Maina WANJIGI (Kenya): It is my very great pleasure and honour to convey to this Conference the greetings and best wishes of the Government and the people of Kenya. The vast majority of Kenyans are small scale farmers who look upon the FAO for and have for many years received invaluable technical and resource support to enhance their individual and collective efforts in Agriculture.
Mr Chairman, I wish also to take this opportunity firstly to congratulate you, and your colleagues in the Bureau on your election to steer the deliberations of this important Conference. Secondly, I wish to assure you of my delegation's cooperation and the fullest support. I wish also to register my Delegation's satisfaction with the Secretariat for the wonderful effort that has been made in the preparation of the Conference and in particular the very detailed conference documents before us.
The Kenya Delegation has noted carefully the contents of Document C 89/12 which, inter alia, lays the guidelines for the conduct of this Conference. As a parliamentarian, I subscribe to the need to adhere to the rules of the house, and therefore, in presenting my Delegation's statement, I shall, to the extent possible, resist the great temptation to deviate from these guidelines. Let me, however, observe that the agenda is sufficiently broad but comprehensive and relevant to the current needs in Kenya in matters pertaining to food and agriculture and related services.
Coincidental to our First National Five Year Development Plan, the World Food Conference of 1974 recognized that poverty and hunger are very closely linked. Since then, the World Food Council has been making efforts to contain the global threat of hunger and poverty, but the objectives of the 1974 World Food Conference are far from being achieved. It is gratifying, however, to know that poverty and hunger will feature prominently in the deliberations of the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on International Economic Co-operation scheduled to take place in New York next year. While the world has managed to achieve high levels of food production and surplus stocks, ironically 500 million people in the world continue to face starvation and the threat of death. Many more are under-nourished. It is these many silent hungry of this world that should receive increased attention under FAO and other multilateral and bilateral assistance programmes. My delegation would hope that this Conference will give this matter the attention it deserves and avoid the platitudes and generalities that have come to be associated with International Conferences.
I say this, Mr Chairman, because with the adverse terms of trade between primary commodities and manufactured goods, virtually none of the developing countries can cope with the threat of hunger arising from natural calamities such as occasional droughts, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, etc. In the absence of hard currency, and in the absence of timely food aid, starvation
and death become inevitable. The FAO and the entire United Nations system should therefore have both short-term and long-term intervention mechanisms to minimize and ultimately eliminate poverty and hunger from the face of the earth.
In this connection, my Delegation strongly believes that by improving the global economic environment, poverty and hunger can be controlled. Specifically there is need for this Conference to address the problems of international commodity prices, high cost of inputs necessary for the development process, protectionism through tariff and non-tariff barriers and legislation that discriminates products from tropical countries. At the expense of breaching the rules, I cannot resist the temptation to draw the attention of the Conference to the plight of the millions of coffee farmers throughout the world following the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement. Prices have dropped by 40 percent in the last one year alone, and our economies have continued to suffer to a point whereby some countries are now unable to service their external debts. Against this background my Delegation urges for greater political will and co-operation in accelerating the Uruguay Round of GATT and other commodity negotiations to give hope to millions and millions in the developing world whom we represent.
My Delegation welcomes the programmes that have been initiated in an attempt to assist developing countries. Among these are the structural adjustment programmes which have unfortunately caused major difficulties in the short term where implementation is being undertaken and to this extent it is in our opinion necessary for structural adjustment programmes to include some measures to identify and ameliorate some if not all of the inevitable short-term negative effects. My Delegation therefore welcomes FAO's initiative in studying these issues.
Turning again to the agenda, my Delegation appreciates very much the efforts made by the Finance and Programme Committees in carrying out the the review process in accordance with Resolution 6/87 of the 24th Session of FAO Conference. The delegation of Kenya reiterates that regular reviews such as this one are and will be necessary for efficient management in the light of changing priorities and diversity of problems. We hope that the Conference will consider the report and take appropriate action.
The proposed budget of US$ 557 million meets with our approval but we are however, concerned that despite increasing requirements of the developing countries FAO has been faced with severe financial constraints. We urge all our member countries to honour their obligations to this august body. My Delegation supports the nine priority areas which have been discussed and approved by the main committees of FAO. These committees have done a commendable job and need to be congratulated.
We note with deep concern that production of staple foods has fallen far below aggregate consumption levels for the second consecutive year leading to a large draw-down on stocks to a level that can barely be considered the minimum for world food security. At the same time cereal prices have risen significantly, creating problems for low income food deficit countries. These are issues which should receive maximum attention during our deliberations.
On the proposed programmes, we welcome the emphasis on biotechnology, sustainable development, acquaculture and the Tropical Forestry Action Plan. We also agree that policy analysis capability, weather and crop monitoring for early warning, are vital inputs in agriculture and food security.
However, it is a matter of concern to us that in the current biennial work programme, a number of activities that are of particular importance to Africa, namely the support to applied research, vaccine production, trypanosomiasis control, fodder and traditional food crops development have unfortunately been reduced. While we hope that these programmes will be undertaken under new activities, we genuinely fear that the particular emphasis to Africa may be lost at a time when the problems that created their need have not been resolved. In particular, I refer to the imminent threat by the screw worm which is currently found in some North African countries. We consider it vital that this threat be eradicated before it spreads and therefore this activity should be included in the biennial plan.
With regard to women, my Delegation fully shares the aspirations of FAO in developing strategies to involve women in developing endeavours of their respective communities and in the world in general. From our own national experience, women are indispensable in national development. We call on FAO to expand its support to women through women group sponsored projects but, in doing so it must be recognized that women are part and parcel of a family and the community, and efforts to circumvent or by-pass these linkages to reach the womenfolk could often be counterproductive.
While we appreciate that environmental conservation matters are key to the development of agriculture and that soil and water are the basic resources in agricultural production, regrettably, as a result of the ever-increasing population pressure, there is an increasing, and threatening encroachment on forests and water catchment. There is also overstocking in the marginal rainfall areas which has led in turn to environmental degradation and desertification.
In the industrialized countries on the other hand, acid rains, smog, biologically dead rivers, and the greenhouse effect are commonplace. Kenya takes a serious view of this trend and would like to associate itself with any global and/or regional cooperation in environmental conservation.
Kenya has made efforts, thanks to the political will and personal concern and involvement of our President in the rehabilitation and conservation of our forests, soils, and wildlife. The forest cover is limited while the demand for forest products is on the increase. There is also an increasing pressure to expand agricultural land. The indigenous forests and woodlands for fuel and other domestic uses require increased efforts to achieve sufficiency levels. Towards these goals, Kenya's main drive is on Agroforestry, communal forests and individual farm woodlots. The afforestation of the arid and semi-arid and wastelands is also a priority area in Kenya and we would like to appeal for more donor support towards the realisation of this goal. Kenya is also undertaking major forestry sector review programmes and continuing with the implementation of the forestry sector management programme under the World Bank Funding Programme. The objectives of this programme are similar to those of the Tropical Forestry Action Plan. We call upon the donor community and the FAO in particular to continue to support, supplement and strengthen these efforts in this vital sector.
Regrettably, Kenya Fishery Resources are far from being realised, even though fish production has increased at an annual rate of 14% since 1980. The reasons for this include a number of constraints such as the use of outmoded fishing methods which are not suited to offshore and deep sea operations; inadequate support and inappropriate fisheries technology; poor infrastructure at the fish landing beaches and in the distribution network;
lack of fish processing and cold storage facilities and lack of effective credit and financing schemes for fishermen. All these hinder full realisation of our fisheries potential. Kenya is endowed with rich acquaculture and Shrimp Farming potential. Our limited products have met high quality standards and are well received in export markets. With improved infrastructure, training opportunities, improvement in fishing gear as well as cold storage and processing facilities, Kenya should be able to expand the potential for quality fishery products both for domestic and export markets. In this regard Kenya encourages joint ventures and is keen to strengthen regional and international cooperation in the conservation and management of its fisheries and other shared marine resources. Such cooperation, however, should respect our exclusive economic zones and provide direct benefits to the fishermen and to Kenya as a whole. We hope that donor communities will help us, as we help ourselves, in this field.
The potential for horticultural production in Kenya is slowly being realised with over one million tonnes of fresh produce being marketed locally in the main urban centres and a further 60 000 tonnes exported annually. About 135 000 tonnes is also processed for export market. Kenya has a wide variety of tropical and temperate horticultural products. There are however, a number of areas that require improvement to further strengthen the sector. The development and expansion of small-scale irrigation systems are essential in order to eliminate the seasonality that characterises present Kenya horticulture. In addition, infrastructural development, particularly rural roads, collection centres, transport facilities, including refridgerated carriers and storage, and training facilities for both farmers and technicians are required. All these have been accorded a high priority by the government and project proposals draw up, which now await support in funding. The successful implementation of these projects should result in a substantial improvement in the quantity and quality of our products.
With Kenya's rising population growth and consequential growth in food requirement, encroachment into the marginal areas has been inevitable. These vast marginal areas, though characterized by erratic rainfall and fragile soils, are also where the bulk of livestock production and wildlife is found. These arid lands urgently require water development programmes to rescue them from imminent desertification. The Kenya Government, in recognition of this threat, has created the Ministry of Reclamation and Development of the arid and semi-arid areas to address the development needs of these lands and to ensure equitable and sustainable development opportunities in all these areas which comprise 75% of our country's land mass. Kenya joined the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) to ensure regional cooperation for accelerated development in this vital area of development. The resources required however are far beyond the reach of our country and a fairly large infusion of external resources will be required to implement what promises to be a very rewarding programme.
I am glad to report that Kenya has intensified her food production to reach a level of self-sufficiency in staple grains and pulses over the last three years. The country, is however, not yet able to meet its demand for wheat, rice and vegetable oils from domestic production, but these problems are being actively addressed to ensure self-sufficiency.
In order to attain these objectives, our research programmes will need to be strengthened through institutional building and provision of vehicles and equipment and training opportunities. There is also need to revitalize our Farmers' Training Centers so that farmers and our extension staff can keep pace with the new challenges. The FAO's contribution towards this endeavour and indeed those of our other donors would be most welcome.
Acknowledging the support of many donors and the relentless efforts of International Agencies, Kenya would like to underline the importance of coordination, complementarity and regular consultations among the donor and International Agencies as well as within Government Institutions. By so doing, the resulting concerted efforts would yield greater benefits to the recipients and at the same time reduce duplication of our own efforts.
In this connection, we wish to recognize the excellent role played by UNEP on conservation and environment and also underscore the collaboration and consultation between FAO and UNEP on this endeavour. We also note with appreciation the continued cooperation in the use of the technical resources from FAO by the World Food Programme and IFAD. We urge that in the interest of the Member States, and particularly the developing countries, greater cooperation, improved efficiency and consultations should be the guiding principle among the UN Agencies concerned in food and agriculture. This would ensure maximum utilization of the limited resources at our disposal. All too often we tend to forget that the farmer is our "Target" and we are intermediaries in that process irrespective of whatever Agency or institution we may be working for.
My delegation also wishes to recognize the commendable work being undertaken by the World Food Programme whose personnel often have to work under great difficulties and risky situations.
IFAD has also greatly contributed in availing us scarce development resources which are targeted at the poorest sectors of our population. It is therefore with great pleasure that we welcome the increased contributions towards IFAD's third replenishment that has enabled a new level of US$ 565 million to be reached.
I must also pay tribute to the work that the World Food Council is undertaking in generating the necessary political will of the International Community to raise funds to support food and agricultural policies in developing nations.
We urge the World Food Council to intensify their efforts, in the hope that the goals and objectives of the Cyprus initiative can be realized sooner than later.
In conclusion, my delegation looks forward to very fruitful deliberations and resolutions from this Conference. Times are changing fast. The aspirations and expectations of the people we represent demand action and action now.
We have total faith in FAO and its ability to meet these challenges, but the days of rhetoric speeches and nice platitudes are gone.
A.M.Al Kaoud, Vice-Chairman of the Conference, took the chair
A.M.Al Kaoud, Vice-Président de la Conférence, assume la présidence
Occupant la presidencia A.M.Al Kaoud, Vicepresidente de la Conferencia
Stevo MIRJANIC (Yugoslavia) (original language Serbo-Croatian): It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you most cordially on your election on behalf of the Yugoslav Government and in my own name.
The last decade of this century heralds quite radical changes on the world political scene. The process of the relaxation of tensions in the world is bearing positively on the settlement of some protracted world crises and problems. However, the process of political détente is not matched by a similar process at the economic level. As was amply illustrated in the important statement of the Director-General to this Conference, the impoverishment of the world's South, particularly in the 1980s, has been manifested by its growing indebtedness, and a marked deterioration in the terms of trade with consequent, increased capital outflow. Transfer of technology also gives cause for concern. For those countries, all this means a mortgage on their future and is an obstacle to their more equitable participation in the increasingly interdependent world economy. Such trends are not only an impediment to a speedier and more harmonized development of the world as a whole, but could also represent a latent threat to global peace and stability.
The messages of the Ninth Summit Conference of Non-Aligned Countries held in Belgrade in September of this year expressed the readiness of the non-aligned and other developing countries to search jointly for constructive and universally acceptable solutions for the key and interrelated problems in global economic relations as well as for specific and acute problems which burden developing countries and especially the least developed among them. We are confident that the situation today is ripe for the establishment of a new global development consensus and that the international community should not miss this opportunity. The more favourable international political atmosphere, the growing awareness of interdependence and several years of relatively stable growth of the developed countries' economies form a propitious basis for more successful continuation of cooperation and dialogue between North and South.
Allow me, as the representative of the host-country of the Ninth Non-Aligned Summit, to say a few words about the more specific messages of the Summit related to global food and agriculture issues and, of course, to FAO. The Summit called upon FAO to follow closely, on behalf of the international community, the development of the world food situation, especially in countries where food is in short supply, and to devote special attention at this Conference to these issues. The Summit emphasized FAO's indispensable coordinating and technical role in the promotion of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and declared its support for the further development of the general information and early warning system programmes geared to stop desertification, deforestation, soil erosion and to alleviating the consequences of natural disasters with the ultimate aim of promoting food security. The Summit also expressed its concern over FAO's financial situation and called upon all countries, particularly the main contributors, to honour their financial obligations. It also appealed to the non-aligned and developing countries to continue giving priority in their development
plans to increasing food production and to reaching the highest possible degree of self-sufficiency in food in the most effective way possible with a view to achieving a long-term solution of this problem I am quite confident that our Conference will give its full attention to these issues.
