Netherlands, Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Mauritius, Panama
W. M. OTTO (Netherlands): Mr. Chairman, very much to his and my regret, the Netherlands Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries could not be present today, so that I have to deliver his statement.
I feel the more honoured to do so under your excellent guidance.
My country supported warmly the re-election of our Director-General, Dr. Saouma and we extend to him our best wishes for the coming years.
May I also express a word of welcome to our new member-countries, Buthan, Equatorial Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Zimbabwe.
Mr. Chairman, before coming to the substance of my statement, I want to remind you, that Dutchmen sometimes are blamed to be a strange crossbreeding between priests and merchants. It be so. But if we might have positive criticism on some aspects of FAO, please, be aware of a Dutch proverb which says: "Only good friends will give open and positive criticism".
More and more, we become aware, of the political and administrative aspects of the food problem, both globally and nationally. In every country - including my own country - it is a subject of government policy where producers and consumers interests encounter each other. Both groups try to exert political pressure in their own way.
The urban population demands a low priced food package, while the rural population demands more possibilities for development and an adequate remuneration for their efforts and their contribution to the economy.
It is our opinion that the FAO should be present and active in this field of tension in its assistance activities to national administrations in developing countries. It goes without saying - and I may refer in this context to the statement of the Director-General - that we fully subscribe to the sovereignty of those countries and to the primary responsibility of their governments for the shaping of their societies.
I want to stress that each rural development project is directly confronted with the consequences of the agricultural and the food policy of the country concerned. If those policies do not adequately stimulate rural development, the efforts made in these projects will prove to be in vain. They will not lead to the desired structural self-reliance, no matter how high the technical qualities of the projects are. We feel that the FAO has a clear role in demonstrating the relationship between concrete efforts and investments for rural development on the one hand and the government policies on the other.
In brief: every project has to fit into a national food strategy. That is, as the Director-General has pointed out, a comprehensive policy regarding prices, production, stocking, import, export, distribuì tion, consumption and high priority investment requirements.
However, we are aware of the virtual impossibility of implementing an adequate national policy if donors are not prepared to comply with their aid pledges and to take structural measures.
Firstly, the North South dialogue should result in preconditions which will actually enable the developing countries to take the necessary action to improve their food situation. I am thinking of structural measures like stabilization of international markets of agricultural products, such as an International Wheat Agreement, debt relief, etc.
Secondly, the realization of the aid target of 0. 7 percent of the Gross National Product is still far off. The undertaking of the Paris Conference on the Least Developed Countries to commit as a minimum 0. 15 percent of the GNP as an aid contribution to the LDC's has to be realised.
Again I would like to mention in this context that food sector strategies comprise an inventory of priority investment requirements. Such an inventory should serve as a guide for a more systematic and multi-annual assistance in the food sector.
The hunger in the world is an unacceptable consequence of structural poverty of the rural areas and of a skew distribution of political attention and resources. This should be tackled now.
As the WCARRD action programme states, the improvement of the food production is closely linked with the development of the agricultural sector as a whole.
Let me clarify this, Mr. Chairman. We consider the development of the rural areas to depend on the development of the small farmer. He is the backbone of the food production. Apart from other preconditions, such as input supply, development of better farming systems should also always take into account the sustainability and ecological viability of the system. The fuel wood crisis is part of the disturbed ecological balance in many rural areas, not least because of deforestation. As Mrs. Indira Gandhi reminded us.
Farming systems development should also take into account the major role of women in food production and fuel wood provision.
Let me turn to FAO.
If we state that this Conference constitutes the first concrete opportunity to give follow-up to
Cancun, FAO must indeed be synonymous with food production improvement. The FAO programme should reflect
a major emphasis on the improvement of food supply through national food production.
This should not be expressed by just adding more priorities, but rather by a serious effort to shift existing ones. Such a re-arrangement in the programme will even more reflect the priorities of food production to which FAO is committed.
FAO can be reinforced not only by simply increasing the number of projects, but - as I mentioned earlier - by relating the projects to the structural, political and administrative framework of the agricultural sector, as reflected in the national food sector strategy.
We expect FAO to play a constructive role in designing and implementing these food strategies. FAO's contribution will be most important for its proven technical competence, but it will be crucial because of FAO's trusted position as an independent organization in so many countries in assisting governments in their policies. The instruments for fulfilling this task are there.
Firstly, the FAO Representative has a highly important function in this connection. In close co-operation with the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system and the representatives of other UN-agencies, especially he could link the technical levels with the political and administrative levels.
Secondly, FAO staff dealing with the preparation of the projects should examine these projects in a broader context.
