CL 124/6


Council

Hundred and Twenty-fourth Session

Rome, Italy, 23 - 28 June 2003

REPORT OF THE SIXTY-FOURTH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMODITY PROBLEMS

Rome, 18 - 21 March 2003

Table of Contents


INTRODUCTION

THE STATE OF WORLD AGRICULTURAL MARKETS

MEDIUM-TERM OUTLOOK FOR WORLD AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY MARKETS

Policy Developments Affecting Agricultural Commodity Markets and Trade

(a) Agricultural Exports: Recent Evolution and Constraints on Growth
(b) Trade Policy Issues in the Context of Food Security

INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES AND TRADE

(a) Analysis and consensus-building
(b) Product and Market development

arrangements for THE 65th session

Any Other Business

APPENDIX A Opening Statement by Mr D. A. Harcharik, Deputy Director-General
APPENDIX B Agenda
APPENDIX C List of Documents
APPENDIX D Membership of the Committee on Commodity Problems 2002-2003

 


MATTERS REQUIRING THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL

The Committee wishes to draw the attention of the Council to the following matters in particular:

  1. Its review of the state of world agricultural commodity markets (paragraphs 6-9).
     
  2. Its assessment of the medium term outlook for agricultural commodity markets and its implications for food security (paragraphs 10-14).
  3. Its review of recent trends in agricultural exports and analysis of the major obstacles, including market as well as policy factors, faced by developing countries in seeking to expand and diversify their agricultural exports (paragraphs 15-22), and its encouragement of further research into these matters (paragraph 20).
     
  4. Its review of food import trends and import surges in developing countries, food security implications and policy issues (paragraphs 23-29), and its recommendations for further analyses and capacity building (paragraphs 28-29).
  5. Its endorsement of the reports of the intergovernmental commodity groups (IGGs) and its welcoming of the innovations introduced into their meetings (paragraphs 30-32).
  6. Its strong support for the recent commodity consultations and recommendation that further such events be organised (paragraph 33).
  7. Its endorsement of the report of the Consultative Subcommittee on Surplus Disposal and its recognition of the importance of accurate information concerning food aid flows (paragraph 35-37).
  8. Its review of FAO’s cooperation with the Common Fund for Commodities in product and market development activities (paragraphs 38-40).
  9. Its review of activities relating to agricultural commodities in other bodies and FAO’s collaboration with such bodies (paragraph 41).
     


INTRODUCTION

1. The Committee on Commodity Problems held its 64th Session from 18 to 21 March 2003 at FAO Headquarters, Rome. Of the 108 member countries of the Committee for the biennium 2002-2003, 76 were present at the session. Three Member Nations of the Organization, one United Nations Member State, the Holy See, six international organizations and nine non-governmental organizations participated as observers.

2. The Committee elected Mr Elhamy Mohamed Abdel El Menam (Egypt) as Chairperson, Mr Adriaan Frijlink (Netherlands) as First Vice-Chairperson and Mr Carlos Pozzo (Venezuela) as Second Vice-Chairperson.

3. The opening statement was delivered by the Deputy Director-General, Mr David A. Harcharik. It is reproduced in Appendix A.

4. The Committee was assisted during the session by a Drafting Group composed of Austria (Chair), Canada, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Romania, New Zealand, South Africa.

5. The Committee adopted the agenda reproduced in Appendix B.

THE STATE OF WORLD AGRICULTURAL MARKETS

6. The Committee reviewed the state of world commodity markets on the basis of document CCP 03/7. This document reviewed the recent course of commodity prices, the range of factors lying behind observed trends and variability in prices of different commodities and important changes in the economic, technical, policy and institutional environments in which commodity markets operate. This document also highlighted many changing trading patterns.

7. The Committee agreed in general with the assessment of current developments. However, there were differences of opinion amongst delegates as to the relative importance of the different contributing factors. Delegations maintained the view that production support and export subsidies in developed countries, combined with pervasively high protective barriers in both developed and developing countries were main determinants of recently low and variable prices in certain international markets. Other delegations maintained the view that these were due mainly to increases in supply by low cost suppliers as a result of previously high prices and exchange rate changes. Delegates also noted that in some cases agricultural commodities faced competition from cheaper synthetic substitutes, which may have contributed to a lower demand for these commodities.