The stagnation and even decline of agricultural production in the world, especially in certain regions, in 1987 and 1988, was at least partly due to the measures undertaken by the developed countries to adjust production to the slow-growing export demand for agricultural and food products. In particular there has been a pronounced decline of imports of developing countries due to the problems of debt servicing. Decelerated growth of world agricultural production was also affected by the shrinking export of agricultural products from the Third World countries due essentially to a high degree of agricultural protectionism in the industrialized countries.
A certain slow-down in economic growth of industrialized countries in the 1980s, as well as the growing trade imbalances among them, resulted, among other things, in a restrictive economic policy and thus, in a slow-down in the demand for agricultural products. Somewhat improved relations between the prices of some agricultural products and agricultural inputs, for example energy and fertilizers, etcetera, could not offset these negative trends.
The growth of prices of agricultural products in international trade in 1988 was likewise insufficient to offset the unfavourable price rations which prevailed throughout the 1980's. This brought about a slow-down in agricultural production and even a decline in per capita production in many countries. The expected recovery in 1989 cannot alleviate our concern for these issues of crucial significance for the development of humanity.
It transpires clearly from all that I have said that we cannot reconcile ourselves to these unfavourable global trends with respect to food and agriculture. However, we have good reason to be satisfied with the performance of FAO, and it is our assessment that FAO’s programme orientation and efficiency rank it very high in the UN system.
In our view, the Programme of Work and Budget for the following two-year period reflects an appropriate mixture of continuation and innovation. We feel that it reflects faithfully our efforts to minimize the effects of the financial crisis on the execution of regular programmes. We believe that there is general agreement among members on the priorities and even details of the next two-year programme. I think the same holds true of medium-term objectives. As ever, a high degree of agreement on the essence does not necesarily imply a similar degree of agreement on the budget. Yugoslavia urges the adoption of such a budget as will make possible the most efficient implementation of the programmes and objectives of this Organization. We believe that a budget increase has also to take into account the limited capacity of so many developing countries to meet their financial obligations. In other words, we are committed to moderation in demand for more funds and to their more rational use. The programme for 1990/91 is in conformity with these criteria and that is why it deserves our support.
I would like to stress that Yugoslavia, despite its grave economic difficulties, is honouring its obligations to FAO and so are the majority of countries. I appeal to all countries, especially the main contributors, to meet their obligations to the Organization.
Yugoslavia is doing its best to take an active part in the UN effort to formulate an International Development Strategy for the last decade of this century. Adverse trends in the world economy which I have referred to require a new approach and a serious debate on the burning issues of development and environmental protection. In this context, we are pleased to see that the FAO Council reacted positively to the Director-General's initiative on FAO's contribution in formulating the International Strategy in such a vital sector as agriculture, including forestry and fisheries.
Allow me to present some facts concerning the development of Yugoslav agriculture and to indicate some important elements of the new development concept for Yugoslav agriculture.
Yugoslav agricultural production in the 1980s has been characterized by exceptional fluctuations. To illustrate, let me emphasize that the annual physical volume of production index has been ranging between minus 7 to plus 11 percent.
The difficulties Yugoslav agriculture is presently facing stem from a number of factors ranging from its internal economic environment, to staggering inflation, to world economic trends, especially in agriculture, but also from adverse agro-ecologic conditions in 1987 and 1988.
After the negative trends experienced in the past two years, we expect the economic policy measures taken by the Yugoslav Government in 1989 to result in recovery of production as well as in agricultural trade, and in a faster development of the agro-industry.
Accumulated economic and development problems in Yugoslavia's agriculture required the elaboration of a new development concept. Within the framework of the creation of institutional prerequisites for the development of a market economy and a new economic system which would grant economic entities their independence, an appropriate agricultural development policy is being charted as well. Our new agricultural policy is based primarily on increased economic efficiency, on growing production specialization, on technological inventiveness, on an ecologically-rational utilization of natural resources and on complete equalizing of the private and socialized sectors.
Time does not allow me to dwell on other, no less important, topics of the Conference. The Yugoslav delegation will actively participate in the debate on these issues in the Commissions.
However, we firmly believe that world development problems and those of particular countries connot be resolved shortly and more successfully without a faster development of the agro-industry, greater linking of the developed with the developing and of the developing countries among themselves, as well as without a broader introduction of science and technology into agriculture without which the perspective for future development cannot be conceived. In this context, FAO plays an irreplaceable role and for this reason we have to extend it our full support and reaffirm all of its functions.
In conclusion, allow me to express our desire that the 25th FAO Conference make a substantial contribution to the strengthening and further affirmation of this Organization in addressing key problems of the world in the area of food and agriculture, and reflect in the largest possible measure the
genuine cooperation among all countries towards our lofty objectives. Our country is resolved, as an FAO member and Chairman of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, to give its full and constructive contribution to that effect.
Mrs Cecil PILGRIM (Guyana): Over the last few decades, the world has recorded a rate of aggregate food production exceeding its rate of population growth. We can all be, in a global sense, rightly proud of this performance, as such indicators have effectively quashed earlier predictions of a world unable to feed itself from its available resources.
It is commonly believed that such an achievement has been due not only to unparallelled technological advances and the adaptation of new knowledge, but also to the use of official subsidies on a very large scale in the developed world. These countries have now become principal exporters of grain with former exporters from the developing world now relying largely on imports. This shift in food production has engendered a growing dependence by many developing countries on a few areas of the world for food.
These truths apart, there is a general belief that the problem facing the world is not so much one of production. It is rather a problem of an imbalance between food production/distribution and food availability. And it has led, as we are all aware, to a real problem of food security, with huge masses of people becoming chronically dependent on food imports and thus highly vulnerable to the vagaries of political, economic and other forces well beyond their control.
These very disquieting features are not alone. Recent authoritative reports have revealed that: first, production of staple foods had fallen below aggregate comsumption for the second consecutive year; secondly, prices for some cereals had risen significantly on international markets, thus creating problems for the financing of imports by low income countries, particularly those with severe debt servicing difficulties, the volume of food aid had fallen to its lowest in the past six years and that the agricultural export earnings of developing countries had hardly expanded in recent years.
For most of us these are indeed worrying features. As a body responsabile for monitoring the state of the world's agricultural endeavours, it should be and, I dare say, it is, the primary task of the Food and Agriculture Organization to address these and other related issues. It is the responsibility of each state that is a part of this organization, to pool its ideas and resources, in support of work directed at addressing the imbalance of which I spoke earlier on.
It is the responsibility of this Organization and its collective membership to seek solutions to the immediate needs of the vast majority of the world's population affected, as we have noted, by the recent trends in the decline in the production of staple foods below levels of consumption, the increasing inability of many States to command the means of access to available food resources because of the attendant difficulties in import financing, debt servicing and the stagnation or decline in export earnings. It is our responsibility to seek solutions not only for these immediate needs and problems but to find ways of securing the long-term future of the world's population.
These trends of which I speak, have been noted by none other than this very institution at the 95th Session of the FAO Council in June 1989. I am acutely aware of the fact that by drawing attention to these issues I am positing nothing new, for these are by now well-worn and oft-repeated problems of which we are all so poignantly cognizant. But I shall run a further risk of repetition or possible regurgitation by proposing some necessary requirements for action.
In the view of my delegation, what is needed is firstly, large-scale investment in the agricultural sectors of developing countries; secondly, the transfer of appropriate technological and other resources, especially to facilitate increased agricultural production and processing in developing countries. This will in turn improve incomes and standards of living and above all enhance the accessibility of the poor to available food resources. And thirdly, market access for agricultural exports of developing countries, both primary and processed, is intrinsic to the solution of the problems confronting that section of the global community.
Let me pause to give due recognition to the past and present efforts of all States in that regard, but more particularly to our partners of the developed world. We should commend such effort, but we should also urge a much greater contribution than is presently the case. In making this appeal to the industrialized world, I am cognizant of the various resource, political and social constraints that our partners inevitably must face and, therefore, their own need to be cautious in giving. I am aware, however, of the prevailing scope for increasing their contribution to alleviating the difficulties confronting poor States; difficulties born largely, as was noted earlier on, of inherent imbalances in production and availability of, or access to, food globally.
There is a second very pressing issue that I should like to deal with. It is an issue of equal and urgent concern to rich and poor nations alike, but the relative urgency of which is perhaps greater for poor States. I refer to the threat to the global environment and I speak of a greater relative urgency for poor countries such as my own not merely because, according to the experts, the consequences of global warming and the greenhouse effect are likely to be experienced more harshly by our countries in the form of increased flooding and other occurrences, but simply because of our relative inability to deal with such effects.
The effect of changes in climatic conditions on agricultural production and productivity will undoubtedly change the pattern of world food trade. The global effects are well known and have been clearly documented. More than that, however, it is likely to have grave consequences for poor States, most of whose very survival depends on agricultural production and agriculture-related activities.
In a report delivered by the Heads of the Caribbean Meteorological Council held in Trinidad in November 1984, which is relevant today, in assessing the behaviour of the wet seasons during the period 1968 to 1980 in Guyana, the authors found as it related to rice production that: "Only five out of 23 wet seasons (equivalent to 2 1/2 years out of 13 years) exhibited normal behaviour, another five experienced very mild deviations and 16 out of 26 wet seasons experienced abnormal seasonal weather".
For a country such as Guyana, with a growing emphasis on agriculture and in particular rice, I need not spell out the consequences of unseasonal and abnormal weather patterns, For us, the effects of global warming are not a matter for the future. They are presently being experienced.
The effects of sea-level rise are a further immediate concern for Guyana, whose coastland is below sea-level. According to a study completed by a Guyanese engineer, climatic changes and sea-level rise would cause increasing flooding of the coastal areas due to higher tides and storm surges, unless a long-term programme for raising and strengthening coastal protection and improving drainage and irrigation systems was implemented. The report notes furthermore that most agricultural areas could be inundated by sea water and the infrastructure in coastal areas would cease to function due to constant flooding. In 37 years, the sea along Guyana's coastland has risen by almost one foot. There is for us, therefore, no greater urgency than that posed by the social and economic implications of environmental damage.
Other problems arise such as hurricanes. Of immediate concern to us is Hurricane Hugo which caused substantial damage in the Caribbean. It is our hope that the international community will respond to us in our hour of need with the necessary generosity.
With respect to one aspect of the exceptional work being done by FAO, we hope technical assistance will continue to be available to us in our overall plans for development under the Programme of Technical Cooperation among developing countries. We support this Programme and expect to see a continuation and expansion of it. On the other hand, like so many others in the developing world, my country is very heavily dependent for its economic well-being on the full and rational exploitation of its natural resources, including a large endowment of forestry resource. Those development goals must undoubtedly take account of the environment. There is thus an intrinsic link between the environment and development and the need for poor countries to be assisted in the effective utilization of their natural resources for the realization of their material and social development.
It is not enough for developing countries to be told of the need to conserve their forests, for example, for the common good. This need we recognize and we observe without reservation the requirements of a healthy environment. However, it is now time for the developed world to recognize its responsibility to developing countries and to provide us with the kind of material assistance that would make it possible for us to continue along the path of environmental sanity, while at the same providing for our people the advantages of the 20th and 21st centuries. The time for action is now.
The outstanding contribution which the FAO has made in this regard is gratefully acknowledged. However, more is now required if we are to meet the challenges facing the world community and developing States in particular. For this to happen, it is again necessary for the strengths and ideas of all nations to be harnessed but more particularly for the technological and material resources of the developed world to become available for the benefit of all.
I have attempted to focus this presentation on two very broad themes. It is my sincere hope that, in so doing, I have fulfilled the objectives of Conference to inform and to be informed, to plan and to cooperate. It is my hope, too, that the pressing issues to which I have referred will result not in the pointing of fingers in an effort to lay blame but in the joining of hands in genuine development.
Carlos CORREIA (Guinée-Bissau) (langue originale Portugais): Permettez-moi, Monsieur le Président, de prendre la parole devant cette auguste assemblée, au cours de cette 25ème Conférence de la FAO, pour vous féliciter à l'occasion de votre brillante élection à la Présidence de cette Conférence, qui porte sur des questions d'une importance capitale eu égard au développement économique et social de nos pays.
Le Directeur général de la FAO, comme nous l'avons déjà dit par le passé et nous tenons à le répéter ici, reçoit toute notre confiance pour sa capacité à persévérer depuis de si longues années à la tête d'une organisation aussi prestigieuse que la FAO. Nous tenons également à le féliciter pour ses interventions brillantes dans le cadre des modifications organiques et statutaires de l'Organisation et pour avoir mis le doigt sur les préoccupations constantes, relatives aux problèmes économiques et alimentaires auxquels nous sommes confrontés, tout particulièrement sur le continent africain.
La situation économique internationale actuelle n'est nullement favorable à nos pays en développement, tout particulièrement pour les moins avancés d'entre eux, notamment mon pays.
Le déséquilibre croissant entre les pays les plus développés et les nôtres se voit aggravé par les relations commerciales injustes qui déprécient de plus en plus les efforts consentis par les agriculteurs, qui voient leurs productions principales payées à des prix inférieurs sur le marché international, ce qui nous conduit à pécher par pessimisme quant à la situation de notre économie d'ici à l'an 2000.
Les trois solutions préconisées par la Banque mondiale pour améliorer la situation économique des pays les moins avancés ou de ceux dont le revenu est intermédiaire ne nous semblent nullement réalistes.
La Guinée-Bissau, petit pays en développement, est un pays pauvre, c'est un pays sans ressources autres que ses capacités agricoles, il ne peut nullement échapper au sort des pays qui ont d'énormes problèmes socio-économiques.
C'est dans ce contexte que, avec courage, notre gouvernement a entamé, à partir de 1983, un programme de stabilisation économique et financière, de sorte qu'en 1990 le Congrès du Parti a décidé de mettre en oeuvre la politique suivante pour le secteur agricole:
- la dynamisation de la production pour parvenir à l’autosuffisance alimentaire et à l'augmentation de la production exportable;
- l'augmentation par ailleurs des surfaces cultivées sous irrigation, le renforcement de la recherche, l'exploitation des eaux souterraines et une meilleure utilisation des ressources hydriques de surface;
- ensuite, l'intensification du programme de préservation des sols et des surfaces de reforestation, de reboisement et d'arboriculture.
Il s'agit d'apporter une attention particulière à la production populaire, d'améliorer le système de crédit agricole et d'appuyer l'exploitation agricole privée.
C'est à la suite de ces mesures et de la volonté manifestée par notre gouvernement que celui-ci a décidé, en 1987, de mettre en oeuvre un programme rigoureux d'ajustement structurel, de concert avec la Banque mondiale et le Fonds Monétaire International.