They also should study the feasibility of the project goals in the light of the existing agricultural policy in the country concerned and of the structural constraints and possibilities of the projects on the spot.
Even the preparation of a seeming monodisciplinary project should as much as possible be an integrated and multi-disciplinary exercise.
Mr. Chairman, I do realise, that this calls for a major effort from the side of FAO staff.
As we have stated on previous occasions, we do see a qualitative improvement of FAO's performance in rural development, not necessarily by an increase in staff, but in particular by a change of approach. We appreciate FAO's efforts to realise this through interdepartmental mechanisms.
I express mv confidence in FAO to guide us towards our common goal to end hunger and deprivation.
I daresay today that inaction on our part will lead to catastrophies in the world food situation of which we hardly can imagine the social and political consequences.
Mr. Chairman, wisdom on our part dictates that we must not let this happen.
H. OLEZ (Turkey): Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,I feel privileged to have the opportunity of delivering this statement on behalf of His Excellency, my Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey and to convey you best wishes for the success of the 21st FAO Conference. We consider the FAO Conference as the most significant international forum dealing with the fundamental issues of humanity such as food and essential raw materials for direct consumption and for industries, which have an important bearing on the economies of many countries all over the world. It is a fact that the significance of the FAO Conference is derived from the key role of FAO within the overall international activities towards meeting basic and essential needs of people and alleviating poverty in many areas of the world.
On this occasion I would like to congratulate Dr, Edouard Saouma for his re-election as the Director-General of this important Organization.
Mr. Chairman, it is our strong belief that under your strong leadership, this Conference will serve successfully to identify and analyse present problems existing in the world food and agricultural situation and also endeavour to establish the best approaches and programmes to remedy the ill and improve it further. We also believe that the addition of new members will further spread FAO's activities to the world and strengthen the capacity in ensuring a productive inter-change among countries in support of mutual and equitable benefit to all members of the Organization from this inter-action.
Mr. Chairman,the present Conference still faces a world where there are millions of people suffering from hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Following the "World Food Conference" and "World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development" both of which successfully served to promote interests and resolutions on a world-wide basis with respect to food problems, hunger and rural poverty and, as a result, new programmes were established. However, hunger and poverty problems of the world are still at severe levels.
Considering the major causes of the present world food and agriculture problems, and based on our own experience, we would like to make the following observations and suggestions.
Mr. Chairman, recognizing the fact that there is a great potential in increasing the agricultural production activity especially in developing countries for the betterment of the food situation and improving the purchasing power of the rural poor, we suggest that the agricultural sectors in all countries, in particular in the developing world, should be given a top priority and a dominant role in overall socio-economic development efforts of Governments.
Furthermore, the high priority attached to the sectors should be matched with appropriate policies, programmes, resources and an effective institutional machinery in order to expect an appreciable change in the agricultural scene of each country.
It is common belief that the maximum levels of agricultural production could be achieved through increase of yields, rather than expansion of areas which in itself is a restricted source. While this may be true for the industrialized countries, there is still a considerable potential to increase the agricultural production through expansion of area under cultivation in developing countries. To realize this potential, countries will certainly require support from outside. For instance, research activities have always played an important role in improving yields, but the cost of research is extremely high, particularly in basic research activities. In this respect, we believe that the role of FAO will be important in facilitating the exchange of information on research-findings between developed and developing countries, as well as among developing countries. In fact, we welcome the emphasis given by FAO to this subject. In this connexion, my appreciation extends to activities under the auspices of the European Research Networks, of which Turkey is proud to be a member, where the cooperation established among participating countries is considered to be a unique example of information exchange. The activities of the International Research Centres are satisfactory in developing high-yielding crops; however, these crops do not seem to meet the requirements of some other countries like those in the tropics. We also appreciate that research activities should be planned taking into consideration all the preferences and food habits of the countries, as well as developing new varieties of their stable foodcrops, with a view to improve their nutritional value. In our opinion, FAO should further stimulate such activities and take an exceedingly active part in the activities of International Research Centres.
On the other hand, improvement in per hectar productivity requires high-yielding varieties with proven research results in parallel to utilization of fertilizers, plant-protection chemicals, agricultural mechanization and irrigation, which are inevitably imported by most of the developing countries at
high costs. In fact, as the representative of a country that witnessed the advantages of fertilizer-use, I would like to emphasize the fact that in providing aid and assistance to food deficit countries, fertilizer is far more important than food-supplies as such. Therefore, we feel deeply disappointed" to observe a decrease in the resources of the International Fertilizer Supply Scheme of FAO.
