Τ. WOODS (Liberia): This is the second time Liberia has made an intervention, but for me personally this is my first time so I must give you my congratulations for being elected as Chairman of this Commission.
Yesterday we spoke generally about the implication of the budget and today we would like to draw your attention to some of the specific details as relate to our interests in Liberia.
Budget Item No. 2. 3. 1. 1, which is related to Forestry, and I apologize for emphasizing forestry here but we will have time later on to come to agriculture and fisheries. I hope you will give us permission to come back later on that. My point of emphasis here is with regard to the planned programme of action as proposed on page 127 of Chapter 2, especially relating to development and management of forests. We note specifically that there is a lack of adequate information on forest resource bases in most of the developing countries and especially in tropical Africa. In my country particularly this information is limited and has not been operated for more than twelve years as such. We would like to call the attention of FAO to expand the capability of the remote sensory unit of the Land and Water Resources Department of FAO in order to become more involved in the use of this modern tool and technique in the determination of our forest resource base. I think what is done now is inadequate. What is being done is commendable but inadequate and we would like to have a more definite expansion of the capacity of this particular unit. We would also like to see that the forest resource department of the Department of Forestry also be strengthened so as to make it possible to process inventory data resulting from remote sensing activities to make availability of forest information immediate and absolute. This is very important to us because it is related to the fact that we have to have information in order to determine the direct forest products as well as indirect forest products produced in our country. The indirect forest products - we all know what they are - they relate to food, especially food which goes to supplement the security, the food security problem which we are addressing ourselves to. The direct forest products, we also know what they are. They are usually in the form of logs converted to other forest products that are utilized by the world as a whole. When we talk about the direct forest products the problem seems to be that of forest industry, and this is found also in this chapter, Chapter 2, of this document. Forest industry, as you know, is very limited, especially in the African or tropical forest producing countries. Slightly more than 50 percent of our logs are processed at home and one of the problems we find in increasing the processing capability is the vicious cycle of lack of feasibility studies. If you go to the International Finance Corporation and ask them to assist in financing forest industries they will say, "We have no feasibility studies". As such I would like to call on FAO to specifically utilize the means of this budget in making it possible to increase the feasilbility studies for forest industries in our countries.
We not that the allocation for our forests for rural development has increased substantially and we commend you for this, because it is consistent with the efforts we are applying in Liberia with respect to rural development. Our strategy is to decentralize the government administration so that rural people and the population may have a greater say in the determination of their destiny and development growth and objectives as such. We approve of this budget level for rural development.
That is all I have to say for now. We will come back again for the other aspects of the budget.
Suliman SID AHMED (Sudan)(interpretation from Arabic): Our delegation noticed with satisfaction that the programme, while giving first priority to wheat, rice and millet, it nevertheless, does not neglect maize and sorghum, which in Sudan are main food products. These crops, however, have not increased in Sudan for the past twenty years, particularly for the qualities in the rain-fed agriculture. Seed improvements and the selection of special seeds, which render agriculture mechanized, have not been developed. Cosira likewise plays a particular role as a population food in very many areas. However, we feel a need for supplying research in these areas, and this is where we expect assistance from FAO. In the area of animal production, FAO has cooperated with us for the establishment of a disease-free area and we have set up special farms for agricultural production. One financed by the World Bank and another financed by Kuwait. Ironically, on these farms we spend millions without being able to export our produce to the industrialized countries. I do not understand the present world ''monopoly'' at a time when the production of our region satisfies our own health conditions and developed countries can play a major role here. This is why I emphasize again what I said yesterday concerning the control projects, a project which we support. Yet let me say that this is not a disease which we suffer most from in Sudan There is renderpest, foot and mouth disease and bovine tick and I was, indeed, satisfied to hear Mr. Bommer in his comment yesterday emphasizing the programme's extension to the control of these diseases as well.
Our delegation receives considerable assistance fron FAO for the development of fisheries, yet we still need assistance in defining our water resources and in training the fishermen. A few years ago, we set up an institute for technical training for fishermen. However, we could not find the proper teachers and the technical equipment for this purpose.
Among the major points of the programme is attention to the support of food activities so that we can effectively evaluate foodstuffs at the national level and their effects on nutrition with particular attention to the rural poor and all the affected communities. Our delegation supports all that the programme contains under this item and we equally support what has been said by several delegations, in particular the Canadian delegation.