8. Different views were expressed on the role of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agricultural commodity markets. Some delegations underlined the positive role of modern bio-technologies for agricultural development, food security and the environment. Countries stated that the presence of some GM products in international markets was already high and growing. Others referred to potential risks that could arise. Some members of the Committee called on FAO to assist member countries in capacity-building for assessment of impact and development of regulatory systems with regard to biotechnologies. One delegation questioned the use of the term “genetically modified” in official FAO documents and favoured instead the term “modern biotechnology”.

9. The Committee confirmed the critical importance of prices to the economies and food security situation of most developing countries. A range of delegates expressed their continued concern over high levels of domestic support, limited market access (including tariff peaks and tariff escalation) and export support mechanisms in developed countries, and their distorting impact on international commodity markets and economic development of other countries. Two countries noted that high tariffs in developing countries are also a factor. It was recognized that WTO negotiations are to reduce these policy interventions. In the context of this situation, many countries are seeking to cope with continued low and variable prices in commodity markets, particularly for specific commodities that are critical to their economies. The strategies to be developed include appropriate mechanisms for coping with risks resulting from unstable prices, and diversification of their agricultural sectors. Several delegations expressed the need for increased information, analysis and assistance in developing and implementing such strategies. In addition, it was noted that many developing countries, and particularly least developed countries, have not been able to benefit from existing market access provisions, and require assistance to identify market opportunities, to build capacity for export and overcome market obstacles. Several delegations mentioned issues such as consumer concerns or potential market opportunities in organic farming, in particular for developing countries.

MEDIUM-TERM OUTLOOK FOR WORLD AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY MARKETS

10. The Committee reviewed the results of the FAO projections of supply, demand, trade and prices to the year 2010 on the basis of document CCP 03/08 and additional information provided by the Secretariat. This represented a summary of the latest medium-term projections that FAO periodically undertakes for all major agricultural commodities, the last being in 1999 with outlook to the year 2005. The full results of the new projections would be published later in 2003.

11. The Committee noted the major findings of the study, namely, continued increase in the growth rate of global aggregate production of agricultural commodities, but at a rate lower than in the 1990s. Aggregate demand would also continue to grow, but more slowly than in the past. Reflecting these trends, relative commodity prices were projected to continue their long term decline, while trade growth was projected to decline to about 2 percent per annum from about 3 percent per annum in the 1990s.

12. The Committee welcomed a new feature of the document, namely the analysis of the prospects for food security, in the context of medium-term projections. It noted that the medium-term outlook for the reduction of undernourishment was not satisfactory in that a significantly high proportion of populations would remain undernourished in the medium term. A problem of this magnitude required actions on several fronts.

13. The committee took note of recent progress made by the Secretariat towards improving FAO’s World Food Model and various single-commodity models for undertaking medium-term projections, and urged the Secretariat to continue this work, notably improvements in the area of the data base, parameters and policy features. It welcomed the Secretariat’s initiatives in collaboration with other agencies undertaking similar medium-term projections.

14. The Committee supported the Secretariat’s initiative to analyse the interface between global commodity markets and the food security outlook for most food insecure countries. Some delegates stressed the importance of developing country agricultural markets for future growth in trade and urged the Secretariat to undertake more analyses on growth prospects in these markets. The Committee also recommended that the full report of the medium-term projections should include analyses of the impact of alternative scenarios. Some members gave the examples of EC enlargement and the WTO negotiations.

POLICY DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY MARKETS AND TRADE

15. The Committee reviewed salient trends in the composition and direction of agricultural trade and examined the major obstacles emanating from the international trading system that hinder growth and diversification of agricultural exports on the basis of document CCP 03/9. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the study prepared by the Secretariat on export trends and encouraged the continuation of this type of analysis.

16. The Committee noted that trade in processed agricultural products has been growing faster than that of primary agricultural products and noted with concern that a large number of developing countries are still heavily dependent on one or a few basic agricultural commodities for their merchandise export earnings. The acceleration in agricultural trade among developing countries over the past two decades was seen as a positive development providing more opportunities for developing countries to expand their agricultural exports.

17. The Committee noted that while recent market trends and policy developments are opening up unprecedented opportunities for some producers and exporters, they also pose formidable challenges for low income agricultural commodity-dependent exporters. A range of delegates felt that although trade in the processed products and high value crops is expanding rapidly, there are a number of factors that hinder countries from diversifying into these products and take advantage of the new export opportunities. Factors seen as being particularly important included: the continuation of high levels of protection including tariff escalation; trade-distorting support to agriculture in developed countries; and market entry obstacles associated with the increasing market concentration along the agricultural commodity chains.

18. Some delegates insisted on the importance of fostering and promoting South-South integration as an important step to help integrate developing countries into the world trading system.