Mr. Chairman, another important reason for rather low agricultural production is no doubt the high energy costs. Although agriculture represents only a small portion of the total world energy consumption, substantial increases in agriculture will certainly require continuing energy supply. Currently, also agro-industries are facing severe problems resulting from high energy costs. Low level of fossil fuel supply in the world markets is also contributing to this problem. It should be admitted that energy saving would bring an immediate solution to energy problems. However, energy limitations should not be applied to agriculture indiscriminantly by reducing the total energy used in this sector, without making some changes in present production technologies and farming systems. For instance, technologies should be developed where less energy as well as less finite-types of energy is required. In this connection, I would like to register our wish that towards a long-term solution for energy problems in agriculture, FAO should take concrete steps, along with other related agencies, in developing new renewable energy sources, especially to support the agricultural and rural development activities.
Another important objective of the agricultural development should be to play an instrumental role in improving the welfare of the rural population, as well as to help to meet their basic needs. Needless to say, farmers should be given more and more opportunity and easy access to the application of various production technologies. Agricultural development programmes should be used as forerunners of rural development and also encompass aspects regarding better nutrition, education, health and overall cultural services to rural populations. Whenever possible, this is an area where international support will be both needed and desirable, in line with the principles established by the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development;in the implementation of related programmes, FAO is the leading Agency.
We should therefore expect that the follow-up action envisaged by the last FAO Conference, especially in the coordination of activities and finding solutions to related problems will be pursued by FAO also during this coming biennium. Successful operations of IFAD has also a primary and important role to play in the full implementation of the principles as identified by the World Conference.
Distinguished Delegates, in our opinion, the solution to agricultural problems in general and food problems in particular, of the developing countries, will have to be found by themselves in the first place. The industrialized countries can, however, play an essential role by creating favourable conditions for the export of developing countries and also providing for economic assistance including food aids in emergency situations. In this scope, it would be appropriate to arrange stable marketing conditions on fair prices for raw materials under the auspices of UNCTAD.
In the fight against world food and hunger problems, the establishment of stocks at national and regional levels is also of great importance. Indeed, natural conditions are still effective in world food and agricultural production, especially in the least developed countries. In the absence of a wheat agreement foreseeing world stocks, FAO's action plan on world food security is considered to have a key role. In this connection, I would like to point out that Turkey has already established a wheat reserve of 400,000 tons in cooperation with the World Food Programme. This has served the national interests, as well as regional stocks to provide wheat to neighbouring countries in emergency cases. I have the honour to inform you that, at its Ministerial Level Meeting, the Islamic Conference has endorsed the cooperation among Islamic Countries to establish food reserves on a regional basis with a view to mitigating the effects of natural disasters. We are eager to see an expansion of such cooperation in other regions of the world. However, since this is a high cost process, we propose that international bodies like IFAD should provide assistance to support these cooperations.
Another area of great importance to my Government is technical and economic cooperation among developing countries, in particular in the field of food and agriculture. We fully support the FAO's approach in this regard, namely the adaptation of new dimensions aiming to utilize the capacities of developing countries in the implementation of field projects, FAO's contribution to mobilize further this cooperation among developing countries is expected to be expanded to fulfil ever increasing need for such activities. Recent conferences on this subject have already adopted resolutions foreseeing an increase in joint food production capacities of developing countries by specializing at subregional and national levels through cooperation agreements. In this context, my Government would like to express willingness for the utilization of Turkey's high production capacity for food and agricultural commodities, as well as for the production of necessary farm inputs and implements, to realize self-sufficiency in the region covering Turkey and its neighbours. In this context, FAO's assistance will be appre ciated especially in the identification and formulation, as well as in the implementation of such cooperation projects.
Before concluding, Mr. Chairman, I would like to express our deep appreciation for the contribution made by Mr. Saouma, the FAO Director-General to the Action Programme which he has initiated during his tenure of office in the last six years. As a representative of a developing agricultural country, I wish to stress that FAO, as the leading Agency in activities, carries a paramount importance for mankind and its activities which should be supported by all of us.
Therefore, I invite all governments to approve the FAO budget for 1982-83, as proposed by the Director-General.
Recognizing our responsibility for a continuing support to FAO, my country is now applying for a membership in the Council, which I trust, will meet the support and approval of the distinguished delegates. I furthermore assure you, Mr. Chairman, that my country will fulfil all its obligations to FAO, as in the best manner possible.
Conveying to all of you my best wishes for the success of this Conference, I thank you for your attention.
H. A. KASSIM (Bahrain) (Original Language Arabic): By the grace of God and the Almighty, first of all please allow me to start my presentation by congratulating the Chairman on his election to the chair of this 21st session. This illustrates the trust and confidence that member countries have in him, in his ability to chair the discussions of this meeting in an objective fashion.