DONG-BAI LEE (Korea, Republic of): Since this is my first intervention on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Korea, I also would like to congratulate the Chairman on his well-deserved election as Chairman of this very important Commission of the Conference. I pledge our wholehearted support and cooperation, and judging from the efficient manner in which the Chairman handled the meeting yesterday and this morning, I think I can be assured that we shall be able to achieve an exceptionally fruitful outcome to this meeting.
Yesterday afternoon at the Plenary Meeting of the Conference, the Head of the Delegation of Korea delivered his country's statement in which he made it clear that the Republic of Korea fully supports the Director General's Programme of Work and Budget for 1980-81. In his speech he said that the budget proposal reflects a well conceived and realistic approach to be undertaken by this great organization for the coming biennium.
I do not wish to repeat all that has been said in the Plenary, but I would like to indicate once again at this Commission that my country, the Republic of Korea, in general supports the Director-General's Proposed Programme of Work and Budget for 1980-81 with his Development Budget Programmes and Policies as contained in Conference Document C 79/3 and summarized in his introductory speech in the Plenary two days ago.
I would now like to make some very brief observations on two important points in the Technical and Economic Programmes, particularly with reference to agriculture. My country, Korea, traditionally attaches very great importance to crop production and this has been the primary factor in the sectoral development programme for agriculture during the past 20 years. This is simply beacuse, as we all know, if we are to increase the income of the rural population which is the ultimate aim of agricultural development training, there is no better strategy than increasing production. This might sound too simple a theory, nevertheless we could hardly deny the truth and accuracy of it and precisely this point was emphasized in the country statement of the Korean delegation in the Plenary.
I am delighted to see the Director-General ' s proposal for strengthened programmes for seed projects, plant protection, and prevention of food losses in Section 2. 1. 2 and continued support for programmes for what is called the current agricultural research information system and the programme for control of insects and pests in Section 2. 1. 4 under Research Support. In my view, these programmes are all of vital importance to various member countries who are striving for increased food production.
Another point I would like to mention at this time is the proposed FAO programme for rural development. Although I am pleased to note that the programme for rural development in Section 2. 1. 5 shows a substantial increase in its budget for 1980-81, I would have liked to have seen the programme for these very important activities of FAO strengthened a little more. Enforced programmes at both regional and country level for cooperatives for farmers, the banking and credit system for farmers and education and extension programmes which are basic for the development of agriculture require our renewed and continous attention and assistance because these are necessary preconditions for initial and sustained development in the rural economy of member countries.
With respect to both forestry and fishery programmes, I am pleased to inform you that Korea is in general agreement with the proposed budget and I would like to support it.
J. MAJCHER (Poland): As this is the first time I am taking the floor, first of all on behalf of my delegation I would like to congratulate the Chairman on his election to the post of Chairman of our Commission. I would also like to extend my congratulations to the three Vice-Chairmen of Commission II.
The Head of my Delegation has already stated this morning in the Plenary that we agree with the general outlines of the Programme of Work and Budget of the Organization presented for the next two years. We support the direction of the programme towards paying more attention to the developing countries which are in a difficult food situation, to rural reforms and the rural poor.
We have noted that the programme presented to us has obtained very largely the acceptance and the support of this Conference and therefore we also are of the opinion that operational field activities should be financed out of voluntary funds and not out of the regular budget. We accept the Programme of Work of FAO for the next two years.
When accepting the present orientation of the activities, we think that our Organization should at the same time not lose its character as a universal organization able to provide help and advice to all countries regardless of the development level and to organize and promote cooperation and development between all countries. We give great importance to such international cooperation in which all countries are interested, since this is securing the best results.
The European region fully supports the priority given to strengthening agricultural research networks, work on agrarian structures and machinery, the better utilization of energy in agriculture and the training of young farmers.
In respect of FAO activities in the European region, we support the observations submitted by the delegations of Hungary and Austria. In our opinion, FAO can be of great importance in the systemwide formulation of development strategies. We believe that studies like the Africa Food Plan and "Agriculture Toward 2000" serve the purpose very well of elaborating new world strategy.
The budget of our organization "is increasing from $211 350. 000 for the period 1978-79 to $271 660. 000 approximately for 1980-81. It is true that a great part of this increase is caused by inflation, but it is also true that the unstabilized economic situation of the world and inflation bring payment difficulties to many countries and troubles. Taking that into account, we are postulating the most economic and rational management of means available.
AMIDJONO MARTOSUWIRYO (Indonesia): First, I wish to compliment the Director-General and the staff of the Secretariat on the very elaborate documentation which is of crucial importance since it constitutes a solid platform for the deliberations of the Commission.