La croissance de l'économie de notre pays pendant les années 80 s'est vue profondément marquée par l'exécution du Premier Plan national de développement pour 1983/86 et par la mise en oeuvre du Programme de stabilisation économique et financière. L'évolution globale de l'économie au cours de la période 1982/88 calculée par les variations du PIB fait état d'écarts allant de moins 4,4 % á 5,5 % en 1987.
Le taux moyen de croissance pour la même période était de 1,8 %, taux qui est de loin inférieur à celui de la croissance démographique moyenne de l'ordre de 2,1 %, environ, ce qui traduit ainsi une diminution de la production par tête d'habitant.
Parmi les secteurs productifs, l'agriculture se démarque par rapport aux autres car elle est considérée comme étant prioritaire dans le processus de développement de la Guinée-Bissau. Cet important secteur contribue désormais aujourd'hui pour presque 75 % aux recettes d'exportation et pour plus de 50 % au PIB. Ce secteur emploie par ailleurs environ 80 % de la population active du pays.
La production agricole, lors de la campagne 1988, a réalisé les chiffres suivants: 145 000 tonnes de riz; 79 milliers de tonnes d'autres céréales; 10 milliers de tonnes de noix de cajou commercialisées; 15 milliers de tonnes d'arachide coque; 2 milliers de tonnes de coton-graine et 5 milliers de tonnes de bois d'oeuvre.
Parmi cet ensemble d'indicateurs nous pouvons facilement déduire l'importance que revêt le secteur agricole pour l'économie du pays. Les mesures de réforme économique et commerciale ont sans doute eu une incidence déterminante sur le dynamisme des circuits commerciaux, ce qui à son tour a poussé à une augmentation du volume de la production agricole.
Malgré les quelques bénéfices qui ont découlé de la politique d'ajustement structurel, le milieu rural guiñeen continue de faire face à plusieurs difficultés, à certaines limitations qu'il convient de résoudre. Pour l'heure, ce n'est nullement le producteur agricole qui profite d'abord et avant tout des mesures prises, mais plutôt les commerçants et les intermédiaires qui réalisent ainsi une accumulation de capitaux extrêmement rapide.
Voilà pourquoi notre gouvernement, conscient de ces problèmes, a décidé de mettre en oeuvre un deuxième Plan national de développement dans le cadre duquel le secteur agricole se voit accorder un rôle prioritaire, avec les stratégies suivantes :
- augmentation de la production pour atteindre une sécurité alimentaire suffisante grâce à l'approvisionnement du marché intérieur, et à long terme, pour atteindre l’autosuffisance alimentaire;
- augmentation des produits agricoles d'exportation en s'inspirant de la monétarisation des échanges marchands agricoles (noix de cajou, palmiste, arachide, huile de palme) ainsi que des projets d'agriculture privée qui soient rentables (manioc, fruits, bananes, etc.);
- augmentation des surfaces cultivées pour améliorer la productivité du travail en utilisant au maximum les ressources et les outils de travail, ainsi que la traction animale là où elle est possible;
- augmentation des superficies irriguées, réactivation de l'utilisation des aménagements de rizières déjà réhabilités, en entamant la construction de systèmes d'irrigation dans les bas-fonds de l'Est du pays;
- intensification des travaux de recherche/développement sur les systèmes de production;
- développement des enquêtes et de l'expérimentation au niveau des zones qui permettront d'augmenter la productivité et la production;
- meilleure intégration de l'agriculture grâce à l'utilisation plus ordonnée des sols;
- renforcement de l'appui intégré aux producteurs des zones rurales en intensifiant les mesures déjà mises en oeuvre par le truchement de projets de développement rural intégré;
- accorder enfin une attention toute particulière aux actions de promotion et de développement harmonieux de l'agriculture privée.
Voilà donc les préoccupations majeures de notre gouvernement pour assurer larelance de son économie, en s'appuyant sur le secteur prioritaire qu'est l'agriculture.
Pour ce qui est des questions soumises aux débats de notre Conférence, ma délégation voudrait apporter les observations suivantes:
Je commence par le document "Examen de certains aspects, buts et opérations de la FAO". Dans un premier temps, nous tenons à féliciter le Comité du Programme, le Comité financier ainsi que le groupe de techniciens qui ont élaboré ce document, eu égard à l'excellent travail qu'ils ont accompli et à la perspicacité dont ils ont fait preuve pour présenter les questions principales relatives à l'amélioration des programmes d'activités et d'organisation de la FAO. C'est pourquoi nous lançons un appel à cette assemblée pour qu'elle consente des efforts afin de parvenir à un plein accord pour que les conclusions de cet examen soient adoptées à l'unanimité.
Quant aux aspects financiers, nous osons espérer que les pays les plus aisés voudront bien collaborer davantage avec le groupe de techniciens pour appliquer les mesures préconisées.
Nous sommes d'avis que les efforts déployés par la FAO pour améliorer l'exécution des programmes et l'efficacité sur le terrain méritent notre appui pour ce qui est des mesures préconisées. Voilà pourquoi ma délégation appuie totalement et approuve vigoureusement les recommandations et mesures proposées.
Quant au Programme de travail et budget 1990/91 et aux objectifs à moyen terme, nous pensons qu'il s'agit d'un texte réaliste eu égard à la situation économique internationale. Il constitue par ailleurs un minimum indispensable à la réalisation et la concrétisation des demandes croissantes exprimées par nos pays. C'est pourquoi nous approuvons ces propositions. Il y a également un autre aspect de notre Conférence que ma délégation a souligné: le Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes au développement agricole et rural.
Une des prémisses de base garantissant le succès de l'émancipation des femmes présuppose leur participation au secteur productif. Cette participation se manifeste de façon évidente dans le secteur rural où la femme guinéenne participe activement, aux côtés de l'homme, aux diverses tâches agricoles, allant de la culture des terres jusqu'à la récolte et au traitement des produits.
Par ailleurs, en plus de sa participation à l'agriculture, elle doit également déployer des activités fondamentales - je parle des diverses activités de production populaire - notamment la fabrication du sel, la vente de fruits d'espèces forestières, la coupe, la collecte et la vente de bois de feu, l'extraction de l'huile de palme, la fabrication du savon, l'élevage et la vente de petits animaux.
Sur le plan social, on constate une amélioration qualitative de la participation des femmes surtout dans le domaine de l'éducation et de l'alphabétisation, et des progrès considérables réalisés au sujet de la santé de la femme, de la planification familiale ainsi que des projets de soins de santé primaire.
C'est pourquoi nous approuvons totalement les mesures prévues dans le cadre du Plan d'action, pour permettre une totale intégration de la femme dans tous les aspects de la vie socio-économique et culturelle de nos pays. Nous tenons par ailleurs à mentionner le rôle important que le PAM a joué pour assurer la complémentarisation des divers projets mis en oeuvre dans les domaines de la production, de la création d'infrastructures sociales. Nous saisissons cette occasion pour exprimer notre reconnaissance à tous les pays qui ont apporté leurs contributions à ce programme. Espérons qu'ils voudront bien annoncer leurs contributions bientôt pour nous permettre de réaliser les objectifs que s'est fixés le PAM pour les années 1991/1992. Je ne voudrais nullement terminer mon intervention sans évoquer les thèmes importants ayant trait à l'évolution du monde rural aujourd'hui et qui ont fait l'objet de la Journée mondiale de l'alimentation cette année, c'est-à-dire la préservation de l'environnement.
Dans mon pays, l'augmentation de la production agricole et les efforts consentis dans les activités de la pêche et l'accroissement de l'exploitation forestière doivent aller de pair avec les efforts à consentir pour assurer la préservation de l'environnement et améliorer la qualité de la vie de notre peuple. A notre avis, les notions ayant trait à l'augmentation de la production et la réalisation de l'objectif qu'est l’autosuffisance alimentaire ne peuvent être nullement dissociées des notions de préservation et de conservation de l'environnement.
Dans notre sous-région, le désert avance à vue d'oeil. Le déboisement est le résultat des feux de brousse, de la coupe à des fins industrielles et énergétiques et touche quelque 60 000 ha/an dans notre pays.
C'est pourquoi nous nous sommes imposé un effort national de reboisement et de production dans notre environnement pour maintenir les activités de production dans les pays et garantir l'avenir des générations futures. Je vous remercie.
Saimin REDJOSENTONO (Suriname): Mr Chairman. The near future looks bleak if we compare the decreasing agricultural growth in most African, Latin American and Caribbean countries with an increasing world population which will top approximately 6 000 million by the year 2000.
Despite considerable progress made in world food production, the acute problem of malnutrition still affects hundreds of millions of people, mostly in developing countries. Unfortunately, this situation is more the result of failure to execute adequate political, economic and social policies than of farmers' inability to produce adequate supplies of food.
Bearing in mind these developments, my country strongly supports the proposal to convene the International Conference on Nutrition to be organized by FAO, WHO, and other interested agencies of the UN system.
Over and above this imbalance, the world is faced by an environmental crisis which could endanger it if adequate remedial steps are not taken in time.
The increasing pollution of water, soil and air and degradation of the land pervades almost every region. According to FAO studies, between 5 and 7 million hectares of land under cultivation are lost each year, mostly in developing countries.
This destruction of our environment is the consequence of our attitude: "conquer nature". Our attitude should be "live in harmony with nature". Because the law of nature is "Action is Reaction". Everything reacts on everything. How can we internalize the attitude "live in harmony with nature"? We can achieve this by raising the level of consciousness of the majority of the world's population. As long as this is not achieved we will not have fundamental changes in all aspects of life and means of living, be it political, economic, social or industrial, agricultural, environmental, etc.
After this short excursion into a higher and philosophical view on life, let us come down again to its lower and more material aspects.
As has already been stated by many speakers before me, the FAO, acting on one of the recommendations of the 1986 Regional Conference in Barbados, produced a study. This study identified the potential for agricultural and rural development in the region and formed the basis for the Twentieth FAO Regional Conference in Brazil in 1988. And although my country could not participate, my Government fully supports the objectives and recommendations. In this respect my Government, with the assistance of the FAO and IICA, recently started training programmes in cooperatives and extension at the grassroot level.
Like many countries in the developing world, Suriname, too, has been confronted in this decade with falling prices of our main export commodities, and with difficulties in penetrating the markets of the industrialized nations. My Government is strongly in favour to resume, at short notice, the Uruguay Round regarding GATT multilateral trade negotiations in the four areas of agriculture, textiles and clothing, safeguards and intellectual property rights on which, as yet, no consensus has been reached.
If developing countries are seriously to be assisted in their efforts to improve the conditions of their people, it is necessary to establish fair and market-oriented trading systems, including that tariff and non-tariff barriers be neither intensified nor extended to additional products and support prices to producers.
After about seven years of a military regime, free, secret and fair general elections were held in Suriname on November 25, 1987. These elections were overwhelmingly won by the Front for Democracy and Development. On the basis of the results, President Ramsewak Shankar is leading the new Government.
One of the first activities of the new Government was to take stock of the main constraints hindering economic and social growth and development. One very critical situation, which still demands a solution, is the ongoing armed conflict in my country that dates back to 1986.
Further on, the relationship with the Netherlands had to be and is normalized. Based on the results of the stocktaking, my Government decided on the following framework for agrarian-sector policy.
The agrarian production in my country experienced a decreasing to stagnant development and growth since 1981. This was accompanied by a decrease in real income, stagnant productivity, decreasing competition in both export-markets and in comparison to imported foodstuffs and commodities, deterioration of physical infrastructure and capacity, as well as living conditions. This development was caused mainly by:
First, shortage of foreign exchange, as a consequence of which the supply of import inputs and the maintenance of capital goods declined;
Second, deficit in the State Budget, so that normal functions in the agrarian sector could barely be executed;
Third, the monetary and fiscal policy which in fact further stimulated inflation and profit margins of the trade sector with a decreasing and stagnant supply of locally manufactured goods and decrese of imports, because of a shortage of foreign currency.
These conditions require answers that create conditions for adequate growth and development. The present conditions, however, justify a gradual approach in order to arrive safely at a point where the people of Suriname can enjoy a decent standard of living and a good future for years to come.
In order to come to restoration and growth of the Surinamese agricultural sector, the policy is to work according to a so-called three-phase approach:
- the urgency phase;
- the restoration phase; and
- the growth phase.
Because of the under-utilization and decline of the agricultural production capacity, first of all the inputs supply must be brought up to the mark. By doing so the sector will optimally utilize the existing and still functioning capacity before coming to expansion of the capacity. Secondly, the policy wants to restore and maintain again the existing but unused capacity by securing the import of re-investment goods. This implies among other things that the present physical infrastructure such as roads, productive buildings, machines, pumps be restored and rehabilitated and normal maintenance secured.
The third phase will be the expansion and import-substitution investments. These require more preparation time and will take place during the implementation of the first two phases.
The three phases won't be strictly chronological. In fact, it will take place simultaneously. The expectation is that through this the income in the agricultural sector will be influenced positively. By increasing the soil and labour productivity as well as an efficient use of the foreign component, a strategical place will be given to a coordinated and practical-oriented research. This is technical as well as economical and marketing research.
Having described the strategy of how we plan to grow and develop our economy, having informed you about the critical situation my country experiences nowadays, it should be made clear that after about two years in power of the new government, we are still in the urgency phase.
Last but not least, the agricultural policy will give an essential role to the private sector. The Administration will concentrate on its initiating, coordinating, steering and supporting function. This implies that direct involvement in the production process by the Government will gradually be reduced, unless this is undesirable in the framework of price and income intervention policy.
In view of what I have stated, the FAO programme for 1990 and 1991 is fully supported by my delegation. I have no doubt that all that has already been stated and is yet to be stated by delegations attending this Conference, will receive serious attention for further elaboration by FAO.
However, allow me to make the following remarks in particular. The first regards the Technical Cooperation Programme. The dramatic decline in submissions for TCP assistance is a matter of concern for my delegation. The lack of red tape with which a TCP activity could be made operational in the field did assist the recipient countries in an effective and appreciated way. My delegation, therefore, is of the opinion that TCP activities must be in a position to act fast and adequately, and as a consequence funding has to be safeguarded.
The second remark refers to the support of FAO in looking for solutions to assist the people in the Caribbean area, where Hurricane Hugo has destroyed homes and crops.
- 286 -
We stand on the threshold of the nineties. We do hope that this decade will be a more fruitful and enlightened one than the eighties.
Adolfo DIAZ SUAREZ (Cuba): Asistimos a este 25°periodo de sesiones animados por el interés de que, en el marco de sus deliberaciones, el conjunto de naciones aqui§reunidas encontremos alternativas viables para resolver los grandes problemas que enfrenta la humanidad en cuanto a su seguridad alimentaria.