I would also like to thank Brother Edouard Saouma for his election to the post of Director-General of our organization. This election by member states recognizes the high quality, the calibre and overall ability of Mr. Saouma. I would also like to welcome the new members to the Organization and we trust that their accession will be in the interests of all of us.
We are now able to pass a review on what has happened since our last meeting and I will be able to shed light on the international agricultural and food situation. This will be a springboard for our future activity so that we can fight against poverty and hunger in the world. Our meeting today is very important because the situation is very difficult, we have to step up our efforts and we have to cooperate amongst ourselves so that we can overcome these obstacles.
There have been certain improvements marked in agricultural production in the world today but we must remember that production increased only by 0. 5 percent last year and this is insufficient to satisfy demand because of the actual growth in population which is keeping pace in many countries.
The figure fixed for food aid has not been realised yet, this goes back to 10 million tonnes of cereal fixed in 1974, although of course that figure today does not correspond to requirements.
The climatic conditions and natural catastrophes, the imbalance in price and the balance of the distribution of the means of production have meant that the food situation is very serious indeed and today 100 million people suffer from malnutrition.
Research institutes have made a certain amount of progress in exploiting potential resources, mineral resources, but in spite of all that we are not able to have progress in all parts of the world. In a lot of areas natural resources are being utilised badly, there has been desertification, erosion and all this has had a devastating effect on food production. There is also the problem of illiteracy and lack of education and this limits people's potential. Illiteracy and ignorance are often found in the rural areas and those are the areas which are the centres of food production and this blocks activities; this makes it impossible for people to improve production.
By the year 2000 the increase in population will mean that a 60 percent food, production increase compared with last year will be required. The number of people suffering from hunger by that time will be about 650 million. This is because little attention is paid to agriculture in the developed countries. . Investment is well below what it should be in this sector. I spoke about this at our 21st session two years ago from this very rostrum and we have said that the way to solve this is to give priority to investment for agricultural projects for food production. The developing countries should have an integrated programme so that they could satisfy their food needs and so that they could become self-reliant and be less dependent on outside influences.
Nowadays the food situation is very bad. We have to assume our responsibilities for future generations, we have to build a better future for them. We need solutions which would allow us to change the illogicality which reigns at present, we. have to be able to satisfy man's food needs. Policy has to
be able to allow farmers to free themselves from the bonds of dependence and political blackmail. We have to consider the means that can allow us to put such a policy into practice. The policy of self-reliance means that inland resources have to be utilised to the best of one's ability. This has to be given priority in all development programmes in developing countries.
It is important to satisfy local needs from the point of view of food production in both terms of quality and quantity. This is only going to be possible, though, if developed countries give aid to the developing countries so that the latter can stimulate and improve their production potential. They have to be able to construct the necessary infrastructure so that the food production can be carried out.
Technology has to be transferred as well so that any constraints which are imposed on developing countries are removed.
An international cooperation system which certain countries already know about has to be developed and that is going to make this difficult equation even more complicated. This system whereby aid programmes are replaced by stimulating trade and trade flows would be an ideal system if the principle of justice were the main guiding principle of the international community. But thatis not the case, if you consider certain conditions and protectionism which are followed by some developed countries.
We support the action programme and budget put forward by the Director-General for the next biennium. We believe this will have an important role to play in promoting cooperation between the developed and developing countries and all this will benefit the international community.
The principle of cooperation is the only principle which is going to allow peaceful co-existence between all peoples. All countries of the Arabian Gulf will be unstinting in their efforts to put this into practice.
We have technical agreements and technical cooperation so that we can assure the wellbeing of the peoples of this region. This cooperation between Gulf States has meant that the Gulf States have set up a Cooperation Council. The idea is that the principle and a plan of cooperation are going to be established between these countries and we feel that this Council is a step in the right direction, it is a gain for the people of this area and for the whole world.
Here we are talking about a practical example of cooperation and here people are acting altruistically. This is going to make a positive contribution to ensuring international food security and it is going at the same time to improve the aid given to developing countries, particularly through the existing development funds.
The aid given by countries of this Council are four times higher than required, 0.7% of GNP. We think that this is also a step towards Arab unity and we think it is a good illustration of the solidarity which can exist between developing and developed countries. We want to assure food security in the Arab world, and this will be discussed by Arab leaders at their meeting next month.
Please allow me to dwell a little on my country; I can tell you what restrictions and constraints are facing us. The very sensible policy pursued by my government wishes to guarantee infrastructure so that food production can be guaranteed. This is very important for food security, it is making a contribution internationally as well and last year a 5-year plan was introduced so that the traditional agricultural sector could be developed in spite of the shortage of water.