I would like to make some additional remarks to those of my colleaguefrom the delegation of Indonesia in this Commission yesterday.
Referring to the document before us, my Delegation notes that the Director-General's introduction reveals a considerable number of disquieting features which, to a large extent, dominate the state of food and agriculture of today. I may mention some of them as follows. Wheat and coarse grain production in 1979 is forecast to fall short of the consumption requirements in 1979-80. The number of people in the world suffering from hunger and malnutrition has continued to increase and the targets for food aid allocation and international emergency food reserves for 1979 have not been achieved. These features give food for thought and lead to the conclusion that a huge amount of work must be done by countries, individually or collectively, in cooperation with international organizations which, directly or indirectly, deal with problems in the field of food and agricultural development like FAO in particular.
My delegation would like to endorse the view that the major aspect of FAO's work be described as FAO in Action', in the sense that FAO engages itself in practical measures in the technical, economic and social fields of food and agricultural development - towards the elimination of poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
Taking into account the grim features which, without exaggeration, depict disquieting conditions prevailing in many developing countries due to their failure to produce enough food, it is quite logical to arrive at the conclusion that we must embark upon action programmes, involving huge amounts of funds.
Keeping this in mind, my delegation expresses the view that the level of the budget for the next biennium as proposed by the Director-General, should be considered as a minimum.
Coming to Chapter 2, I would like to suggest that FAO Agricultural Programmes should include pest control. We all know the negative and the quality effect of pest control, and arguments for this suggestion are well understood.
As regards the special programme I should like to underscore the programme for carrying out resources, investigation and stock assessment. This programme is of crucial importance and it must be done first according to my country's views, in order for a solid basis for further development and the right measurement of fish resources.
It would be right for the programme to include training and recommend a group of people which we must assess.
In conclusion my delegation support the programme as proposed with remarks as I have said before.
D. KNOX (Observer for International Planned Parenthood Federation): On behalf of IPPF I would like to congratulate you on your election as Chairman of this Commission. Regarding FAO's World Programme and Budget for 1980-81, Chapter 2, IPPF wishes to be associated with the comments of the Nordic countries. Nutrition has always been a concern of this Organization and you may recall back in 1974 at the World Food Conference in its Resolution number 5 on nutrition said, and I quote, "There should be improved knowledge about how to prevent malnutrition through the better use of available food resources including human milk, and also to note the relationship which often exists between malnutrition and too close pregnancies.
It is important to remember that human milk is a natural resource, and therefore I would ask that nutritional educational schemes should include the encouragement of breast feeding and adequate birth spacings, and in this respect, the IPPF can offer both expert and qualified advice.
FAO's Work Programme Budget emphasizes programmes mostly at the national level, and I would like to state that IPPF, as a member of Family Planning Association in 94 countries have already sought to integrate their work not only into the whole web of health and social welfare programmes, but also into national agriculture and now hopefully nutritional plans.
As an international organization, IPPF has achieved good collaboration with the United Nations and its specialized agencies, but many more opportunities exist. FAO has already sponsored projects in agriculture which also include nutrition, health and family wellbeing components, and in this respect I would like to congratulate the Secretariat for continuing and expanding its home economics and social programme services tridimensional programmes mentioned in action proposed, Chapter 215, par. 33 on page 92 of the English version. This programme encourages assistance in Home Economics, Family Life, Population, and Women in Rural Development to be available to assist countries at a policy planning and programme level to improve the quality of life of rural families.
IPPF's regional and national associations cooperate in such projects and would indeed welcome more projects to be initiated, and as a unique federation of voluntary organizations with their roots deep in local communities, we feel we have an important contribution to make. In this way Mr. Chairman we believe that many non-governmental organizations such as IPPF can make a special contribution to provide private sector support as an integral part of national, nutritional and integrated rural development programmes, and to this end I would like on behalf of IPPF to pledge all our support for a national, grass-roots membership which can lead to the involvement of more people in the process of rural development.
I should like to conclude Mr. Chairman by proposing that progress be accelerated by incorporating a Family Planning component in both nutritional programmes and integrated rural programmes, and towards this end IPPF would reconfirm its full cooperation, and we would welcome discussions and suggestions.
Y. ABIT (Israel): This is the first intervention of our delegation in this Commission. Allow me to congratulate you on your appointment and election to run our meetings in this Commission, and we feel already that under your guidance we are making quite good progress.