19. The Committee noted that various proposals, including on tariff-cutting formulae, are currently under consideration in the WTO negotiations on agriculture with a view to reducing distortions in international agricultural trade. Many delegates also highlighted the formidable challenge facing some developing countries, particularly the low-income countries, of having to meet not only internationally recognized food safety and quality standards, but also the standards of major importing countries in some products as well as in some cases the increasingly stringent standards of multinational retailers. In this connection, the Committee welcomed the initiatives undertaken by several members in the framework of capacity building and trade-related technical assistance. The Committee also noted the initiatives to provide preferential access to their markets particularly for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). In this context, some delegates urged other countries to provide similar preferential market access to LDCs.

20. The Committee expressed the need for continuation of analysis of trends in the composition and direction of agricultural exports and the major factors underlying their movement over time. In this regard, the Committee recommended that the Secretariat undertakes further work in the following areas i) quantifying the economic consequences of protectionist and trade-distorting support policies; ii) identifying winners and losers from agricultural trade reforms and from the current trade system, iii) analysing the impact of standards being set by private sector importers and retailers, notably the large supermarkets, on trade of developing countries; iv) analysing the effects of market concentration and multinational enterprises and the distribution of gains from trade for a large number of agricultural commodity chains, notably on prices at farm gate and consumer level; and v) the incidence and effects of tariff escalation for value-added products and in particular for developing country exports.

21. Several delegates indicated the importance of the FAO trade-related capacity building activities relating to the multilateral trade negotiations, including facilitating participation of low income countries in standard setting bodies.

22. The Committee emphasized the importance of the work of the Codex Alimentarius and the IPPC in international standard setting, and the need for effective funding of these bodies and of capacity-building to allow the full participation by developing countries in these fora.

23. The Committee considered trade policy issues in the context of food security on the basis of document CCP 03/10 which analysed trends in agricultural imports and their policy implications.

24. On food import surges, the Committee noted the main conclusions in the document, that since the mid-1980s there had been a marked occurrence of surges in the import of food products by developing countries with an increased frequency in recent years. It also noted the conclusion of the document that such import surges which could have adverse effects on the agriculture of developing countries had been most prevalent in certain food product groups, notably cereals, meat and dairy products, and vegetable oils.

25. The Committee noted that many developing countries facing this phenomenon lacked access to the agricultural safeguard provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, which was simpler to use compared with general WTO trade remedy measures. Several delegates stated that their countries supported, in the ongoing agricultural negotiations in the WTO, proposals for making available to developing countries a simple agriculture safeguard mechanism that was suited to their institutional capacity.

26. On trends in food imports, the Committee noted that since the late 1970s, there had been a sharply rising trend in the net food imports of developing countries, particularly low-income food-deficit countries, which had turned those countries into net importers of agricultural products. The analysis of the Secretariat also indicated that the net food imports of developing countries were likely to continue rising in the medium to longer term.

27. The Committee agreed that the food security implications of these trends were likely to vary depending upon the situation of particular developing countries. For those developing countries for which high food import trends were associated with rising incomes and export earnings (and a fortiori where there was in addition an inability to expand domestic agricultural production more cheaply than imports), these trends represented an unambiguous positive contribution of trade to food security. However, for other developing countries, including some LIFDCs, these food import trends could create two types of stresses: first, the food imports trends would be unsustainable if growth in export earnings did not keep pace; and secondly, the high import growth could undermine the development of existing or potentially viable domestic production. Some members noted the negative role of the domestic support provided to producers in some developed countries in this regard.

28. The Committee made a number of suggestions relating to further analyses of the two trade issues addressed in the document. These included i)the determination from where and under what conditions the products causing the surges were imported; ii) analyses of the impact of import surges on domestic agriculture in developing countries; iii) assessment of the capability of developing countries to respond to import surges, including consideration of alternative institutional mechanisms to allow them to apply appropriate safeguards; iv) assessment of the impact of high domestic support and export support mechanisms of some developed countries on the food security of developing countries; v) continued analysis of the impact of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture on food security; vi) study of the relationship between rising food import trends and prospects for agricultural development and food security in low-income countries; and vii) study of the impact on commodity producers of increasing market concentration in food industries.

29. The Committee stressed the importance of capacity building in member countries on the areas being discussed. In this regard, some delegates urged the Secretariat to incorporate the lessons of these analyses in the Secretariat’s technical assistance programme to Members in order to strengthen their ability to cope with import surges and related phenomenon.

INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITIES AND TRADE

30. The Committee endorsed the reports of the Groups and Sub-Groups which had met since its 63rd Session. These included the Sub-Group on Hides and Skins, the Joint Meeting of the IGGs on Grains, Rice, Meat and Oilseeds, the IGG on Tea, the IGG on Bananas and Tropical Fruits, and the IGG on Meat and Dairy Products.

31. The Committee reviewed the range of activities of the Groups, in particular the analysis of current market situation and longer-term prospects, selected market research, commodity development and trade related issues. The Committee noted that developments in trade policy were discussed by most of the Groups, some undertaking regular reviews of developments in commodity policy, while others (Oilseed, Oils and Fats) seek to adopt policy guidelines for members. Other issues that were reviewed included those concerning trade and environment, organic production and fair trade, the impact of new technologies on trade and the impact of animal diseases on trade. The IGG on Tea considered an action plan to overcome weak demand, the Sub-Group on Hides and Skins studied the commercial requirements of importers, while the Sub-Group on Bananas studied the significance of plantains for food security.

32. In considering the reports of the Groups, the Committee noted that some IGGs continued to seek innovations in their meeting practices in order to attract broader participation. The holding of informal consultations or symposia in conjunction with IGG sessions, and with the participation of the private sector in the case of the IGG on Meat and Dairy Products, as well as the Joint Meeting of the IGGs on Grains, Rice, Meat and Oilseeds, was generally welcomed by the Committee. The IGGs on Tea, Hard Fibres and Jute successfully held consultations in the period between their formal sessions. However, the experimental joint meeting for the IGGs on Grains, Rice, Meat and Oilseeds highlighted the difficulties of preparing relevant agendas, and the Committee endorsed the request from these Groups that these IGGs meet separately in future. Finally, the Committee noted that the IGG on Meat and Dairy Products and the Sub-Group on Hides and Skins prepared their reports after, rather than during their sessions, along the lines of its recommendations during its 62nd Session.

33. The Committee noted the activities undertaken on commodities, which did not have IGGs and were either not covered by an international organization, or where FAO’s complementary expertise made a significant contribution to analyses. These included joint studies and conferences on sugar, coffee, pulses, cotton, tobacco, and organic horticultural products. The Committee welcomed the two commodity consultations held since the last session: the first, in March 2002, focussed on low commodity prices and their implications, and the second held in association with the current CCP, addressing policies and international actions for commodity development. The Committee expressed strong support for the conclusions of these consultations and urged FAO to organize more in the future.

34. The Committee expressed support for the work of the international commodity organizations and welcomed FAO’s close collaboration with them.

35. The Committee endorsed the report of the Consultative Subcommittee on Surplus Disposal presented by the CSSD Chairperson. Many delegates, notably from food exporting countries, reiterated their concerns about the insufficient transparency of food aid transactions and the recent neglect by some major donors to notify their food aid transactions and the activities of private voluntary organizations. Donor countries, in turn, pledged to improve their reporting practices in these areas. The need for all member countries of the CSSD to strictly adhere to the rules of the CSSD was also emphasised.

36. Some delegations maintained that food aid should be in grant form only while others pointed out the importance of concessional aid as well. The concern was widely expressed that food aid should not be used as a market development tool.

37. The efforts of the CSSD to improve consultation and notification procedures were recognized. The Committee was informed that the definition of food aid was currently under negotiation in WTO. Some delegations noted the importance of the information generated by CSSD to other fora such as the WTO. One delegation noted the need to consolidate and streamline the various monitoring and notification channels, including the CSSD, the Food Aid Convention and the WTO.

38. The Committee reviewed FAO's cooperation with the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) in commodity development, and the role of the Intergovernmental Groups in promoting and supervising projects on the basis of document CCP 03/12.

39. An observer from the CFC outlined the modus operandi of the Fund, including the unique 'commodity focus' of its projects which cut across national boundaries. He emphasised that FAO is an important partner of the CFC both through the operations of the Intergovernmental commodity groups, designated as International Commodity Bodies (ICB) for the purposes of sponsoring projects, and as a Project Executing Agency. He listed a number of 'orphan' commodities which are not covered by ICBs, and requested that FAO's IGGs take responsibility for these, mainly fruit and vegetable, commodities. The CFC observer also explained the new requirement that each new project proposal should incorporate a supply chain analysis, examining the impact the project is expected to have on all parts of the supply chain.