These decisions were given sufficient budget. My country will spend $150 million over the next four years which is three times greater than what was spent last year. We trust that this programme will mean that production of food can be stepped up. We shall be able to cover 12% of our needs, but of course we are going to be dependent on outside sources to feed our people. Therefore our State has tried to set up permanentfood aid strategies.
I would also like to talk about the support given to my country by the Director-General and different parts of this Organization to hold a World Food Day coincidingwith the anniversary of the Organization shows the importance that the Organization attaches tofood aid. This should lead us to a method which allows us to solve the problem. We should make Investmente here so that we shall be able to stimulate all means of production so that we can get better utilisation of resources. We have to fight against desertification.
The advanced countries have to show that they attach importance to this as well and they have to set up integrated programmes to help these countries so that this fight will be fought internationally with international solidarity so that we can solve these most pressing problems of this century.
The International Emergency Reserve should be set up; 500 million people suffering from hunger is the shame of this century and I think we should not go into the next century without having removed this stain on mankind.
I would like to end by wishing the Conference the very best of luck. I trust it will be successful because this Conference is looking at one of the most serious problems facing mankind : that of ensuring food production and supply throughoutthe world for the service of mankind. I trust God will be with you in your task.
S. IBRAHIM AL MANNAI (Kuwait)(original language Arabic):In the name of God the Merciful and Compassionate, on behalf of the State of Kuwait I would like to greet you all and I would like to express my Government's deep appreciation of the efforts exerted by the FAO as well as its organs in the field of agricultural development and food production in order to meet the minimum level of man's needs and right to food.
I would also like to express our heartfelt congratulations on your election as Chairman of this Conference which is being held under critical circumstances in terms of food shortages and malnutrition. I wish you every success in conducting its activities.
I would also like to congratulate Dr. Edouard Saouma most warmly on his re-election as Director-General of the FAO. In the light of the great achievements realised during his past terms of office, Dr. Saouma has proven to be most competent to preside over the FAO activities during the past six years. We are confident that he will continue to lead this Organisation during the coming years to further progress in pursuance of the priorities and strategies adopted by the last session.
I also wish to congratulate the new member states that have just joined the Organizationtheir contribution will undoubtedly be effective through their participation in FAO activities.
It is really a regrettable fact that the food and agriculture situation today has reached its worst state despite all the efforts exerted by the Food and Agricultural Organization and no one can deny the fact that the developed countries have realised food self-sufficiency and food surpluses. This is a great deed that deserves all our appreciation, but there is another darker side of the picture as there still is over half the population of the world living in the developing countries who are suffering most severely from hunger and drought.
Whilst some of the developing countries have realised a reasonable level of development during the past decade, yet this development has not succeeded to bridge the gap between needs on one hand and production on the other, despite the availability of vast areas of arable lands. Hunger and malnutrition have become two world problems that can only be solved through a continuous and well co-ordinated world campaign of land reform and rural development in the developing countries. It is the duty of this Organization to channel all potentialities, technology and guidance to these regions of the world. However, this does not exempt these countries from intensifying their own efforts to increase their area of arable lands, as well as to raise the production rate of the lands actually exploited. These countries should also create a regional agricultural integration on the basis of the geographic location, and the natural conditions of such regions.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, since the situation before us is so critical it is only our own responsibility to improve it. All previous meetings that have been held so far by the FAO have well examined and studied the world food security problem. Therefore, it is our fervent hope that during our next meeting we can review the achievements realised. Thus it would be an assumption for the peoples of the world that their Governments are still aspiring to reach the best formula of co-operation based on human co-existence.
The contributions made by Kuwait are not only confined to its membership of the Organization. We are contributing to other regional and country funds. The State of Kuwait is contributing to many agricultural projects in the developing countries through such funds, particularly through the Kuwaiti Fund for Economic Development. Kuwait, together with some neighbouring countries, have also establish ed joint projects that would extend help and assistance to the Sahel countries, and would alleviate the damage resulting from drought. In support of economic and technical cooperation, and in appreciation of the FAO international efforts to combat hunger and poverty, the State of Kuwait celebrated the World Food Day at the governmental and popular levels, and this was in response to the great initiative made by the FAO Director-General. We hope that the Director-General will continue his efforts during
the coming years in a bid to increase world awareness of the problems of the world food situation, and to take further initiatives at the country, regional and international levels, in order to render these efforts successful.
Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, I would like to express our full support of the statement made by the Director General, and we agree on the strategies and priorities defined in the statement, as well as the budget level, which presents the minimum level required.
S. BOOLELL (Mauritius): Mr. Chairman, Director General, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of my delegation and in my own name, I wish to extend to you, Mr. Chairman, my warmest congratulations on your election to preside over our deliberations. I have no doubt that under your guidance this 21st Session will be a success.