Dispuestos a contribuir con nuestro trabajo al éxito de esta Conferencia, expreso, en nombre de la Delegación de Cuba, nuestra felicitación al Sr. Presidente y demás miembros de la mesa por su elección para dirigir nuestros debates y, a su vez, nuestra confianza en que sabrán conducirlos con plena conciencia de la alta responsabilidad que han contraído.
Es lamentable que nuevamente tengamos que expresar, con pesar, que el panorama de la situación de la agricultura y la alimentación no ha experimentado cambios que permitan siquiera avizorar que los esfuerzos que ha venido realizando la FAO por establecer políticas que se implementen de manera efectiva, a fin de lograr el mejoramiento de la situación de más de 500 millones de seres humanos que padecen de hambre y malnutrición tengan perspectivas inmediatas de aportar las soluciones que, con urgencia, tal situación demanda.
Conspira contra ellas la falta de voluntad política de algunos de los países industrialmente desarrollados, que persisten en aplicar fórmulas obsoletas a las relaciones económicas entre los Estados, entorpecen la cooperación multilateral que promueve el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, limitando el flujo de recursos financieros y de productos destinados a los programas de ayuda alimentaria, más necesitados que nunca de que los países más ricos aumenten los fondos destinados a paliar las consecuencias del subdesarrollo que se nos ha impuesto, saqueando nuestras riquezas, limitando nuestras potencialidades y condicionándolas no a la necesidad de un mundo donde se luche y se trabaje por una mejor distribución de las riquezas, sino acusando a los países de su subdesarrollo por responsabilidades de sus capacidades para organizar su producción, limitando sus exportaciones con medidas proteccionistas, creando, mediante un intercambio desigual, una deuda externa que agrava sus condiciones de vida y limita sus posibilidades de desarrollo. Por esto se hace imprescindible que de los excedentes de la producción alimentaria mundial fluyan, en mayor medida, los productos destinados a mitigar el hambre de los que carecen de un pedazo de pan y que, inmersos en el atraso cultural y técnico a que están sometidos, no pueden aspirar por sí solos al desarrollo de que están urgidos para asegurar su subsistencia.
Las injustas relaciones de intercambio y el proteccionismo continúan caracterizando las relaciones económicas internacionales, y el agobiante problema del endeudamiento externo se agrava desmesuradamente ante la tozudez de los acreedores, que cierran toda posibilidad justa a la renegociación y los refuerzan como una barrera infranqueable para nuestros países, que continúan dedicando dolorosamente los exiguos recursos procedentes de las exportaciones, que pudieran destinarse al desarrollo, al pago de los servicios de la deuda, que se torna cada vez más insoportable ante la ineficiencia de los programas de estabilización y ajuste estructural que se han llevado a cabo, en especial en varios países de América Latina, patrocinados por las principales organizaciones financieras, con la anuencia
de los gobiernos y la repulsa de los pueblos. Para estos países, la solución no puede ser, en modo alguno, la de detener su desarrollo, pues ello no resuelve sus problemas de hoy y, menos aún, constituye una respuesta a las necesidades futuras de sus pueblos.
Tal parece, ante este dramático cuadro, que a las aspiraciones que proclamamos en este foro de que el hombre alcance la satisfacción de la más elemental de sus necesidades vitales, los poderosos opongan a esa voluntad la declaración puesta a la puerta del Infierno de Dante: jDejad toda esperanza!
Es necesario que sigamos emprendiendo acciones concretas para el establecimiento del nuevo orden económico internacional, que asegure condiciones de intercambio más justas y traiga beneficios compartidos para unos y otros, permitiendo el acceso de nuestros pueblos al desarrollo y preservando, para disfrute de todo, el medio natural que garantiza nuestra existencia.
Tal como expresara el Director General de la FAO, señor Edouard Saouma, en su declaración con ocasión del Día Mundial de la Alimentación -y cito-: "la humanidad no podrá encontrar la vía de la supervivencia y de la salud si no consigue librarse de la dictadura de lo inmediato y orientar sus pensamientos y acciones hacia una perspectiva de futuro; es decir, teniendo en cuenta la duración, los unos tendrán que renunciar a obtener máximos beneficios inmediatos, desinteresándose del estado en que dejan el planeta a sus descendientes, los otros no deberán sentirse forzados a destruir su patrimonio para poder comer cada día." -fin de la cita-.
Cuba, inserta en una línea de acción consecuente con alcanzar niveles de desarrollo aceptables, ha enfrentado con decisión su tránsito hacia un estatus superior de desarrollo económico y social. No somos ajenos a los efectos de la crisis económica internacional, que sacude los cimientos mismos de la comunidad de la que formamos parte, agravada nuestra situación por el bloqueo económico que ha impuesto a nuestro pueblo, por más de tres décadas, la potencia imperialista más poderosa del mundo.
Somos, con orgullo y dignidad, un elemento del conjunto de naciones de América Latina y el Caribe, que conforman por la naturaleza de sus orígenes, un sistema que ha de alcanzar su plena integración económica, basado en el respeto mutuo a la autodeterminación de sus exponentes, a las opciones que cada uno de ello considere más viable para actuar con plena independencia política y responder a los anhelos de sus pueblos, y a ese propósito dedicamos nuestros mayores esfuerzos.
Continuamos empeñados en el adelanto de nuestros programas de desarrollo agrícola, pecuario y silvícola. Avanzamos en un esfuerzo que aborda de manera integral el desarrollo de nuestras potencialidades. Ejemplo de ello es el proyecto de desarrollo lechero de la cuenca de Jimaguayú, que cuenta con la colaboración eficaz y oportuna del Programa Mundial de Alimentos y que abre, junto a la perspectiva inmediata del incremento de la producción, el acceso a mayores beneficios en el terreno de la salud, de la educación, de la vivienda, de la integración de la mujer al desarrollo en el medio rural y de la preservación del medio ambiente del territorio en que se lleva a cabo, y que es una expresión de nuestra política en todos los programas agrícolas y ganaderos que se realizan en nuestro país.
La movilización de las masas populares en la ejecución de un programa de rehabilitación forestal y la transformación de las condiciones socioeconómicas de las zonas de montaña del país, son programas de primera prioridad que, vistos en el plano del desarrollo rural integral, demandan, además de nuestros propios esfuerzos, la cooperación indispensable de la ayuda multilateral proveniente de la FAO y de otras agencias del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, de las organizaciones no gubernamentales y de aquellos países que, al margen del nivel de desarrollo alcanzado y del credo político que sustentan, estén dispuestos a apoyar nuestras acciones por el desarrollo.
Estos esfuerzos, al igual que los que realizan otros pueblos de nuestra región, requieren, además del mejoramiento de las relaciones económicas entre los Estados, que reine un clima de paz, que desaparezca la política ingerencista que prevalece en la actitud del imperialismo hacia nuestros pueblos y que se alcancen soluciones negociadas a los conflictos originados en nuestra región, sobre la base del respeto a los principios de la plena dignidad y soberanía que enarbolamos. Ello debe concitar la solidaridad internacional para lograr que la paz se establezca definitivamente y que fructifiquen en su favor los procesos esperanzadores que tienen lugar especialmente en Centroamérica.
Las acciones que se derivan de la colaboración multilateral y la defensa de los principios que animan a la FAO a impulsar la asistencia técnica, la transferencia tecnológica, la integración de voluntades de los gobiernos y de las Organizaciones Internacionales que coadyuvan con visión progresista el desarrollo de nuestros pueblos encuentran en nosotros el más firme respaldo.
Vemos con preocupación como el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para el bienio 1990-91 de la Organización ha experimentado un crecimiento de sólo un 0,45 por ciento equiparable a un crecimiento "cero", que hemos reiterada-mente censurado en conferencias anteriores, ante las necesidades cada vez mayores de los países beneficiarios de esta cooperación. Tal estado de cosas pone en situación precaria la ayuda que la FAO ha propugnado a través de sus programas de cooperación técnica y que tanta repercusión tienen en los países de nuestra región y abogamos porque los principales contribuyentes de los fondos de la FAO cumplan sus responsabilidades para que puedan continuar aplicándose proyectos concretos en nuestros países para la solución de los principales problemas que'enfrentamos en la agricultura.
Consideramos que, a pesar de los obstáculos que se oponen a los nobles propósitos de la FAO, aún estamos a tiempo de mirar hacia adelante con optimismo y de encontrar fórmulas aceptables para todos, sin abandonar los preceptos fundamentales que rigen la Organización.
El papel que ha estado jugando esta prestigiosa Organización en favor del bienestar de los países del mundo subdesarrollado es encomiable y nuestra Delegación conside ra que la FAO actúa con plena conciencia de que el hambre no es solamente una cuestión moral, como tampoco un problema material que puede resolverse con una mezcla de economía y técnica, sino que es, ante todo, un problema político que condiciona el futuro de nuestro planeta. Los fines de la Organización están perfectamente expresados en el preámbulo de su constitución, tal como ha sido ampliamente comprobado por los Comités del Programa y de Finanzas, quienes, auxiliados por un grupo de expertos escogidos, han realizado una ardua y positiva labor para examinar algunos aspectos de los objetivos y operaciones de la FAO.
Es tarea de todos los Estados Miembros luchar por mejorar su trabajo para que cumplimente de manera óptima sus tareas dentro del marco de los textos básicos ya establecidos, y debemos, en primer lugar, asegurar los medios del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto del bienio 1990-91;. fortalecer y apoyar el trabajo de la FAO como vehículo idóneo para que nuestros países reciban respaldo técnico y asesoramiento oportuno a los programas que se llevan a cabo en la agricultura; para que continúe impulsando la plena integración de la mujer al desarrollo del medio rural; para que la protección del medio ambiente y la repoblación forestal en el trópico encuentren respaldo seguro para su realización. Somos suficientemente capaces de supervisar las actividades de la FAO mediante el ejercicio de nuestras prerrogativas en el seno de la Conferencia, en el Consejo y en los Comités del Programa y de Finanzas. Consideramos que esto es un mecanismo suficiente.
Queremos saludar el trabajo realizado por el Doctor Saouma y sus colaboradores y les exhortamos a continuar su lucha por elevar el trabajo de la Organización.
No se trata de dar una visión pesimista del mundo, Sr. Presidente, señores delegados, pero, por otro lado, es difícil oir exposiciones como las que hemos oído aquí de algunas delegaciones de países desarrollados de un optimismo que no se corresponde con la realidad de nuestros pueblos. Es por eso que, como afortunadamente han expresado otros países también desarrollados, es imprescindible que la paz no sea un patrimonio de "paz entre los grandes", sino "paz para todos"; desarrollo y estabilidad no sólo para una región del mundo, sino para todas las regiones del mundo. Si esto no se asegura, no habrá una paz estable y duradera. Los países del Tercer Mundo no somos un grupo de países residuales, somos la mayoría de los países del mundo, por lo que no podemos sentirnos satisfechos con lo que se ha logrado hoy; y se hace imprescindible buscar soluciones urgentes a los problemas, en tantas ocasiones denunciado, de tratamiento desigual y de abuso hacia los países pequeños, sometiendo a sus pueblos al hambre, a la incultura, a la insalubridad y cerrándoles las puertas a un futuro más decoroso. Que la humanidad acepte esto y se pliegue a la voluntad de algunos, por muy poderosos que sean, atenta contra la dignidad y la honestidad humanas, y esto, Sr. Presidente, es inadmisible.
Fortalezcamos el papel de nuestras instituciones y avancemos hacia el pleno disfrute de lo que el genio y la inteligencia humana ha creado para su pleno bienestar.
Mauro BERTERO GUTIERREZ (Bolivia): Señor Presidente, señor Director General, señores Ministros, señores Embajadores, señores Observadores, señoras y señores.
En nombre del Gobierno de Unidad Nacional de la República de Bolivia y de su Excelencia el Presidente Constitucional, Don Jaime Paz Zamora, me es grato y muy honroso transmitir los saludos fraternos de Bolivia para todos y cada uno de los países que asisten a esta importante reunión, donde, seguramente, tocaremos temas relativos a la actividad económica y social de mayor importancia para el bienestar de toda la humanidad.
Deseo expresar mi convicción que el diálogo, el conocimiento mutuo y el sincero intercambio de ideas son las únicas vías para el progreso de los pueblos y el establecimiento de una sociedad mundial justa y equitativa.
Hago votos para que las intervenciones de todos los países presentes sean escuchadas con ecuanimidad y sus planteamientos sean atendidos dentro de un marco de solidaridad y comprensión. De esta manera, confío que en estas jornadas se lograrán resultados positivos para resolver muchos de los problemas derivados del hambre, la pobreza, el deterioro del ecosistema, los bajos niveles de producción alimenticia y otros que hoy se constituyen en verdaderos obstáculos al desarrollo de nuestros pueblos.
Es de conocimiento mundial que hasta 1986 mi país, Bolivia, sufría una de las más severas tasas de inflación en la historia de la humanidad, con índices que llegaron a superar el 20 mil por ciento anual.
Después de someter a la economía boliviana a un duro programa de estabilización financiera, racionalización del aparato estatal y política de ajuste en todos los sectores productivos, todo lo cual ha significado un elevado costo social reflejado en altas tasas de desempleo y rígidas políticas salariales para los sectores más empobrecidos de la población, presentamos al mundo el resultado del esfuerzo del pueblo boliviano: una economía estable, con tasas de inflación de alrededor del 12 por ciento anual y crecimiento positivo en los dos últimos años.
Ahora bien, una vez conseguida la estabilización, mi Gobierno encara la difícil tarea de reactivar la economía y comenzar a dar respuestas positivas a las urgentes necesidades sociales, plasmando voluntades en mejores oportunidades de trabajo y bienestar social.
Para dar una pauta de los desafíos que enfrenta mi Gobierno, quisiera hacer conocer a ustedes, señor Presidente y señores Delegados, algunas cifras relativas a la pobreza rural en mi país.
De las aproximadamente 690 mil unidades productivas agropecuarias en Bolivia, el 93 por ciento está compuesta por campesinos, de los cuales 410 mil se encuentran en niveles de subsistencia e infrasubsistencia, con una mortalidad infantil de hasta 385 niños muertos por cada 1 000 nacidos, con una deficiencia nutricional que cubre sólo el 43 por ciento de los requerimientos mínimos de proteína animal, una tasa de analfabetismo del 62 por ciento entre los trabajadores rurales y una vivienda rural, donde solamente el 7 por ciento tiene acceso a energía eléctrica, el 8 por ciento al agua potable, y el 93 por ciento carece de instalaciones sanitarias básicas.
En estas condiciones, el 97 por ciento de la población rural en Bolivia se encuentra por debajo de los niveles de pobreza y el 67 por ciento se encuentra debajo de los niveles de pobreza crítica de acuerdo a datos del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola en 1985.