Allow me to refer to a number of points that were also raised by other delegations, and forgive me if I reiterate or support some statements that have already been made in the past sessions.
Our impression is that this medium-term programme is a comprehensive one and warrants support in all aspects dealt with. However we do feel that certain areas will require particular attention, and they are in our opinion an orientation towards the small farmer, peasant communities and in that way it will be necessary to concentrate action on some specific commodities or branches which were mentioned by other delegates this morning. I refer particularly to the minor livestock as it is called, - pigs, poultry. I refer most certainly to horticulture. I refer to the use of farm machinery geared to the needs of the small farmer. These are fields that in our opinion will require particular attention if we wish to reach some of the goals for the year 2000.
On the other hand in the fields of research, the horizons for technological development will probably have to be wider than are stated in Chapter 2. There is the whole host of technologies now in their infancy that will require a particular effort if we wish to meet the needs of the year 2000. I refer in particular to the use, the better use, of water in those areas where water is a severe limiting factor, and this of course is related to new techniques in irrigation practices.
Another aspect we feel is important that has been raised in Chapter 2, is the very favourable situation that FAO is now cooperating very closely with the International Agricultural Research Institute, each Institute in its specific field. We feel however that there is room for FAO to act as
a channel so that bilateral activities are brought into closer cooperation with these agricultural research institutes. We believe FAO has a very specific role to play to bring its activities into closer focus and cooperation.
On page 79 par. 27 very scanty mention is made of TCDC activities, particularly in the field of training. We would venture to say that greater operational attention should be given to this question of how countries cooperating together can produce a much higher aggregate of results than the situation as it is. We do subscribe to the idea that there is a tremendous possibility of generating additional resources if methods can be found by which developing countries cooperate with each other. The whole philosophy of TCDC, I think, has particular relevance to agriculture.
Finally, my delegation subscribes strongly to a statement this morning mentioned by the delegate of India, that apparently there are possibilities, there are techniques, for streamlining extension approaches to reach the masses which up till now have not been reached. A concentration of efforts to develop an extension system on the lines of the introduced training and visits system in India would probably warrant greater attention on the part of the FAO.
Sra. Doña M. IVANKOVICH DE AROSEMENA (Panama): Permítame felicitarle por su elección a la Presidencia de esta Comisión. No habíamos tenido la oportunidad de hacerlo anteriormente.
Ahora, estamos analizando el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para el Bienio 1980-81, y como es la primera vez que intervenimos, deseamos hacer algunas consideraciones generales. Todos estamos conscientes de que la situación alimentaria sigue siendo alarmante y que hay una urgente e impostergable necesidad, de acabar con el hambre y la malnutrición en los países en desarrollo.
Los países que formamos parte de la FAO estamos conscientes del papel, cada vez mayor, de la FAO en el campo de la Agricultura, Alimentación y Pesca. La Organización recibe innumerables solicitudes de ayuda para resolver los problemas de las masas marginadas. Paralelamente al incremento de las solicitudes de ayuda por parte de los estados, se debe incrementar el presupuesto de la Organización. Así lo entendemos nosotros; sin embargo, nos vemos obligados a apoyar un nivel de Presupuesto que consideramos mínimo, y que no va de acuerdo con las necesidades urgentes de los países en desarrollo, en lo que se refiere a la Agricultura y Alimentación.
Mi delegación apoya todas las iniciativas de FAO en lo que se refiere al Nuevo Orden de Régimen Marítimo, y en general, en la ejecución y planificación de las actividades relativas a las zonas exclusivas. Consideramos que el establecimiento de las Oficinas de la FAO en los países, nos demuestra el creciente interés de los gobiernos en los programas y políticas de la Organización. Igualmente, nos demuestra el deseo de los gobiernos de trabajar en programas conjuntos de desarrollo, en los cuales deben tener participación las instituciones nacionales. Estamos de acuerdo en que el establecimiento de oficinas de la FAO es elemento importante para la política de descentralización.
Al referirnos al sector rural, ratificamos nuestro convencimiento de que la mujer debe ser integrada plenamente al proceso de desarrollo, y que solamente con su plena integración, se podrá lograr el desarrollo económico y social de los pueblos.
Apoyamos el incremento del Presupuesto para el Programa de Cooperación Técnica como único medio para poder afrontar los programas que se llevan a cabo. Sobre este tema hablaremos más adelante.
Apoyamos el orden de las prioridades y medidas propuestas por la FAO para el próximo bienio.