I should also like to congratulate and welcome to our Organization the new members: Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Zimbabwe.
I am sure that our new members will play a positive role in helping the organization to achieve its objectives.
We note with satisfaction the unanimous support which Dr. Edward Saoumahas obtained in getting re-elected as Director General of the FAO for a further period of six years. At the present juncture, when the world is on the verge of major food crisis, the continued leadership of Dr. Saouma is vital to the Organization. He has not only introduced a sense of urgency and dynamism in the programme of FAO has also mobilised resources within the Organization itself for responding to urgent calls for help. On behalf of my Government and in my own name, I wish to convey to Dr. Saouma my sincere and warm congratulations. I am sure that under his vigorous leadership FAO will continue its fight against the scourge of hunger and malnutrition in the world.
Mr. Chairman, this Session of the FAO is meeting under the shadow of a world food crisis. As stated in FAO's document C 81/2 - The State of Food and Agriculture 1981, I quote "widespread recession, inflation, continuing monetary instability and large payment imbalances have combined with an uncertain food and agricultural situation to make 1980/81 one of the most difficult periods of the postwar era" unquote. We note with concern that the world food situation remains precarious following small increases in production in both 1979 and 1980. Although the overall situation in 1981 shows some improvement, food production in Africa and the Near East has been disappointing and has failed to match the growth in population.
The food problem in the developing countries has been made critical by factors which are beyond the control of these countries. Apart from climatic factors such as drought, and other calamities such as floods and cyclones, which can destroy one whole year's labour within a matter of hours, the export earnings of these countries are being swallowed up by the increasing cost of essential energy supplies and manufactures. To ask these countries to mobilise their own resources for increased production is highly unrealistic.
On the other hand, it is a matter of great concern to note the lack of progress in the implementation of measures taken at international level over the past several years. The World Food Conference of 1974 made a bold start in analysing the food problems and setting objectives and targets for international action. Unfortunately, nothing significant has happened. The food aid target of 10 million tons of cereal is far from being achieved. The same holds good in respect of the flow of development assistance to agriculture which has been less than half the agreed international target of 0.7 percent, reaffirmed in the New International Development Strategy. Looking at the overall trade position of developing countries, the picture is equally disturbing. The purchasing power of their agricultural export earnings dropped by 4 percent in 1979. In respect of some commodities, there has been a long term decline in the prices. A commodity like tea was fetching lower prices in real terms in 1980 than at the beginning of the seventies. In the meantime, progress on commodity agreements has been disappointing, in spite of efforts made by UNCTAD and FAO. The 20th Session of the FAO Conference urged government which has not already done so to ratify the International Sugar Agreement. We note that the EEC and several other countries participating in world sugar trade have not yet joined the Agreement, which is due to expire at the end of 1982. In the meantime, there is great instability in the price of sugar on the world market.
Mr. Chairman, I have commented briefly on the present world food situation and on the failure of the international community to take positive measures to avoid a situation where millions of people throughout the world are facing hunger and malnutrition. We are all conscious of the gravity of the problem and also know the measures required to remedy the situation and yet so little is being done, apart from merely passing resolutions.
Mauritius, like many other developing countries is adversely affected by the present economic conditions prevailing in the world. We still depend on the export of sugar for our foreign exchange earnings. For the last two years, our country was hit by cyclones and prolonged floods, thus reducing substantially our sugar crop and adversely affecting our balance of payments.
Our next agricultural crop is tea. The low price of that commodity on the world market has created a desperate situation threatening the survival of that industry on which depends the livelihood of a great number of small farmers.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Director General, who after the 1980 cyclones, promptly responded to our call for assistance. This assistance has been most valuable and has brought relief to the agricultural sectors severely hit by the cyclones.
The Government of Mauritius is fully conscious of the precarious situation based on a mono-crop economy. Our policy is therefore, to achieve a certain degree of autonomy in the production of our food supplies. There are, however, many problems which have to be solved to ensure this self-reliance. We have limited land resources and further agricultural development for food production can only be achieved through more intensive use of land. Intensified agricultural production therefore stands as a challenge to all fronts of our agricultural activities. It is a challenge to our capacity to innovate at the level of research, extension and also at the level of the farmer. It is in this context that last year we organized a seminar on agricultural diversification with the participation of persons directly concerned with the challenge to increase food production. A Plan of Action, produced as a result of the discussions at the seminar, has been approved by the Government and given the widest circulation to make the greatest number of Mauritians aware of our priorities. A High-powered Committee has been established to monitor the implementation of the Plan of Action. In order to provide the necessary incentives to the farming community, my Government has introduced an Agricultural Development Certificate Schere which provides fiscal and other facilities for food crop production and livestock development.