Esta realidad indica claramente que se debe aplicar un concepto de desarrollo integral del área rural, que considere de igual importancia los aspectos sociales como los económicos y que no absuelva en ningún momento las necesidades de un aspecto de la vida nacional, con un sacrificio extremo del otro.
Como indudablemente se observa en la mayoría de los países del mundo hoy aquí representados, son los pobres, y principalmente los pobres de las áreas rurales, nuestras áreas rurales, los que reciben la mayor parte del brutal impacto de las políticas de ajuste y estabilización. Ellos son los que sufren y se sacrifican, sin tener aún suficiente decir y palabra sobre el curso de los acontecimientos y decisiones.
En Bolivia hemos avanzado mucho, seftor Presidente, en el desarrollo del sistema democrático al constitucionalizarse los gobiernos elegidos por el pueblo y para el pueblo, y, sin embargo, a la par que desarrollamos esta joven democracia en Bolivia, es menester, es urgente democratizar el desarrollo, dirigiendo los esfuerzos, las inversiones y los programas a socorrer, a ayudar y a levantar a los millones de seres humanos pobres que constituyen la gran mayoría de habitantes de este planeta.
El desarrollo tiene que ser para todos, para que los más pobres puedan participar activamente de los beneficios que este desarrollo económico y social trae a las naciones del mundo. El desarrollo tiene que ser para todos y especialmente para aquéllos que más lo necesitan.
Si bien la pobreza es un desafio de todos en este mundo en el que vivimos, existen problemas particulares a ciertos países de la subregión Andina, aparte de aquéllos comunes como la deuda externa y el manejo irracional de los recursos naturales.
Los escasos recursos que genera Bolivia hoy, y que bien podrían ser dirigidos hacia el financiamiento propio de nuestro desarrollo, tienen que destinarse a responder a deudas elevadas, muy elevadas, contraidas en otras épocas, bajo otras condiciones, en otros gobiernos y en otras circunstancias.
Pero, como si el peso de esta deuda externa no fuera suficiente, países como Colombia, Perú y Bolivia soportan hoy el terrible flagelo del narcotráfico. El narcotráfico hoy, señores delegados y señor presidente, es un tema electoral en algunos países industrializados. Para nosotros es un tema de vida o muerte, y hago propicia esta ocasión para solidarizar a nombre del gobierno de Bolivia ante el foro del mundo entero con la lucha que lleva adelante el gobierno Colombiano y el pueblo Colombiano contra este flagelo, que no es de algunos, sino de toda la humanidad; éste es un problema de preocupación mundial. Este es, sin duda, no sólo el problema de los países productores de la hoja de coca, es también un problema para aquéllos países que demandan cocaína y la consumen.
Asimismo, debo enfatizar que el cultivo de la hoja de coca es un cultivo andino de tradición milenaria, -se cultiva desde mucho antes que nosotros fuéramos repúblicas- que hasta la década de los años 70 se desarrolló como cualquier otro cultivo agrícola. Solamente cuando en los países más desarrollados la demanda de cocaína aumentó vertiginosamente y el pressscio de la hoja de coca subió a tal punto que ningún otro cultivo pudo competir económicamente y los campesinos pobres, los campesinos colombianos, peruanos y bolivianos, residentes en áreas deprimidas, que ya he descrito anteriormente en el índice de materias sociales, fueron atraídos racionalmente por la posibilidad de obtener ganancias en un cultivo que ellos conocían y que nunca antes había sido causa de ningún daño. También en esta circunstancia es menester, es necesario y urgente reconocer y admitir la corresponsabilidad de aquellos países consumidores en la búsqueda de soluciones económicas a un problema que es esencialmente económico.
Inspirados en las conclusiones de la Conferencia sobre narcotráfico realizada en Viena, en junio de 1987, debemos tener, la Comunidad Internacional una clara conciencia de los efectos del tráfico ilícito y el uso indebido de drogas sobre las estructuras económicas, sociales, políticas y culturales de los estados así como su soberanía y la seguridad de los mismos.
Asimismo debemos alentar los aportes de instituciones financieras internacionales para estudiar la producción alternativa a esta hoja de coca, viabilizando así una situación económica atractiva para aquellos campesinos que voluntariamente participan de programas de desarrollo alternativo, sustituyendo cocales por productos agrícolas diferentes.
Porque yo le pregunto a usted, señor Presidente, y a la Comunidad Mundial aquí presente: ¿Qué puede hacer un campesino boliviano al que hace cuatro años le convencí personalmente para que pudiera dedicarse en vez de a la hoja de coca a la producción del café y hoy en día, como todos sabemos, el café no tiene mercado? Luego, éste es un problema social, político y económico pero que tiene una solución: el compromiso de los gobiernos de Colombia, Perú y Bolivia para luchar frontalmente contra el narcotráfico, estableciendo programas de prevención contra la droga y su consumo y el desarrollo alternativo con la cooperación de los países para que esta solución económica pueda ser muy efectiva.
Dentro del marco de comprensión que debe caracterizar nuestras mutuas relaciones, deseo apelar vehementemente a la Comunidad Mundial de los Países Desarrollados para que permita un acceso preferencial arancelario, algo ya sugerido por el Presidente de los Estados Unidos hace pocas semanas, un acceso preferencial a los mercados de estos países industrializados para productos alternativos a la hoja de coca, sin crear barreras artificiales, como ya se ha mencionado acá, a los productos agropecuarios de países en desarrollo y dejando de un lado las siempre vigentes prácticas proteccionistas y las subvenciones que distorsionan las relaciones económicas, sociales y políticas entre las naciones del mundo entero.
De otra parte, es fundamental reconocer la importancia de dar atención prioritaria a la crítica relación entre la capacidad de producir alimentos y la crisis ambiental que vivimos hoy.
Por un lado, perdemos suelos agrícolas día a día; por el otro, debido al crecimiento poblacional, aumentan dramáticamente las necesidades de alimentación.
Se nota muy bien en discursos de la FAO que el uso exhaustivo del recurso suelo por parte de los pequeños productores agrícolas es, sin duda, y en la mayoría de los casos, debido al carácter de subsistencia de las economías campesinas, usando la tierra más allá de los límites permisibles, un desenfrenado esfuerzo por sobrevivir en la crisis que nos agobia.
Sin embargo, los crecientes éxodos del área rural hacia los centros urbanos ponen en verdadero relieve la poca atención que los gobiernos del mundo hemos prestado al área rural, permitiendo la generación de una serie de situaciones que ponen en verdadero riesgo la viabilidad de las economías campesinas, dentro de un contexto donde es fundamental la "utilización de tecnologías ambientales racionales, culturalmente apropiadas y cada vez más productivas", usando las palabras del Director General de la FAO, en su mensaje al mundo en el Día de la Alimentación, en octubre pasado.
Las cuestiones globales apuntadas anteriormente son, en definitiva, desafíos a la imaginación y a la voluntad política de los gobiernos del mundo entero.
Es preciso reconocer que ha llegado la hora de traducir estas voluntades en realidades y hechos concretos, en lo referente a la administración más responsable de los recursos naturales que hemos heredado y que, a su vez, se constituyen en nuestra herencia para las generaciones que vendrán después y es cabalmente para con las nuevas generaciones que vendrán en el futuro con las que debemos tener especial consideración, porque al no estar presentes hoy aquí, tornan aún más grande la responsabilidad de velar por sus intereses en la administración del planeta que nos toca conservar.
Por estas razones es que en Bolivia, el Gobierno de Unidad Nacional, ha decidido proponer a la población una pausa ecológica histórica de diez años, para permitir la reflexión profunda del pueblo boliviano sobre la creación de áreas de reserva y establecer una conciencia ecológica nacional con especial énfasis en la educación de los más jóvenes, de tal manera que ellos se conviertan en verdaderos guardianes del patrimonio ecológico nacional, que no es sólo de Bolivia, sino que es del mundo entero.
Bolivia tiene mucho que agradecer a la cooperación internacional, bilateral y multilateral, por las innumerables ocasiones y múltiples maneras en que ayudan a la solución de nuestros problemas y apoyan nuestro desarrollo.
En este último período de estabilización y ajuste, al que hice referencia al principio de nuestra exposición, los bolivianos hemos recibido continuas y oportunas donaciones a través del Programa Mundial de Alimentos, lo que nos ha permitido proveer asistencia a sectores muy marginados socialmente, a los más pobres. Pero dado que Bolivia posee gran potencial productivo en el sector agropecuario, con una amplia oferta de mano de obra, creemos vital que los alimentos donados sean también en parte adquiridos de la producción nacional y así aumente la demanda de trabajo y producción de nuestros campesinos.
Asimismo, el gobierno de Bolivia vería con muy buenos ojos la posibilidad de otorgar mayor autonomía financiera y operativa a este Programa Mundial de Alimentos, en un decidido esfuerzo para mejorar aún más su ya reconocida eficiencia institucional.
Nuestro país también participa de la necesidad de realizar y fortalecer el rol de la mujer en el desarrollo rural y nacional, y continuará fomentando iniciativas que conduzcan a la superación de la mujer campesina en el campo social, cultural, político y económico.
En otro orden de cosas, una fuerte preocupación de mi gobierno es la preparación de instrumentos idóneos para aplicar medidas de reformas y mejoras en el marco institucional de las estructuras del Estado en materia de programación y políticas para el desarrollo. En este sentido, apoyamos decididamente el fortalecimiento financiero de organismos como la FAO, para que estos a su vez coadyuven, a través de los programas de asistencia técnica, a los gobiernos, a los gobiernos de los países miembros, para que podamos mejorar sustancialmente la eficiencia social de nuestras gestiones en la administración de los pueblos.
El hambre, la pobreza y el deterioro del ecosistema son males que andan juntos y de la mano. Si pretendemos un mundo regido por principios de equidad humana, estabilidad en producción y mantenimiento de los procesos y equilibrios ecológicos, es preciso, es urgente que todos nosotros, los ciudadanos de todo el mundo, pobres y ricos, nos demos la mano, en un gesto de fortaleza, hermandad y esperanza en un futuro siempre mejor.
En un mundo donde comienzan a caer murallas que parecían eternas -hemos tenido un claro ejemplo de ello hace pocos días en Europa-; en un mundo donde los seres humanos estamos tan necesitados de fe, humanidad, solidaridad y amor; en un mundo como éste, a veces tan frío, tan estadístico, a veces tan ausente, deseo que todos ustedes, en nombre de Bolivia, acepten un pequeño gesto de amistad, un gesto de fe en un futuro mejor, traducido en el símbolo de una rosa del pueblo de mi país a los pueblos de todo el mundo.
¡Dios los bendiga hoy y siempre¡
Gonzalo Bula Hoyos, Vice-Chairman of the Conference, took the chair
Gonzalo Bula Hoyos, Vice-Président de la Conférence, assume la présidence
Ocupa la presidencia Gonzalo Bula Hoyos, Vicepresidente de la Conferencia
Nguyen CONG TAN (Viet Nam) (original language Vietnamese): May I first of all warmly congratulate you, Mr. Chairman for having been unanimously elected to preside over the Twenty-fifth Session of" this important Conference of the FAO. May I also convey to the Director-General Dr. Edouard Saouma and his FAO staff the high appreciation of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for the active efforts and noticeable achievement contributed by the FAO in the process of food and agriculture development of the world for the last few years. I would like, on this occasion, to express the sincere gratitude of our Government and people to the FAO, Mr Director-General, and to the fraternal and friendly countries and international organizations for developing and promoting cooperation with, and assistance to Viet Nam in agriculture, forestry and fishery.
The world economy has continued to face difficulties. The development of food and agriculture production over recent years has been unstable, tending to decrease from 1986 to 1988, uneven from country to country and from region to region. The economies of the poor and debt-burdened countries have not yet had effective solutions. The chronic problems of the human race namely poverty, hunger, malnutrition do not seem to be alleviated very much - in some places they are still serious in spite of great efforts to cure them and of course, without these efforts the situation would have been worse.
For the developing countries, especially the low income ones, generally they are facing the same problems i.e. their population growth rates are now lower than they were but are still higher than they would wish. The majority of population live in rural areas and earn from agriculture while other industries which are still small and backward, cannot provide sufficient support to other economic sector development and also cannot absorb much labour. The rural population thus is continuing or even worsening the tension of unemployment not only in urban, but also in rural areas. Infrastructure is poor and incomplete; the environment is under continuous damage especially forest land, and agriculture suffers the consequences; there is lack of investment capital and appropriate improved techniques, especially agroproduct-processing technologies for turning raw materials into high-value processed commodities; productivity is generally low, and is much lower in the agricultural sector creating high-cost products which are not competitive in the market, resulting in low incomes; and finally, heavy pressures in the world market exist because of trade protectionism and hard trading competition mainly between developed and develping countries.
During the last decade, the Food and Agriculture Organization has played an active role with others in the removal of some of these problems. Under the Programme of Work and Budget 1990-91 FAO will continue to take responsibility on some major issues such as "Preparations for an International Development Strategy for the Fourth UN Development Decade", "The GATT Multilateral Trade Negotiations (Uruguay Round) and Implications for FAO", "Plan for Action for the Integration of Women into Agricultural and Rural Development", and other specialized issues of FAO concern.
The activities and efforts of FAO in the past and at present are necessary and meaningful. However, the above-mentioned problems still remain in various countries. This implies that there has to be a continuation of the efforts of every individual member country with the constant and even stronger endeavours of FAO in the future on issues which cannot be effectively resolved by an individual country and in taking care of every-day techniques to preserve and more effectively harness the potential of flora and fauna, environment and abundant rural manpower of every country, region and the world.
With regard to Integrated Rural Development (IRD), permit me to refer to the activities of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), a regional intergovernmental and autonomous institution established in July 1979, on the initiative of FAO, with the main objectives of assisting national action, promoting regional cooperation and acting as a servicing institution for IRD through research, action research, training and documentation to alleviate rural poverty through people's participation. In the past ten years CIRDAP conducted 102 projects and has now prepared a six-year plan for 1990-95 which will be considered and approved by the CIRDAP Governing Council meeting on 7-8 December 1989 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, a ministerial level meeting1 of its eleven members namely Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. CIRDAP has received valuable support from FAO, EDI of the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, IFAD, ADB, UNDP, CIDA, SIDA, Japan and the Netherlands. We, therefore, sincerely hope CIRDAP will receive further assistance and support from donor countries and agencies, and that more non-member countries in the region will join CIRDAP in the future.