Para finalizar, ratifico que apoyamos el nivel de Presupuesto, considerado como mínimo y que no va de acuerdo con las necesidades reales de los países y con el establecimiento de un verdadero y justo Orden Económico Internacional.
A. PAPASOLOMONTOS (Cyprus): We are in broad agreement with the range and the scope of the technical and economic, proposals as outlined in Chapter 2. At this stage, however, I should like to highlight two issues which, in the view of my delegation, could receive more attention.
The first issue concerns the role of extension, and I must add here that this has already been raised by a number of delegations. Nevertheless, we believe we should all give considerably more attention to the subject of agricultural extension since without a well-trained, dedicated extension service none of the proposed programmes can possibly have the impact foreseen at this stage, regardless of whether these are research programmes or whether they are investment projects.
The second issue I should like to raise is the utilization ofagricultural and industrial by-products as animal feed. I was, indeed, glad to know of the on-going or growing industrial by-product utilization project in West and Central Africa and the Director-General's proposals for further expansion. We wholeheartedly approve of this initiative, and would urge that this programme be expanded to include other regions and other by-products. We are convinced there is a great potential in most of the developing countries for the utilization of such by-products, and that the emphasis FAO places on this issue needs to be intensified and needs to be expanded, so that with the utilization of appropriate technology and investments such by-products could play a more significant role in the field of animal nutrition, particularly in our developing countries.
A. DA SYLVEIRA (Togo) : Prenant la parole pour la première fois au sein, de la presente Conférence l'OAA, la délégation de mon pays, le Togo, se joint pleinement aux voix qui vous ont présente leurs vibrantes félicitations à l'occasion de votre élection à la présidence de cette importante commission.
Vos compétences techniques en la matière, ainsi que le poids incontesté de votre influence, sont une garantie du succès de ces travaux.
Le programme de travail et budget sur lequel nous sommes appelés à nous pencher dans les prochains jours, a été étudié dans mon pays et placé dans le contexte de l'économie mondiale. A ce point de vue, je félicite mes collègues africains tant des régions du Sahel que des régions côtières, pour la perspicacité et 1 Objectivité dont ils ont fait preuve dans leurs interventions à propos des tendances du Budget 1980-81 de notre Organisation.
Je m'arrête ici pour approuver sans réserve l'une des eminentes personnalités qui a souligné que, de tous les organismes mondiaux, l'OAA est de loin le plus important puisque c'est lui qui s'occupe du fondement même du système du développement: la nutrition. L'homme étant le premier moteur du développement, la nourriture, source d'énergie, fait office au sein des organismes de carburant ou de courant électrique dans les machines ou usines de production. Notre pays a la chance de produire toutes les céréales et tubercules dont il a besoin pour nourrir sa population tant rurale qu'urbaine. En bonne saison il nous arrive d'exporter des produits vivriers vers d'autres pays africains; en même temps, nous sommes obligés d'importer de la viande et du poisson à partir d'autres pays africains. Il ressort ici une certaine vocation dans les productions, vocation due surtout à certaines aptitudes naturelles des populations mais également à une certaine spécificité climatique et du sol dont il faudra tenir compte et exploiter au mieux dans le cadre de la coopération technique entre pays. Le transfert des produits alimentaires entre pays suppose le développement parallèle des moyens de conservation et des transports adéquats.
Ces considérations résument le point de vue de mon pays à l'égard du Programme du travail et budget pour le biennium 1980-81 de l'OAA, que, du reste, nous approuvons dans ses grandes lignes.
K. CHOUERI (Lebanon): Mr. Chairman, yesterday I had some words in general on the statement of the Director-General. I supported the proposed activities and said that a new spirit could be felt in the proposed Programme of Work and Budget. I reserve the right to speak again in the light of discussions in this Committee.
Permit me Mr. Chairman to comment on Chapter II of the Programme of Work and Budget 1980-81.
If we consider the nature of the demographic pressure, the pressure on land and water resources and the resulting imbalances between food supply and demand, and if we consider also the major problems of inflation, energy and similar problems, and after a thorough analysis of Major Programmes 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3, we will realize the nature of problems of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, as well as the progress achieved therein.
Having studied and analysed the proposed action, we can only declare our full support for activities included in this Chapter, especially those relating to Natural Resources, continued support for improvement • of food products, continued control of desert locusts, strengthening livestock projects and support for research activities, particularly the upgrading, organization of national research capabilities and their linkage with extension work.