My Government hopes that with the implementation of the Plan of Action and the incentives provided to the farmers, it will be possible to further develop our livestock industry and increase our maize production which are two main priority areas.
Livestock development has so far played a minor role in our agricultural economy. With the exception of poultry, we are dependent upon imports to meet our needs for milk and meat. In this connection, the Government has given fresh impetus to research into the use of sugar cane by products as major components in animal feeding. Current research work with the assistance of FAO and UNDP holds great promise on the possibility of attaining a fair degree of self-sufficiency in the supplies of milk and meat.
One of the major constraints in agricultural development is the lack of sufficient irrigation over a good part of our otherwise good agricultural land. Two major irrigation projects have been identified. One is currently being implemented, and will benefit small planters who will obtain greater yield for sugar and also increase food crop production.
We all agree that the lasting solution to the food security problem lies in a more rapid growth of food production in developing countries. The organization of activities in connexionwith the observance of the World Food Day has shown that the enthusiasm and will to produce is there. What developing countries require at this stage are financial resources and technology. Both are becoming scarce and prohibitive in view of the protectionist policies presently carried out by major developed countries. It is therefore, more than ever imperative for developed countries and international organizations to review existing policies on food production projects in their external assistance programme and be more flexible in their criteria for such projects. Special consideration should be given not only to least developed countries and land locked countries but also to small island countries subject to adverse climatic conditions. It is also necessary for financial institutions to devise a more pragmatic schedule for the examination of projects submitted for financial assistance. At present, it simply takes too much time so that when projects are finally approved many of them are no longer feasible for execution. This has created aclimate of frustration in many developing countries. We must not forget that, at the present juncture, the greatest cost to development is time, particularly with galloping inflation.
Mr. Chairman, my delegation fully supports the Director - General's Budget proposals for the next biennium. He has made great efforts to achieve a realistic balance between proposed programme and limited resources. With regard to the Programme of Work, we consider that some priority should be given to food processing. Production of certain food crops in developing countries, like Mauritius, is seasonal and transfer of technology for food processing will assist in the drive for increased food production.
We also support the proposals made in document C 82/23 "Energy in Agriculture and Rural Development". To achieve a satisfactory growth in food production, it is absolutely vital for agriculture to receive the commercial energy it requires. It is therefore necessary for FAO to play a major role in the implementation at national and international level of the action proposed by the United Nations Conference on new and renewable sources of energy.
Mr. Chairman, the storms and trials confronting the world today should not deter us in our efforts to increase food production, especially in the developing countries. We hope that following this message that has come out of the Cancun Summit, positive action will be taken at the international level so that we can establish a minimum global programme for food and agriculture. The FAO will no doubt have to play an important role in this connexion. I am confident that under the leadership of Dr. Saouma, the Organization will meet the challenge.
A. ORANGES BUSTOS (Panama):Señor Presidente de la 21a Conferencia de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación, señor Director General, señores delegados: En primer lugar deseo, en nombre de mi Gobierno, felicitar muyrespetuosamenteal Doctor Edouard Saouma quien fue reelecto en el transcurso de esta Plenaria, demostrándose con ello el justo reconocimiento que todos los países miembros hacemos de su extraordinaria labor.
Igualmente deseo felicitar al señor Ministro Jorge Rubén Aguado por la forma diligente como Presidente en que está manejando estos debates, forma brillante y sobre todo profesional y humana.
Señor Presidente, nuestra delegación también apoya el proyecto de presupuestos presentado aquí por el señor Director General.
Señores, "la comida es la paz, y bien vale la pena el esfuerzo de producir alimentos para li humanidad''.
Iniciamos esta intervención con la cita del discurso pronunciado por el excelentísimo señor Presidente de la República de Panamá, Doctor Arístides Royo, en el transcurso de los actos conmemorativos del Día Mundial de la Alimentación celebrado en todo nuestro territorio nacional y que se realizó del 2 al 6 de marzo del año en curso.
Nuestro país adoptó dichas manifestaciones como marco normativo de la política interna de desarrollo agropecuario a fin de establecer los parámetros de la nueva estrategia para el desarrollo agrícola del país. Por lo tanto, destacamos cuatro lineamientos de política básica del sector publico agropecuario, que expondremos a continuación:
Primero:Promulgación de la Ley de Incentivos Agropecuarios; la misma con el propósito de brindar los incentivos necesarios a fin de promover y fomentar la producción y la productividad agrícola, evitando así, en lo posible, la fuerte emigración del campo a la ciudad, problema éste que se viene manifestando en todos nuestros países. Pretendemos el equilibrio social entre el campo y la ciudad y una integración armónica de la población rural en la economía nacional.