As many other developing countries, Viet Nam is facing the same problems, characterized moreover by suffering the consequences of the long and devastating war. Viet Nam urgently needs many things at the same time; among others, food and foodstuffs, consumer goods and public services are the most pressing to stabilize the normal life of the people, along with rebuilding the damaged infrastructure and the construction of new important projects in the long-term service of production and people's life. In order to realize these large capital investments, technology and appropriate policies, organization and management are needed.
Looking back to 1976 (after the end of the war) the food and agriculture development of Viet Nam has seen shifts and changes but has generally recorded a great and important step.
Under the condition of a very little change in acreage, the annual mean food production increased from 13.35 million tons (1976-1980) to 16.96 million tons (1981-1985) and then continued to increase up to 18.49 million tons (1986-1988). Food production in 1988 reached 19 583 million tons and the estimate for 1989 is more than 20 million tons. The food production increase was mainly due to increased productivity, from 2 tons/ha during the mid-seventies to 3 tons/ha now. Production and yield of other crops have
also increased, especially some of the major industrial crops such as rubber, coffee, and tea. These have rapidly increased both in acreage and production. Animal and poultry production, aquaculture, fishery, aforestation, also recorded good development.
These important results have made an initial contribution in stabilizing the life of people, including more than 50 million living in rural areas with more than 70 percent of their households joining over 16 000 agricultural cooperatives and over 40 000 agricultural collectives and thousands of fishery and forestry cooperatives. These have supplied a part of the raw material for industry, increased the export budget, and created a new driving force and a basis for comprehensive development for greater quantity and better quality of production in the future.
The reason for the outstanding achievements in the recent past in our agricultural economy is firstly due to the very wide and deep renovation in our socio-economic life, especially the renovation of economic management mechanisms in agriculture and rural development, by concrete and appropriate policies and measures aiming at releasing the productive force of producers for greater benefit for themselves and society, and secondly, due to better investment than before on advanced technology especially in plant and animal breeding, irrigation, fertilizer, insecticides, energy, farm tools and machinery and applying optimum farming systems for every ecological zone. This result was attributed partly to the cooperative programmes of FAO, UNDP, WFP, other international organizations, research institutions like IRRI, CIMMYT, CIP, etc. and bilateral and multilateral cooperations.
However, Viet Nam's agriculture and rural development still faces several problems, in which the major issues are to implement and complete sector reviews of agriculture, forestry, fishery, rural industry, finalize development strategies, identify major development programmes, formulate and implement development projects based on priority in content and time.
In the process of realizing the development strategy, due attention must be fully paid to the interrelations between:
- Increase in productivity and production of crops and animals aiming at rapidly filling gaps between yields gained in research/applied research institutions and yields in large-scale commercial production with post-harvest loss reduction;
- Raw material production and agroproduct processing industry and consumption (both inside and outside country);
- Renovation of techniques and technologies to improve productivity and product quality and generation of employment opportunities for rural labour force surplus, especially the female labour force;
- Capital accumulation and consumption;
- Benefits for individuals and society;
In order to carry out these objectives, Viet Nam - apart from its endeavours in mobilizing all the human, financial and material resources available by political commitments of the Government who are willing to do what they can as a government by the people, of the people and for the people in the cause of the agriculture and rural development - needs the cooperation, and assistance of the FAO and other international organizations, brotherly and
friendly coutries, generous individuals on science, technology and economy in the form of exchange, trading, loan/credit, joint venture or investment of 100 percent on the basis of the Law of International Investment issued by the State of Viet Nam.
In the background of the world as well as the regions, the requirement of goodwill for development of relationships and cooperation between countries and regions is increasing. The Programme of Work of FAO for 1990-1991 as presented, discussed and approved at this Conference will be brought to practise thus, I hope giving active support to the national development programmes of member countries.
Avraham KATZ-OZ (Israel): Mr Chairman, on behalf of the Israeli Delegation please accept our congratulations on your election as Chairman of this Conference. I am sure that under your wise guidance the discussions of this meeting will reach meaningful results.
It is my pleasure to address this distinguished forum and share with you Israel's views on the state of agriculture and the rural regions towards the year 2000, especially with regard to the smaller countries in their efforts to preserve their rural population and increase agricultural production.
We all appreciate that the cold war among nations is abating, but we should not underestimate the looming of a new kind of war: the economic war, namely - the struggle for the international market. Conventional wars are being fought with tanks and canons. In economic wars the weapons are the interest rates, investment capital, international market channels and, if you want to continue the analogy, one country fights the other by heavy artillery such as interest rates for investment capital, subsidized research and development and protective regulations for domestic produce.
In this struggle the small and Third World countries are at a disadvantage which has a bearing on their political and economic standing. Those nations which rule the world economies and markets should carefully consider the situation and put no obstacles, direct or indirect, in the way of competitive imports. Let me voice, here and now, the demand that small countries be given an equal opportunity to compete on the world market.
We as agricultural producers should be encouraged that agricultural trade has received such a high priority in the Uruguay Round of GATT Negotiations, and we look forward to the development in GATT of a clear discipline on the rules for agricultural trade, market access and subsidies. Our concern in Israel is not only with agriculture per se, but also with the social and political role that agriculture plays in keeping the rural areas rural and viable, and making the desert - about 50% of Israel's land area - a livable and attractive habitat.
I am sure that you are all aware of the water resource problems our region and other semi-arid regions are facing: the growing use of fertilizers increases the amount of phosphorus pouring into the aquifers, groundwater resources are threatened by organic refuse from fish ponds and manure, and the growing utilization o£ low quality water such as purified effluents or saline water increase the threat to the water resources. This concerns the Middle East as it concerns Arizona and California in the United States.
To ward off these dangers we in Israel have decided on new strategies such as:
- prevention of use of toxic materials in irrigation and water networks;
- stringent control of rationing and distribution of water quotas;
- drastic reduction of fresh water fish ponds in the catchment area to prevent organic matter from polluting the Lake of Galilee and the Jordan River;
- steps to prevent the piling up of waste and refuse which cause environmental damage and pollutes the aquifers.
We believe that such an integrated management of the catchment areas is the only way to preserve the water reservoirs of the world.
Israel is situated at a very sensitive crossroads concerning epidemics of animal diseases. We are well known for our high yields in livestock production. However, this achievement is also the cause for a high vulnerability to epidemic diseases. We are aware of the danger that epizootics in the Middle East might spread not only to Israel but to other regions as well, especially Europe. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to establish an efficient network of data collection and distribution and the rapid transfer of information on every sign of disease in the area.
This year at least four diseases have infiltrated from other regions and are endangering the region: foot and mouth disease, and particularly exotic types of the virus, lump skin disease in cattle, rinderpest (cattle plague), and African horse sickness.
Nowadays the world is no more than one big village. Infectious diseases can travel thousands of miles in one single airplane flight. This is what probably happened recently with the American screwworm that was discovered in North Africa and is threatening to spread throughout the Mediterranean basin.
Israel proposes to establish a computerized information base on animal diseases accessible to all countries. Thus, countries having no diplomatic relations with each other can make use of this knowledge for immediate action to effectively prevent the spread of diseases in the region.
In the framework of the FAO European Commission for Foot and Mouth Disease such activity is already taking place. However, besides foot and mouth disease it should extend to other problems as well. The Israeli Veterinary Services have developed a highly efficient system for disease surveillance, diagnosis and control. We are both willing and able to share our know-how with each and all countries within and outside the Mediterranean region.
Israel is one of the strongest supporters of the International Plant Protection Convention. The IPPC's chief objective is to prevent the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products.
The European Plant Protection Organization recommended that a secretariat be established within the FAO, and we strongly support this recommendation. Such a secretariat should convene technical consultations among the regional plant protection organizations and coordinate a programme of activity to implement principles and procedures for IPPC work, along the same lines as the International Organization of Animal Disease.
Since its establishment Israel made tremendous advances in agriculture. However, it has a broad common denominator with many developing countries, namely:
- dependence on the world market;
- problems of water shortage.
Therefore, many developing countries, struggling to develop their food production under similar conditions, are making use of Israel's know-how to develop their own agriculture.
Since 1955, when Israel's International Agricultural Technical Cooperation began, thousands of individuals have attended agriculture and agriculture-related courses in Israel, and thousands of Israeli experts have been active in agricultural assignments abroad. During the last two years alone, 40 courses and workshops - in English, Spanish and French - were held in Israel for more than a thousand participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. These training activities included subjects of topical interest to the developing world, such as the role of women in agricultural production, arid zone agriculture and integrated pest management. In 1990, we will be adding a new course-subject: agro-ecology, geared to the needs of the developing world. Besides these courses in Israel, more than 100 on-the-spot courses overseas for nearly 2 500 participants were held on specific subjects at the request of host countries. The use of computers in agriculture is a new subject which has been introduced in these on-the-spot courses.
Israel, being a part of the Mediterranean basin, is facing the same problems in agriculture as our neighbours do: shortage of water and land and the protection of the rural environment.
I extend an invitation to all countries in our region to cooperate with us in all spheres of agricultural development. Agriculture is the cornerstone of a country's economy, and I am convinced that regional cooperation in the Middle East will pave the way towards a prosperous future and peace among the nations.
Omar A. JALLOW (Gambia): Let me first of all congratulate you, Mr Vice-Chairman, for your election to the high office of the Bureau for this Conference. It also gives me great pleasure for the first time in my capacity as the Minister of Agriculture of The Gambia to address this FAO Conference. I wish to extend to you all greetings from the government and people of The Gambia, particularly the Gambia farmers whom we are here to represent.
As we deliberate on the state of food and agriculture in the world, we must pay particular attention to the food situation in the developing countries, especially in Africa where the food crisis is most acute. As all of you are aware, the food crisis in Africa is intricately linked with the economic crisis which has been going on for over a decade.
Many of our countries, therefore, embarked upon structural adjustment programmes, with the support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (the IMF) with the hope of bringing back our economies to a healthy state.
The major objectives of such structural adjustment programmes are geared towards exchange rate reform, promotion of agricultural development, promotion of other productive sectors, civil service and parastatal reform, fiscal and financial reform, and the restructuring of the public investment programmes of our countries.
It is true to say that while some of these objectives are being met to some extent, and in fact in some areas a high degree of success has been registered, it is fair to say that the full impact of these measures is yet to be felt in the food and agricultural sector. I believe that in most of these developing economies the agricultural and food sector is the engine of growth, and its growth rate determines the pace of growth of the economy. In the recent past and up till now, we have experienced depressed producer prices for our agricultural commodities due to declining world market prices. At the same time input prices have gone up drastically while investment in the agricultural sector remains dismally low. Many of my colleagues have addressed this issue, and I don't need to go into detail.
My major concern at this stage is the reduced quantum of funds which are available for investment in the food and agriculture sector and the slow rate at which it is being effectively utilized.
This, I believe, should also be the concern of others who are genuinely insterested in the eradication of poverty and malnutrition in our developing world. I am of the strong opinion that our structural adjustment policies have yet to address the issues of mobilization of financial resources and how to attract private capital in the agricultural sector. The question is how much investment do we need to boost up agricultural output to the level where agricultural surplus could be used to finance investments in other sectors.
This can only be done by using the Marshall Plan approach, which all of us know, with emphasis on the agricultural sector and ensuring that private entrepreneurs play an important role in this plan. The political will to mobilize financial resources must be demonstrated at both the multilateral and bilateral levels.
This means that while we are struggling to restructure our economies and to reform our institutions there must be deliberate efforts to provide adequate financial resources to multilateral agricultural institutions such as the FAO, World Food Programme, the World Food Council, IFAD and other institutions which are geared towards improving agricultural productivity in developing countries.
Side by side with this approach, there should be a sharper focus by our bilateral development partners on technological improvements to remove production bottlenecks and to reduce the flow of resources from the poorer and underdeveloped south to the richer and more developed north.
I am very much disappointed by the declining trend in the allocation of financial resources to international organizations such as the FAO.
Is this a sign of loss of hope in our struggle to fight against poverty and malnutrition? Is it that we have spent all our funds on arms and ammunitions in readiness to destroy life and to clean the face of the world? Or have we really exhausted our generosity towards our fellow beings who are dying of starvation and hunger? Have the donors lost confidence in these institutions? Are these institutions fulfilling the objectives for which they were created? I think this is the time that we must resolve once and for all to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from the face of this earth. We must together fight this evil, and I have no doubt whatsoever that we can do it together.
With the present climate prevailing in all member countries, whereby structural adjustment programmes are being implemented, in the same vein all international agencies and organizations should also be restructured and their roles be more properly defined, their administrative cost reduced and the savings invested in rural development projects.
We are fortunate that a review of FAO's aims and operations has just been completed and the report is tabled before us for discussion and decision. While we support the major findings and recommendations of the review, we would want to further elaborate on the following points to ensure that the organization is strengthened so that it can perform its task better. We are very much concerned about the role of FAO in structural adjustment programmes in developing countries, and we therefore feel that FAO's policy advice capability must be strengthened, particularly at the country level.
The country offices must be adequately staffed so that they can provide the necessary advice to governments which are involved in structural adjustment programmes. Such policy advice must be made available during negotiations with the World Bank and the IMF.
FAO must play a vital role in this important exercise, and therefore, it would need to collaborate very closely with other UN Agencies at the country level.
We also believe very strongly that in order to do a good job in its field operations, FAO would need to formulate medium term plans and establish targets and priorities in accordance with its objectives and strategies. We hope that this approach will bring about more clarity in the work of the FAO and will also go a long way in making the organization more effective.
However, I would hasten to say that all these measures would require FAO to be adequately funded. The present financial situation of the Organization must not be allowed to continue; otherwise, FAO's effectiveness and efficiency may not be realized.
I must make mention of the good work the World Food Programme is doing in developing countries, particularly in The Gambia, in the area of food aid to alleviate the problems of poverty. As all of you are no doubt aware, WFP has developed into a vital international instrument for development and
humanitarian assistance. It is one of the very few agencies which has actually reached the most vulnerable groups in our countries, paying particular attention to increasing agricultural production, enhancing human resource development and promoting rural development and welfare. Some of the projects which are being supported by the WFP include the Swamp Rice Development, Rangeland Development for livestock development and the establishment of forest parks, school feeding programme, in collaboration with FAO, UNSO, UNDP and other agencies. In view of WFP's good work and the high hopes we have in it, the government of The Gambia fully endorses the target of US$ 1.5 billion for the regular resources of WFP for 1990-91.
We also believe that in view of its complex and expanded scope of work, WFP must have administrative and financial autonomy, similar to those comparable UN programmes and agencies in the same vein, the headquarters agreement for WFP which has to be signed by the FAO must be finalized before the programme is called upon to pay rent, the amount of which I am informed will go up to US$ 3 million, which amount could be better utilized to finance rural development programmes in our developing countries.