As for the policy issues of food and agriculture from now until the year 2000, you will recall that the head of my delegation commended FAO this morning for the preparation of the relevant study which indeed provided a valuable insight into the future.
One last word, Mr. Chairman, concerns forestry and desertification control. My delegation supports activities aimed at forest conservation, and increased integration with programmes of desert control. The problem is formidable in our region where deserts and arid zones represent 68 percent of the total area. This being so, I fully support the action proposed for the control of desertification and rehabila-tion of degraded areas, and provision of necessary support to the Near East Forestry Commission.
Finally we are in support of the activities included in the Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium, especially the priorities indicated therein. 1/
CHAIRMAN: With this we come to the conclusion of interventions on the programmes outlined in Chapter 2.
Yesterday afternoon and today we have had interventions from as many as fifty delegations on this very important theme. It is of interest that the first item also had fifty delegations which intervened. I am personally grateful to the delegates for the pains they have taken to analyse in depth as well as in width the various issues involved.
This afternoon we shall hear the Assistant Director-Generals concerned with Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture, and also the Director of Nutrition on some of the issues which have been mentioned, but 1 should like, in concluding this morning's session, to refer to three streams of comments which, in my view, merit the serious consideration of the Organization.
The first group of issues raised by several delegations refers to the problems of energy supply. In fact, future advances in agricultural productivity will largely depend upon how scientifically we are able to manage available energy resources, both renewable forms of energy and non-renewable forms of energy.
There was an interesting lecture given by the Director-General of FAO recently in which he referred to what he calls the emergence of the third agricultural revolution, and he stated that this would depend upon the blend of renewable forms of energy and non-renewable forms of energy.
In my personal view, in Page 67 of the English text, para. 35, where estimates of sub-programmes are given, there is need for giving explicit recognition to energy management as a sub-programme.
There is soil management, there is farm management, there is water management, but we all know that the pathway of productivity improvement, which is largely based upon an increasing consumption of fossil fuel based energy, cannot hereafter be the most important methodology of productivity improvement. We have to harness all inanimate resources, biological resources, as President Kaunda mentioned the other day, and also conserve and reduce effectively the wasteful use of non-renewable fossil fuels.
I should like to suggest for the consideration of FAO that in future documents, energy conservation and management receives the importance it deserves. Of course, there are a large number of FAO programmes already in this area, and as was pointed out by some delegations organic recycling and so on has been mentioned, but it is important that this receives as much stress as soil and water management·
The second stream of comments which I think deserves considerable attention is the necessity for basing all the programmes on target group orientation. The three major target groups mentioned by speakers are: poor farmers, and "poor farmer" is really an euphemism for a farmer who has very little capacity either to purchase inputs or to take risks, and of course an international organization cannot do very much in this field. The way in which a poor farmer can be helped will largely depend upon national public policy. Nevertheless, even if the technology is available, what kind of orientation is necessary to enable all farmers to derive economic benefits from the technology? In other words, those in charge of technology developments must concentrate on high yield - cum - high stability technology. Stability will be as important as total yield potential.
1/ Statement inserted in the verbatim record on request.
The second target group orientation which distinguished delegates desire is the orientation towards poor consumers who constitute the majority of this planet, in other words, the applied nutritional aspects. It was also mentioned by the delegate from the Netherlands that horticulture and in this context, local home-grown food, fruit, and vegetables required much greater attention.
The third important target group to which reference was made is the amount of special attention to the problems of rural women, women's participation whether as professionals or people in charge of energy management in villages, fuel and fodder collection and various other aspects of nutritional programmes. So among the target groups, therefore, the special needs of poor farmers, poor consumers and rural women as a class was mentioned as an important item and in the write-up of this document one should see these going through.
Finally, some delegates, including one of the last speakers, mentioned the urgent need for giving overriding priority to problems relating to bridging the gap between potential and actual farm yields. In fact, as one delegation mentioned, far from being something to be ashamed of, an untapped production potential is a capital asset and therefore the country should be proud of having this asset. But what is important is to take measures to get the maximum benefit of this untapped difference between potential and actual yield. For this purpose emphasis was rightly placed upon extension methodology, the transfer system, information and technology transfer, as it is called now and as mentioned by other delegates. Extrabudgetary resources should be mobilized for accelerated processes in technology transfer. By picking up three important streams, I have not overlooked detailed specific comments mentioned by many speakers.
The meeting rose at 12, 45 hours
La seance est levée à 12 h 45
Se levanta la sesión a las 12. 45 horas
