Statistical note

Data are obtained from official and unofficial sources. For cereals, production data refer to the calendar year in which the whole harvest or bulk of harvest takes place. For sugar, production data relate to the October/September season. For vegetable oils and oil meals derived from oilseeds, production data refer to the year in which the bulk of the seeds concerned are crushed. For trade in wheat and coarse grains, the time reference period is normally the July/June marketing year unless otherwise stated. Trade data for rice and other commodities refer to the calendar year. Coarse grains refer to all other cereals except wheat and rice. Quantities are in metric tonnes unless otherwise stated. ‘-‘ means nil or negligible.

Country classification

In the presentation and analysis of statistical material, countries are sub-divided, where appropriate, into the following two main economic groupings: “Developed countries” (including the developed market economies and the transition markets) and “Developing countries” (including the developing market economies and the Asia centrally planned countries). The designation “Developed” and “Developing” economies is intended for statistical convenience and does not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process.

References are also made to special country groupings: Low-Income FoodDeficit Countries (LIFDCs), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs). The LIFDCs currently includes 84 countries that are net importers of cereals with per caput income below the level used by the World Bank to determine eligibility for IDA assistance (i.e. US$1 415 in 2002). The LDCs and NIFDCs groups include a list of countries agreed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to qualify as beneficiaries under the Marrakech Decision on the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net FoodImporting Developing Countries. The LDCs group currently includes 49 countries with low income as well as weak human resources and low level of economic diversification. The list is reviewed every three years by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The NIFDCs group includes 22 developing country WTO Members which notified their request to be listed as NFIDCs and have submitted relevant statistical data concerning their status as net importers of basic foodstuffs during a representative period. This list is reviewed annually by the WTO Committee on Agriculture.

Disclaimer

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Calendar, contents and contacts.

Calendar and contents of publication for 2005¹

Food Outlook is issued by FAO under the Global Information and Early Warning System with the collaboration of the Basic Foodstuffs Service of the Commodities and Trade Division. Contributions are drawn from other technical units of the Organization. It provides information on latest developments in agricultural markets and sets the global and regional commodity production, utilization, trade and price context for food security. This issue is based on information available up to 1 April 2005.

Food Outlook and other GIEWS reports are available on the Internet as part of the FAO World Wide Web (www.fao.org) at the following URL address: http://www.fao.org/giews/. In addition, some of the GIEWS regular reports can be received by E-mail through automatic mailing lists: subscription information is available at http://www.fao.org/giews/english/listserv.htm.