May I also pronounce on two cases of concern to the government of The Gambia. These are the issues of women in development and environment and sustainable development. On the question of women in development, I need to inform the Conference that we in The Gambia have gone ahead in line with FAO's thinking to take a comprehensive approach to women in development by formulating a women's development project.
This project will include agricultural development, skills development, safe motherhood, information, communication, education and community mobilization and institutional strengthening of the women's bureau. I therefore wish to appeal to all my colleagues to endorse the plan of action for the integration of women into agricultural and rural development.
With regard to environmental matters, my government is of the strong opinion that our agricultural development effort must be carried out in consonance with sound environmental management. It is therefore important that this conference endorses the document on sustainable development and natural resources management. We must also collectively be mindful of those who are constantly destroying our environment by dumping nuclear wastes in our waters, and dumping industrial waste on our land. This is a matter of deep concern, because it is these very countries which are emphasizing the need for environmental development and, I believe, have the means and resources to prevent this waste from leaving their own sources.
I am following with great interest current developments in the Eastern World, vis-à-vis relations with agricultural development. I believe that in the future we should gain from these developments that are now happening, but one thing does alarm me: a few months ago everyone thought that there was a recession and that there was a lack of money in the world system for contributions to alleviate the suffering of farmers in developing countries. However, in the last few weeks we have seen large amounts of money -millions of dollars - being pumped into East Germany: US$ 1.6 billion has already been pumped in, US$ 558 million has been written off their debts to the West and 401.4 billion has been promised during the next few months. We have seen injections into the economies of Hungary and Poland, and other countries. I would like to ask: What is the criteria? Through advice from the World Bank and IMF, we have restructured our economies in the hope of alleviating the suffering of our farmers, but such a magnitude of funds has never been injected into our economies.
Our economies have been structured in line with Western economies, therefore what is the criteria for the introduction of huge amounts of funds because cosmetic approaches have been made by Communists towards the West.
Today we are witnessing more people dying from hunger, more people dying from malnutrition, more people dying from starvation, more people dying from lack of medical care, more people dying from conflicts engineered by both political and religious means which are unprecedented in the history of mankind.
What is the cause of this? I appeal - not to the political will of those developed countries who can stop all these evils, because they have the will and they have proved in the last few weeks that they have the means - I appeal to their moral consciences for support, for assistance, to mankind in developing countries.
A.M. Al Kaoud, Vice-Chairman of the Conference, took the chair
A.M. Al Kaoud, Vice-Président de la Conférence, assume la présidence
Ocupa la presidencia A.M. Al Kaoud, Vicepresidente de la Conferencia
CHAIRMAN: I now give the floor to Dr Nasser Abdullah Al-Aulaqi, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Arabic Republic of Yemen, who will speak on behalf of the Arab Republic of Yemen and the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen.
Nasser Abdullah AL-AULAQI (Arab Republic of Yemen) (original language Arabic): In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful. I would like to begin in the name of the two Yemens, by congratulating you Mr Chairman on your unanimous election to preside over the current session of the FAO Conference and on the confidence placed in you personally. Similarly, I would like to congratulate the Vice-Chairmen, and wish you all every success in your endeavours. It is also a pleasure for me to convey to this Conference our Governments' greetings and best wishes for successful deliberations and results in the interests of increased agricultural production in general, and food production in particular.
It is opportune that this Conference is being held at a time when the world is witnessing an atmosphere of international détente, which creates circumstances appropriate to the orientation of peoples towards a process of development. It also augurs well that all the distinguished participants have come to this Conference from all over the world with minds and hearts which are nurturing real hopes in the possibility of achieving practical solutions for the problems of the numerous countries included in the agenda of this Conference. This optimism is justifiable. Suffice it to mention the prevailing trend to bolster prospects of cooperation between all countries, and the common understanding that it is the right of Man, whoever he is and wherever he comes from, to live in peace and free of any worries, particularly those related to food security. However, success in achieving these objectives depends mainly on translating sound ideas and human dimensions into concrete action.
Amongst the astonishing discrepancies and paradoxes witnessed by this age is that we find on the one hand astounding achievements in all walks of life, and on the other hand there are men, women and children starving to death every day, while others are condemned to live an unending nightmare of hunger, poverty and malnutrition. These people suffer the dearth of food supplies and the bare minimum of necessities.
As we stand on the threshold of the 21st Century, it is alarming to see that the world food problem is further deteriorating, and yet due attention is still not being paid by the international community to this grave situation. Today more than ever, we are called upon to cooperate in saving 53 countries from annihilation. We must always remember that over 513 million people are suffering from acute food shortage. The alarming food and agricultural situation and its impact on world food security, together with the inherent dangers which threaten poor and vulnerable people in developing countries are recently recurring phenomena. The decline in the world production of commodities, the fall in world stocks, the growing cereals crises in international markets, and concomitent financial problems faced by the food-deficit and low-income countries, as well as the declining volume of food itself - all this represents an important link in the series of factors which interact with the current international economy, the scarcity of foreign exchange, the negative aspects of structural adjustment - a series of factors which are all conducive to the slowing down of the rate of food production in most of the developing countries. This vicious circle can be broken, not only by furthering the efforts of the developing countries to increased production, but:also through international efforts to implement the necessary reforms within the framework of a new international economic order.
This entails the improvement of international terms of trade, the flow of development resources into the developing countries after resolving their debt problems, and the acceleration of technical support by international organizations, especially FAO. It is only through the achievement of such objectives that the world food and agricultural situation can steadily improve. The current international détente, the progress achieved in the GATT multi-lateral trade negotiations, and the preliminary indications of a resolution of the debt problems, could be a sound foundation for a new era of international cooperation aimed towards the betterment of the world food and agricultural situation. We hope that these conditions would enhance the role of international organizations - namely, FAO, the WFP, and IFAD - and would consolidate resources in order to foster development of the developing countries.
We deeply appreciate the comprehensive statement by the Director-General of FAO, Dr Edouard Saouma. That statement has clearly identified the fundamental and broad items to be considered by this Conference, as well as the major trends of FAO's activities in both the past and future. We share his concern at the current world food and agricultural situation and that of world food security. We are also deeply concerned over the shrinking and limited resources available to FAO to enable it to promote its contribution to the developing countries' efforts to provide the bare necessities for their people, particularly under current critical economic conditions.
The delegation of the two Yemens has considered with great interest the documents which have been prepared for this Session. We would like to express our deep appreciation for the great administrative and technical efforts deployed by the FAO Secretariat to produce such excellent documentation, in terms of both quality and content. We note with pleasure
the experts' report on the Review of Some Aspects of FAO, Objectives, Strategies and Operations. This seems to us a certificate of good health of the organization's vitality and effectiveness, and its important role in facing the requirements of the developing countries for food production and rural development.
We support the recommendations relating to the major fields of FAO's activities, particularly those concerned with technical assistance, research and technological policies. We also support FAO' activities in the field of TCDC as a basis for project formulation, and that the medium-term plan should cover a period of three biennia, with an indication of resources of each programme. We believe that the report has rightly concluded, after lengthy consultation and debate, that the criteria used by the FAO for the priority activities were sound and adequate.
We support the recommendations concerning the consolidation of FAO's country officers in member countries within the confines of the regulations in force. We also endorse the recommendation on fostering consultation and good relations between FAO and the relevant agencies, the former being a leading and coordinating agency in reviewing different sectors in its respective fields of competence.
We also support the proposals relating to FAO's participation in the UNDP round tables and the World Bank consultancies.
The delegation of the two Yemens realizes the size of the obligations which could be consequent upon implementation of the recommendations comprised in this report, and we believe that they cannot be provided for except in the long term. We therefore agree on their gradual implementation over the course of a number of years, in accordance with available resources. In this context we call upon the donor countries to expend additional funds towards this end, in addition to any internal resources which could be saved without prejudice to the role of the Organization.
We are pleased to note the great accomplishments of the WFP, as contained in the 14th Annual Report submitted to us by Mr Ingram the WFP Executive Director. We note that the volume of assistance extended by the Programme over the relevant period has reached a record level. We would like to commend the efforts of the WFP under the leadership of its Executive Director, and we are appreciative of the role played by this assistance in the developing countries, including the two Yemens, in cases of emergency and in boosting development projects. Therefore, we call upon donor countries to support the Programme, in order that it can fulfil its responsibilities during the period to come, with the payment of their contribution and the increase in their donations to the level set out in the Report, namely US$ 1.5 billion for the biennium 1991/92. It is interesting to note the reference to further coordination and cooperation between FAO and WFP administration in the case of the recipient countries, especially in the area of promoting the role of food aid to the least developed countries. We note with satisfaction the initiative of the FAO Director-General in working out a long-term strategy for the 1990s and after, provided that it is a general framework for the contribution of the Organization to the UN Fourth Development Strategy, in a way that would lead to activating economic growth, eradicating poverty and malnutrition and the continuing protection of the environment and development.
We are of the view that the outlines of this strategy constitute a new and appropriate framework of the subsequent full report. At this juncture, we commend the efforts deployed within the framework of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources, together with recommendations and the unique global system adopted by the Organization in this field.
We are also of the opinion that the Commission's activities should include animal genetic resources, given the paramount importance of the commission and its role in the future of plant and animal production. My delegation urges countries in a position to assist to provide adequate financing for the implementation of the Organization's important prospective action.
We join previous speakers in endorsing the main thrust of the PWB and the detailed and extensive analysis contained therein which merits the unanimous approval of Conference despite the expectation expressed by the majority of the developing countries for an appropriate increase in the budget level which will enable the Organization to respond adequately to the ever increasing requests for services and assistance.
We strongly call upon member countries to pay their financial obligations to the Organization in time so as to improve its financial position.
The agricultural sector in our countries is characterized by the scarcity of natural resources, recurring spells of drought alternating with serious torrential floods, which drained our energies in a bid to protect man and land, in addition to the continual rehabilitation efforts. The torrential rains which hit southern Yemen this Spring are a link in the chain of such evils. Emergency operations and rehabilitation endeavours cost huge funds and efforts. We should like to express our thanks and appreciation to the sisterly and friendly countries and organizations for their valuable asistance and aid to our effort to remedy these damages. We are currently considering the possibilities of embarking on new engineering operations to rehabilitate other stricken areas and to arrest torrents in order to prevent a recurrence of such damage in the future. We are hopeful to receive the support and assistance of international organizations and sisterly and friendly countries in the pursuit of our efforts.
Against all odds and constraints, over the recent years the two Yemens have witnessed marked developments in various fields, particularly in the area of agricultural development where achievements have materialized in the form of completion of rural development projects, the provision of extension and credit services together with preventative measures, the promotion of marketing and other relevant activities which have reflected positively on the increase of agricultural output and an improvement of the living conditions of the rural inhabitants.
The agricultural sector still enjoys priority attention in the two Yemens, given the support accorded by the political leadership in the two countries which pursue actively dialogue for the realization of eventual unity which is our great cherished objective. In this respect we hope to mobilize the necessary resources and possibilities, together with the maximun utilization of international support and cooperation in the field of food production.
Before concluding, allow me to wish our Conference success, with positive decisions which would contribute effectively to the solution of food problems and would bridge the gap separating the peoples of the world for the good of humanity and the service of its cherished advance.
Allow me to express our sincere thanks to all those who took part in the preparation of this Conference, for a job well done. I thank you for your attention.
Sharavyn GUNGAADORJ (Mongolia) (original language Mongolian): First of all I would like to congratulate you, Mr Chairman, on your unanimous election to this highly important post. I am sure that under your guidance and that of your deputies the present Session of the FAO Conference will successfully conclude its work.
I am very pleased to participate in the biennial Session of the FAO Conference, an important forum for assessing the state of food and agriculture as well as for coordinating the policies of States and determining further measures to meet related challenges of the day.
The positive tendency in the world political climate has had a good effect on the relations between States with differing political and economic paths of development, and opens up additional possibilities for strengthening economic cooperation between nations. Quite understandably the role and authority of the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies, and first and foremost those of the FAO, are growing steadily.
We express our confidence that FAO will make a worthy contribution to intensify agricultural development, to improve food supply towards the goal of eradicating hunger and malnutrition the world over, to introduce modern technology into the developing world, to train local staff and last, but not least, to protect our environment.
In pointing out our satisfaction with the fact that during the last few years our cooperation with FAO has expanded fruitfully, I would like, on behalf of my Government, to thank Dr Saouma, the Director-General of the FAO, for his admirable personal involvement. My delegation also offers its unswerving support to the principles embodied in the Director-General's report for implementing the Programme of Agriculture Towards 2000.
Today we are discussing and summing up the work done in the last two years. The period under discussion was full of events of great importance to my country.
The Government of Mongolia, taking into account the special historical background of the country, has undertaken, and continues to undertake, important steps to make effective use of its material, financial and labour resources, to rapidly mobilize the country's internal resources, to improve the quality of work and services and to raise efficiency of social production in all spheres of the national economy.
Decisions are being taken and implemented to improve, among others, the methods of economic management of agricultural and food industry, to ensure self-sufficiency of thè industry, economic organizations and working collectives and to enhance the rights of branch, local and other economic bodies.
Agriculture' and above all animal husbandry, is and will definitely be the primary sector in the country's national economy. The animal husbandry of Mongolia depends very much upon climatic conditions, since grazing on natural pastures is the predominant form of production.
In this respect, I venture to state the obvious fact that countries producing agricultural output under hard climate conditions with drought and severe winters suffer more and do not have the possibility of easily increasing the national welfare. Being a representative of a country where the agricultural development is pursued in such difficult climatic conditions, I wish to support the statement of some delegations, including those of Bangladesh and Chad, who dwelt on this subject in the general debate. I would like to emphasize that much attention should be paid to disaster-prone countries and that the technical assistance of the FAO be directed to the development of natural disaster prevention services in those countries.
The Government always attaches great importance to the development of agriculture and takes all possible steps to strengthen its material basis. As a result we are now self-sufficient in the main agricultural products such as meat, wheat, potatoes and vegetables. But progress in this field as a whole is still inadequate to meet the every-day requirements of the population. During the last ten years, the average population growth rate was about 3 percent, while the agricultural production growth reached 2.2 percent. This brought us to the conclusion that livestock development was, and to some extent still is, in a state of stagnation.
Besides that, the characteristics of the country's territory and its natural resources have not been adequately studied. In addition, insufficient development of roads and motor transport is a constraint on the improvement of the water supply for the rural population and animal husbandry, on the rational use of pastures and on the development of irrigation especially in the Gobi region.
To overcome these difficulties we are contemplating and actually starting to implement measures to provide grazing livestock with a reliable fodder basis, steadily raise the number of animals, process and use agricultural products as completely as possible in rural areas.