40. The Committee noted that seventeen regular projects sponsored by the IGGs which, together with a number of fast-track projects, have a total value approaching US$60 million, had been approved by the CFC since its previous Session. It noted that the emphasis of the CFC in recent years on loan financing had increased the complexity of the development and supervision of projects, thereby placing additional demands on the resources available to the Secretariat. It noted also the increasing involvement of FAO staff in commodity-based development activities funded from other sources, including the TCP, which while drawing increasingly on staff time, provide additional resources as well as opportunities for involvement in new field activities which are closely inter-related to the normative programme.

41. Observers from the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), the International Sugar Organisation, the International Jute Study Group, the International Cotton Advisory Committee and the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin informed the Committee about their respective activities in commodity development, some of which are undertaken in close cooperation with FAO.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 65TH SESSION

42. The Committee noted that the Director-General would set the date of the next session in consultation with the Chairman.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

43. Some concern was expressed that the back-to-back scheduling of sessions of technical committees was a particular problem for various delegations and should be avoided in the future. The Secretariat was requested to seek alternative ways for stimulating greater participation in meetings of the CCP, especially of the developing countries.

44. The Secretariat expressed its willingness to explore various options for the format of future sessions to promote maximum participation, indicating that a number of initiatives had already been introduced to raise the interest of the participants in the current meeting, for instance the commodity consultation immediately preceding the Session, and two other side events. The Committee was asked to designate regional representatives to explore options jointly with the Secretariat.

 

APPENDIX A

OPENING STATEMENT BY MR DAVID A. HARCHARIK
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning and welcome to the 64th Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP).

I am pleased to see so many of our member governments represented here. I would also like to extend a particular welcome to the representatives of so many of the international commodity organisations and other international organisations with an interest in commodity issues. Your direct involvement in commodity markets will be most relevant to the Committee’s discussions.

I would also like to welcome representatives of NGOs and CSOs. We have made a special effort to encourage your participation in the CCP, and have also arranged a side event on food sovereignty which I hope many delegates will be able to attend.

The role of CCP is to review commodity problems of an international nature, to survey the world commodity situation, and to develop appropriate policy recommendations for the FAO Council. The CCP is the only truly global platform for the discussion of problems facing commodity producers, exporters and importers and for identifying appropriate solution to them.

Commodity market issues have been much in the news since the last session of CCP, though perhaps for the wrong reasons: namely the sharp fall in prices across most commodities in the second half of the 1990s. Although some prices have recovered in recent months, market imbalance persists in many cases, and prices in general remain at historically low levels. This situation was addressed by a special commodity price consultation last year, and some of you will have attended the follow-up event held yesterday to explore certain policy issues and international actions for commodity development in more detail.

Low international prices for basic foodstuffs, such as cereals and oilseeds, should slow the growth in food import bills of importing developing countries. These include many of the poorest countries in the world. Because the food trade deficit of developing countries as a group is expected to increase significantly, low import prices may be seen as a positive development. However, unremunerative prices of agricultural export commodities are obviously of concern to those countries/regions dependent on these commodities for export earnings. Many of these are also low-income food deficit countries which depend on export earnings from one or a few commodities to finance their imports of food and broader development. Indeed, there are clear links between commodity prices and food security in developing countries, be they food importers or commodity exporters. The food security implications of international commodity market developments are an important recurring theme of your agenda.

The Committee will also discuss recent market trends and the factors lying behind them, including changes in trade patterns, increasing market concentration, new technologies, and consumer concerns over food safety and environmental and social impacts of agricultural production systems. To assist the Committee in its consideration of the future development of commodity markets, we have prepared medium-term projections for each major commodity. These suggest continuing growth in per caput production but a slowdown in growth of trade. They also suggest slow progress in reducing undernourishment in the most food insecure countries. The Committee will have an opportunity to express its views on this new analysis and further development of the underlying methodology.

As in previous sessions the Committee will review recent trade policy developments. This is particularly relevant in the context of the ongoing Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Two papers will be presented which review protectionism in agricultural trade and other recent policy developments having implications on the agricultural exports and imports of developing countries.

Developing country exporters face serious obstacles in trying to diversify and enhance their export earnings. This stems from the continuing high level of protection and support to agriculture in developed countries, but also from the need to comply with sanitary, phytosanitary and technical requirements of importing countries. Increasing market concentration and the market power of food marketing and distribution companies are further challenges for exporters of some commodities.

In addition to analysing specific trade policy issues, FAO is continuing and expanding its work in capacity building and support to member governments in relation to the ongoing WTO negotiations, and in its technical assistance to individual member governments in relation to commodity policy. A new programme called Trade-Related Capacity Building Programme for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the Umbrella II programme) has just been launched and presented to interested donors. I use this occasion to call for your support to this programme, which aims to make developing countries well-informed and equal partners in the multilateral trade negotiations.