Segundo: Canasta básica familiar. Hemos querido significar con lo anterior la política alimentaria nacional que toma en cuenta las necesidades nutricionales, los niveles de ingreso social y algo muy importante: los hábitos de consumo. Esto ultimo nos ayuda a definir cuáles serán nuestras prioridades desde el punto de vista del esfuerzo en la producción nacional y a qué productos tendremos que aplicar medidas restrictivas en cuanto a importación se refiere.
Tercero: Transferencia de tecnología. Utilizando la experiencia acumulada y respetando los perfiles culturales de nuestro país estamos implementando un sistema que nos permita adaptar tecnología apropiada cónsona con las necesidades alimentarias tipificadas en la canasta básica familiar.
Cuarto: El establecimiento de la red nacional de mercadeo. Con lo que se pretende fortalecer los mecanismos de comercialización de los productos a fin de que podamos establecer eficientemente y a precios remunerativos, y además atractivos, para los productores, pero que sean al mismo tiempo justos para los consumidores.
Siguiendo estos lineamientos fundamentales de política básica de desarrollo agropecuario podemos hoy mencionar el incremento notable que ha tenido en nuestro país la industria azucarera, la producción de bananos para la exportación, la silvicultura, la producción de carne, la productividad en el grupo de los cereales y el programa especial de cultivo de peces de agua dulce y salada y estanques de pequeños y medianos productores.
Este programa unido al desarrollo indigenista nos ha permitido llegar hasta los lugares más apartados de nuestra geografía nacional con respuestas concretas y específicas al problema de la desnutrición en áreas marginadas de nuestra población.
Nuestro país, que ha seguido un modelo de desarrollo sustentado por el segmento de servicios y comercio, que a su vez ha estado descansando sobre el sector agrícola primario, entiende perfectamente bien, de que sólo en el fortalecimiento de la producción de alimentos encontrará la paz social necesaria para que todos los otros sectores de la economía se desarrollen en forma sustantiva, toda vez que una nación que no puede asegurar una alimentación adecuada a todos sus habitantes jamás podrá ser auténticamente libre.
No obstante lo anterior, deseamos destacar que no bastan todas las agrorrespuestas que individualwente demos en nuestros países si no analizamos la grave necesidad del establecimiento de un nuevo orden económico entre las naciones que nos permita acortar la distancia que existe entre los países pobres y ricos.
Debemos reconocer nuestra incapacidad de organizar el comercio internacional de productos agrícolas de forma que se sostengan y se fomente la producción en todos los países y que al mismo tiempo los precios de dichos productos sean razonablemente remunerativos.
Señores delegados, el hambre suele ser la causa más frecuente de la violencia. Los resultados de Cancún
apenas abren una limitada posibilidad de diálogo entre los países desarrollados y los del Tercer Mundo. Está aumentando el peligro creado por la inseguridad alimentaria de los países pobres. Los países industrializados realizan ingentes esfuerzos por asegurarse la fuente de energía. Adquieren el crudo a cambio de los productos de su industria produciendo en muchos casos graves desequilibrios que afectan a los que, por una parte, no tenemos petróleo y, de la otra, tampoco industria.
Todos conocemos las cifras de las graves diferencias de la balanza comercial, cifras éstas que sabemos que razonablemente no podrán ser saldadas antes de fin de siglo, por lo que hacemos un llamado sereno, responsable y honesto de encontrarle salida humana, honorable y justa, ya que es preferible la lucha del hombre contra el hambre que la del hombre contra el hombre. Es necesario pues, poner en evidencia la urgente necesidad de tratar de comprender y no la intención de explotar, la intención de reconocer razones ajenas y no de cerrar puertas; es preciso tender puentes en vez de ahondar abismos.
Esta Conferencia, señor Presidente, debe convertirse en el punto central de referencia que determina acciones inmediatas. Deben salir de aquí, de Roma, las decisiones específicas y concretas para que los países, y cada día más empobrecidos por vender barato y comprar caro, puedan palpar un cambio concreto en la actividad del mundo industrializado y se recupere un poco la pérdida en la tan pregonada justicia social de la que mucho se habla y poco se practica.
Si de esta Conferencia salimos con este concepto reforzado, a la cual agregamos el soporte de este verdadero cónclave de la alimentación mundial, sí obtenemos conclusiones y resoluciones efectivas habremos logrado nuestro propósito.
"La comida es la paz, bien vale todo el esfuerzo de producir para la humanidad".
The meeting rose at 11. 00 hours
La séance est levée à 11 h.
Se levanta la sesión a las 11. 00 horas