Until recently, efforts have been made to meet the demands of the population in foodstuffs by building large food enterprises in cities and provincial towns which under our conditions proved to be not so effective. For example, it resulted in the over-expenditure of means and efforts to drive herds long distances to the huge slaughtering plants in the cities. The blood and other by-products of hundreds of thousands of animals slaughtered in the traditional way are not being utilized at all. Therefore we are planning to establish, in the rural areas, small capacity agricultural processing enterprises equipped with modern technology. In this field we are interested in further developing cooperation with other countries.
We face acute problems of developing livestock breeding and improving living and cultural standards of the rural people, mainly those of the herdsmen. A lot of measures are being taken by the Government. These measures include, inter alia, providing herdsmen with electricity, improving their labour conditions by introducing mechanization and modern technology, making rural living as attractive as possible to young people and protecting nature and the environment of the countryside.
Apart from mobilizing our internal resources to overcome these difficulties, we are keen to develop cooperation with other countries in order to introduce and gradually apply modern technology in a creative way which fits our conditions.
Furthermore, as a developing country, the Mongolian People's Republic is trying to strengthen our ties with international organizations and striving to expand our cooperation with other states in the framework of these organizations. We are studying the possibility of becoming a member of a number of other international, economic and financial institutions, so as to profit from their assistance in developing our national economy.
On behalf of the Government of my country, we would like to assure you that we will do our utmost to participate actively in the multilateral endeavour of the FAO in the fulfillment of the decisions to be undertaken by the current session of the FAO Conference to accelerate the world agricultural progress, improve the food supply of the population and protect the environment.
Fernando Faustino MUTEKA (Angola) (langue originale Portugais): Monsieur le Président, illustres délégués, Mesdames, Messieurs. Avant tout, Monsieur le Président, je profite de cette occasion pour vous féliciter ainsi que le reste des membres du bureau de cette assemblée pour votre élection à la tête de nos travaux.
Nous sommes certains qu'avec la collaboration de tous et grâce aux orientations que vous saurez donner à cette conférence afin d'aider à résoudre les problèmes les plus importants que l'Organisation doit affronter, il sera possible de rendre plus efficace l'aide que celle-ci fournit à nos pays. Permettez-moi de profiter de cette occasion pour féliciter vivement M. le Directeur général et l'assurer aussi de la collaboration de mon pays dans l'exercice d'une mission très difficile mais honorable, et exprimer le souhait que l'aide que la FAO concède à la République populaire d'Angola soit intensifiée de façon polyvalente à la hauteur de ses capacités et des possibilités de cette institution du système des Nations Unies. En dépit des attaques que ne cesse de mener l'UNITA qui sème la mort et le deuil dans différentes zones du territoire national, en perturbant la tranquillité des paysans pacifiques et en détruisant la moisson et les infrastructures agricoles et d'élevage, c'est avec une satisfaction particulière que devant cette tribune je peux aujourd'hui affirmer que notre situation agricole et alimentaire évolue progressivement, depuis la dernière Assemblée générale jusqu'à maintenant.
La campagne agricole vient de débuter avec les difficultés propres d'un pays en développement, dévasté par la guerre. Toutefois, c'est avec optimisme que nous voulons envisager notre avenir dans le cadre des principes définis par notre gouvernement dans les domaines de l'agriculture. Ceux-ci sont appliqués selon nos possibilités et renforcés par l'assistance multilatérale et bilatérale.
Par rapport à l'année agricole 1988/1989, malgré les efforts qui ne cessent d'être déployés par les paysans, grâce aux structures mises en place par le gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola qui appuie les paysans en leur fournissant des intrants agricoles (semences, engrais, pesticides et autres moyens de production), la campagne agricole a été mauvaise car la sécheresse prolongée qui a affecté le pays dans le premier trimestre de cette année a porté un préjudice particulièrement important à notre programme céréalier.
Après la sécheresse, se sont succédé les pluies diluviennes. Les cultures qui se trouvaient aux bords de certaines rivières ont été affectées par les inondations, couvrant ainsi des zones de production maraîchère, horticole et des productions de fruits, causant des préjudices aux agriculteurs. Concernant les changements opérés dans les systèmes agraires pour la lutte contre l'appauvrissement rural, le gouvernement de mon pays est en train de créer un réseau d'entrepreneurs capables de mettre à la disposition des paysans des moyens de production, une assistance technique qui sera dynamisée par le programme national de vulgarisation rural. Ce programme est au stade de l'expérience pilote dans une des provinces du Sud du pays. Nous sommes en train de mettre en place des groupes d'entrepreneurs pour la distribution de moyens mobiles de production, complétés par la mécanisation agricole et avec le développement de la traction animale dans des zones d'élevage traditionnel. En vue de rendre plus attrayante l'activité agraire et stimuler les productions agricoles et d'élevage, des mesures importantes ont été prises par notre gouvernement dans le domaine des prix. Celles-ci visent à donner aux producteurs des conditions plus favorables pour le développement d'une économie de marché compétitif pour valoriser leurs productions.
Dans ce contexte, de nouveaux régimes de prix ont été mis en place: le régime de prix garantis et le régime de prix libéralisés. Dans le cadre du régime de prix garantis, à l'avenir l'Etat aura à annoncer au début de chaque campagne agricole des prix minimums et, dans certains cas, le maximum sera garanti aux producteurs par la production d'un certain nombre de produits.
Dans le cadre du régime de prix libéralisés, le producteur aura l'occasion de placer ses produits sur le marché durant toute l'année dans des conditions concurrentielles en tenant compte des lois du marché, de l'offre et de la demande.
A ce titre les prix de cinquante-deux produits horticoles ont été libéralisés. En ce moment, nous prévoyons la constitution dans un bref délai de l'UNACA, "Union nationale des paysans angolais", organisation populaire qui permettra de donner des orientations aux paysans en matière de politique et de questions socio-économiques, et de transformer progressivement les relations de production dans le secteur agraire au profit des paysans eux-mêmes.
Le peuple angolais a consenti d'énormes sacrifices au nom de la Communauté internationale pour créer des conditions qui ont permis le début de la mise en oeuvre de la résolution 453/78 des Nations Unies et éviter une confrontation militaire dans le sud-ouest de l'Afrique, un des foyers les plus délicats de tension internationale qui a fait l'objet d'un accord signé à New York le 22 décembre 1988, accord tripartite entre l'Angola, Cuba et l'Afrique du Sud, en vue d'un règlement de la question du sud-ouest de l'Afrique. Un autre accord, bilatéral celui-là, est intervenu entre la République populaire d'Angola et celle de Cuba avec le retrait total mais progressif des troupes internationalistes cubaines de l'Angola. Avec la signature de ces accords à New York que les parties s'étaient engagées à respecter, il y avait un composant externe du problème angolais permettant ainsi au gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola de s'inspirer des enseignements et des expériences des autres pays africains qui se sont trouvés dans des situations semblables, cherchant des voies et des moyens pour résoudre le conflit interne.
C'est dans ce cadre que sfest tenu à Luanda un sommet de huit chefs d'Etat africains qui a analysé et approuvé le plan de paix présenté par le gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola.
Par la suite, après le sommet des huit, s'est tenu le 22 juin à Gbadolite, République du Zaïre, un sommet qui a réuni 20 pays africains, au cours duquel Jonas Savimbi a accepté les principes contenus dans le plan que je viens de citer. C'est du fait de l'acceptation par Jonas Savimbi du plan de paix de notre gouvernement que le camarade José Eduardo dos Santos lui a serré la main. Les autres chefs d'Etat l'ont félicité de ce symbole de fraternité et de réconciliation entre fils d'une même patrie.
Les accords de Gbadolite ont été approuvés par la suite par l'Organisation de l'unité africaine et par l'Organisation des pays non alignés. Plus tard, après le sommet de Gbadolite, Jonas Savimbi a trahi les efforts de paix et de réconciliation du gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola.
D'autre part, les ingérences dans les affaires internes de la République populaire d'Angola se poursuivent de la part des forces étrangères, allant à l’encontre des accords de New York.
Ainsi la communauté internationale sait que l’UNITA a été du côté de l'apartheid, a combattu la SWAPO en Namibie et doit reconnaître, par ce fait, la magnanimité et l'effort de notre gouvernement et de tous les bons patriotes qui ont offert une grande ouverture politique à Gbadolite pour trouver la paix et la réconciliation nationale dans l'esprit de la sagesse et des traditions africaines.
C'est pour cela que Son Excellence José Eduardo dos Santos, Président de la République populaire d'Angola, en s'adressant aux chefs d'Etat de pays africains de langue officielle portugaise - Palop - réunis au onzième sommet extraordinaire tenu à Luanda en vue de présenter le véritable visage du déroulement du processus de paix en Angola, a affirmé ce qui suit: "Dans ce processus il est important de reconnaître le rôle joué par le gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola. Nous n'acceptons pas de confondre l'Etat angolais avec le MPLA/Parti du travail, pour justifier une prétendue égalité entre ce dernier et l’UNITA".
Malgré les difficultés qui ont surgi dans la matérialisation des accords de Gbadolite, le gouvernement angolais continue à déployer des efforts en vue de l'instauration de la paix en Angola, condition indispensable à son développement économique et social et au redressement de sa situation économique et alimentaire.
Dans ce contexte, nous assistons dans mon pays à de grands changements dans la vie économique. Nous avons mis en vigueur, depuis 1988, un ensemble de mesures insérées dans un cadre d'assainissement économique et financier. Par ces mesures, nous cherchons à redynamiser l'économie, à garantir la reprise du pouvoir d'achat des travailleurs, à rétablir l'équilibre interne entre l'offre et la demande dans une situation stable, de progrès et dans une situation saine. Nous voulons que les paysans soient les principaux bénéficiaires de ces mesures. Pour ce qui est de la mise en oeuvre de la paix, le gouvernement de la République populaire d'Angola aura besoin de l'appui de la FAO, des gouvernements et des différentes organisations non gouvernementales pour faire face à toutes les dépenses et pour l'intégration des paysans dans leurs zones de production tant pour ceux qui viendront des zones rurales que pour ceux qui se sont réfugiés dans des zones urbaines en cherchant la protection et la survie chez nous.
Depuis l'accession de la République populaire d'Angola à l'indépendance, le PAM a toujours joué un rôle particulièrement important dans la résolution de nos problèmes alimentaires, A cet égard, nous profitons de la tenue de cette auguste assemblée pour remercier le PAM et son Directeur exécutif de l'aide précieuse qu'il ne cesse de nous octroyer.
Concernant maintenant l'ordre du jour de la présente Conférence, je ne veux pas laisser passer sous silence certains aspects que je considère particulièrement importants.
En premier lieu, il est évident que c'est avec préoccupation que nous prenons note de la situation financière de l'Organisation, compte tenu du non-versement des contributions par certains contribuables et du fait du retard avec lequel les contributions sont versées. En maintenant cette situation, la liquidité et la solvabilité de l'Organisation vont courir des risques et cela peut affecter dans une grande mesure la viabilité et l'exécution de son programme de travail.
C'est dans ce contexte que nous considérons ce budget comme passif et loin de ce que nous souhaiterions. Nous voudrions un budget qui puisse appuyer de façon importante l'essor agricole des pays en développement, notamment ceux qui, pour des raisons d'ordre naturel ou autres, se trouvent dans les situations les plus graves.
C'est aussi dans ce contexte que nous appuyons dans l'ensemble le budget qui nous est proposé, conscients du fait que la situation actuelle n'offre pas d'autres alternatives.
Lors de la 24ème session de la Conférence générale de la FAO, il avait été inclus dans le Programme de travail et budget pour l'exercice 1988/89 qu'une étude devrait être réalisée sur les effets négatifs de l'apartheid en Afrique du Sud, sur la situation alimentaire et le développement agricole en Afrique australe. Cette étude n'a pas été réalisée pour des questions d'ordre financier.
Pour nous cette étude est d'importance capitale; pour cette raison, nous suggérons que la FAO consulte une étude publiée en octobre de cette année par la Commission économique pour l'Afrique, la CEA, étude intitulée "La déstabilisation sud-africaine; les coûts économiques de la résistance des pays de la première ligne contre l'apartheid", et que la FAO essaie de voir dans quelle mesure elle peut nous aider dans cette conjoncture particulière en matière de production alimentaire.
Pour ce qui est de l'étude effectuée au cours de ces deux dernières années, c'est avec une grande satisfaction que nous prenons note des conclusions des deux Comités et des groupes d'experts selon lesquelles la FAO semble être une institution solide et dynamique. C'est pourquoi nous appuyons ces conclusions et recommandations. Nous appuyons également la proposition d'organiser avec l'Organisation mondiale de la santé une conférence internationale sur la nutrition et de parrainer cette conférence.
En ce qui concerne le programme de coopération technique, nous regrettons que les fonds affectés à ce PCT soient réduits de 1 % par rapport au biennium précédent. Toutefois, nous n'ignorons pas l'efficacité de ce programme; c'est pourquoi nous insistons pour qu'à l'avenir il soit renforcé.
La formation des vulgarisateurs ruraux joue un rôle fondamental du fait qu'une grande partie de notre politique agricole se fonde sur l'augmentation de la productivité de la terre. La vulgarisation comme forme d'enseignement officieux et la formation de paysans évolués constituent une composante indispensable à la réussite de notre objectif.
D'autre part, l'organisation des paysans dans les associations constitue un aspect inséparable de la modernisation progressive de l'agriculture. La formation des cadres dans plusieurs domaines constitue un aspect fondamental en vue de garantir à ces associations une vie propre et des possibilités valables de consolidation et de développement.
Sur ce point nous voudrions signaler la nécessité pour la FAO de prêter une attention particulière aux pays africains d'expression portugaise en organisant des cours et séminaires dans les domaines essentiels pour ces pays afin de permettre leur participation particulièrement élevée. Quant au développement durable, les pays développés doivent prêter leur assistance aux pays en développement afin de les aider à surmonter leurs difficultés, à trouver des voies de solutions aux problèmes particulièrement critiques.
Pour cela, les pays développés doivent tenir compte des effets de leurs investissements sur l'environnement des pays en développement, la coopération internationale devra fournir des ressources supplémentaires en ce domaine.
Enfin, pour ce qui est de l'intégration de la femme dans le développement, celle-ci a toujours joué un rôle très important dans nos sociétés.
Nous appuyons les lignes maîtresses du Plan d'action de la FAO et nous encourageons l'Organisation à continuer son aide afin de renforcer les capacités techniques des Etats Membres.
The meeting rose at 18.15 hours
La séance est levée à 18 h 15
Se levanta la sesión a las 18.15 horas