Among the reports received by the Committee, that of the Consultative Sub-Committee on Surplus Disposal (CSSD) is particularly important. The Committee will note from data presented in the report the failure of some major donors to notify officially the CSSD of food aid transactions which results in only partial information on global food aid and its impact on commercial trade. Various aspects of the provision of food aid are currently being debated in WTO, including definition, notification and distinction between food aid and subsidization of exports. Any discussion of these issues here in the Committee on Commodity Problems could be useful to that process in WTO.

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your participation in this session of the CCP is much appreciated. You have a varied agenda but all the items concern issues of crucial importance to commodity trade and development and the full participation of developing countries in the international trading system. Your discussions here will make an important contribution to the international debate and will provide guidance for FAO’s commodity-related work programme over the next biennium and beyond. I wish you a constructive and successful meeting.

 

APPENDIX B - AGENDA

1. Organizational matters

(a) Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons
(b) Adoption of Agenda and Timetable

2. Statement on behalf of the Director-General

3. The State of World Agricultural Markets

4. Medium-term Outlook for World Agricultural Commodity Markets

5. Policy Developments affecting Agricultural Commodity Markets and Trade

(a) Agriculture Exports: Recent Evolution and Constraints on Growth
(b) Trade Policy Issues in the Context of Food Security

6. International Action on Agricultural Commodities and Trade

(a) Analysis and Consensus-Building
(b) Product and Market Development

7. Arrangements for the Sixty-fifth session

8. Any other business

9. Adoption of Report

 

APPENDIX C – LIST OF DOCUMENTS

 

Document
No.

Provisional
Agenda Item

CCP 03/1

Provisional Agenda and Agenda Notes

1(b)

CCP 03/2

Report of the Consultative Sub-Committee on Surplus Disposal to the Committee on Commodity Problems

6(a)

CCP 03/3

Report of the Joint Meeting of the Intergovernmental Group on Grains (29th Session), Intergovernmental Group on Rice (40th Session), Intergovernmental Group on Meat (18th Session), (Rome, Italy, 3-5 July 2001)

6(a)

CCP 03/3-Supp.1

Report of the Seventh Session of the Sub-Group on Hides and Skins (Rome, Italy, 4-5 June 2001)

6(a)

CCP 03/4

Report of the Fourteenth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Tea (New Delhi, India, 10-11 October 2001)

6(a)

CCP 03/5

Report of the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruit
(San José, Costa Rica, 4-8 December 2001)

6(a)

CCP 03/6

Report of the Nineteenth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Meat and Dairy Products
(Rome, 27-29 August 2002)

6(a)

CCP 03/7

Major Developments and Issues in Agricultural Commodity Markets

3

CCP 03/8

Medium-Term Projections for Agricultural Commodities

4

CCP 03/9

Major Policy Issues and Market Factors having Implications for the Long-Term Performance of Agricultural Exports

5(a)

CCP 03/10

Some Trade Policy Issues relating to Trends in Agricultural Imports in the Context of Food Security

5(b)

CCP 03/11

Activities on Commodities not covered by Intergovernmental Groups

6(a)

CCP 03/12

Commodity Project Formulation, Preparation and Supervision

6(b)

 

Information series

CCP 03/INF.1

Report of the Consultation on Agricultural Commodity Price Problems, Rome, Italy, 25-26 March 2002

6(a)

CCP 03/INF.2

Proposed Timetable

1(b)

CCP 03/INF.3

Provisional List of Documents

CCP 03/INF.4

Opening Statement by Deputy Director-General

CCP 03/INF.5

Statement of competence and Voting Rights submitted by the European Community (EC) and its member countries

CCP 03/INF.6

List of Members of the Committee on Commodity Problems

CCP 03/INF.7

List of Delegates

 

APPENDIX D

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMODITY PROBLEMS
Biennium 2002-2003

(as at 21 March 2003)

Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bangladesh
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic People's
   Republic of Korea
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
European Community
   (Member Organization)
Fiji

Finland
France
Gabon
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran, Islamic Republic
Iraq
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libyan Arab Jamahirija
Lithuania
Madagascar
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand

Nicaragua
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Republic of Korea
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Thailand
The Former Yugoslav
   Republic of Macedonia
Turkey
Uganda
United Kingdom
United Republic of Tanzania
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela
Yemen
Zambia