LE PRESIDENT: Nous avons pour ce matin une très longue liste d'orateurs. Je vais vous en donner lecture sans suivre l'ordre d'inscription: Trinité-et-Tobago, Pakistan, Maroc, Congo, Allemagne, Arabie Saoudite, Canada, Portugal, Iran, Pologne, Royaume-Uni, Grèce, Argentine, Etats-Unis d'Amérique, Pays-Bas, Lesotho, Angola, Pérou, Egypte, Inde et Tchécoslovaquie. Je demanderai aux représentants des différentes délégations d'être le plus concis possible et je les en remercie à l'avance.
Il y a deux observateurs inscrits: la Bulgarie et la Commission économique pour l'Europe. Si d'autres délégations désirent s'inscrire, il faudrait le faire maintenant parce que, dans cinq à dix minutes, je vais clore la liste des orateurs de manière définitive.
Je donne la parole au Secrétaire général, M. Alessi, qui a diverses communications à vous faire.
LE SECRETAIRE GENERAL: Je voudrais rappeler aux délégués que, le lundi 26 novembre, le Conseil élira cinq membres du Comité des politiques et programmes d'aide alimentaire. Le Conseil a fixé à vendredi prochain, 23 novembre, à 12 h 30, la date limite pour la présentation des candidatures. Les formulaires de proposition de candidatures qui sont à l'Annexe du document CL 98/11 doivent être remis au Secrétaire général du Conseil, Bureau B-202. Les délégués et observateurs qui ne se sont pas inscrits àl'entrée principale du bâtiment A le premier jour du Conseil, c'est-à-dire hier, sont priés de régulariser leur situation au comptoir de distribution des documents situé au premier étage du bâtiment A.
Les délégués qui ont l'intention de lire leur déclaration et qui veulent être sûrs d'être entendus avec la même efficacité dans toutes les langues sont priés de lire à une vitesse raisonnable et, si possible, de déposer leur texte bien à l'avance au Bureau A-127 pour qu'il puisse être photocopié et remis aux interprètes. Cette précaution permettra aussi de limiter les erreurs, en particulier sur les chiffres et les noms propres.
Je voudrais également rappeler que, comme nous l'avons dit hier, le Comité de rédaction devrait pouvoir être composé dans un avenir proche. Nous souhaiterions donc recevoir les propositions des différents groupes au cours de la séance de ce matin de façon à ce qu'éventuellement, en fin de
matinée, nous puissions communiquer au Conseil la composition du Comité de rédaction.
Milan BERANEK (Czechoslovakia): Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe you are familiar to great detail with all the social, political and economic development in Czechoslovakia after the so-called Velvet Revolution, which removed the power monopoly of a single political party. A rather complicated period of building of a democratic society has been started.
With respect to all these changes I would like to inform you about the objectives of the new Czechoslovak agrarian policy and about the ways it is to be implemented.
Future prosperity in agriculture is to be based, besides the agricultural cooperatives, on the market-oriented private farms, whose owners will work on their own land. The enterprise structure in the agrarian sector will be complemented by types of agricultural cooperatives other than those which now prevail, by joint-stock business companies and by private enterpreneurs. Reprivatization and privatization will create conditions for these forms of enterprise to develop. Effective methods of supporting this policy will be adopted.
Privatization of the State-owned enterprises in the agrarian sector will be a purposefully oriented process.
The market-oriented private farms, owned by the farmers and similar to such a type of farms in Western Europe, will not be restricted by any upper limit of the area of agricultural land; support to the formation of such farms will be one of the items of the State support to Czechoslovak agriculture. Temporary support should be provided during the process of transformation of the existing large-scale agricultural enterprises and in the changing of the orientation of their production.
During the transformation of agricultural cooperatives, support will be given to their division into smaller units and to their possible integration with private farms on the basis of the principle of mutual advantage. This integration will have the form of the farmers having their share in the cooperatives.
Now I would like to make some comments about the way of solving the problems associated with the land in my country.
The fact that agricultural land has until now been excluded from the value relationships, and the separation of the landowner rights from the land user rights have led to an unnatural development of the land ownership structure.
The first step towards equalization of all forms of ownership, and to the enforcement of land ownership, was made by the change in the Constitution and by other measures of legislative nature. At present we are working on the draft Land Law which is to regulate the ownership rights in relation to land and the ways of the disposal of land.
As the situation in records concerning land ownership is rather unsatisfactory and as it is necessary to enable cooperation between land owners and users with the State, the Republic Land Offices and Land Funds will be established with their subordinated local offices.
The mission of the Land Funds will be to sell or rent the entrusted land or to buy agricultural land for the purpose of using the agricultural land in accordance with the pertinent laws and with the privatization programme.
The price of the land and farm rent are going to be liberalized. The official price will be used in those cases in which this is prescribed by law, especially for the purpose of: expressing the value of the property; determining the land tax; protection of the land against permanent seizure for non-agricultural purposes (except environmental purposes) with the use of prohibitive multipliers; determination of the fees for the transfer of ownership, capital transfer tax, gift tax; and so on.
The price of the worst cultivated land is 5,000 crowns per hectare and the price of the best arable land is 120,000 crowns per hectare.
The actual market price of land will differ from the official price. The market price of land will depend on the market conditions in the given locality, that is, on the offer-demand relationship. The State may influence the market price of the land and the level of farm rent by transactions with the Republic Land Funds.
The farm rent, which is in the essence a market relationship, is assumed to be, in the starting period, about 1.3 percent of the official price of land, on an average, with differentiation between 0.5 and 2 percent according to the cultures.
Extensive liberalization on prices is to be introduced in the Czechoslovak national economy, starting on 1 January 1991.
Its principles will be introduced throughout the economy including agriculture. The objective basis of the price policy in agriculture and food production will be reaction to the liberalization of prices in the whole economy and the action of the market relation in food production and consumption. The prices of agricultural inputs will increase, owing to the application of the world prices to the fuel, power and raw material resources with respect to the determined conversion rate of the Czechoslovak crown for the purposes of its internal convertibility.
These effects will increase the costs borne by agricultural and food producers; this will lead to increase in the purchase, wholesale and retail prices of foodstuffs. This tendency will be countered by the action of the market and the population's demand for food depending on the purchase power: pressure will be exerted for reducing the prices and for changes in the structure of food production. The State's interventionism with the market, supporting the structural changes in agricultural production, will be an integral part of the reform.
The formation of a single-level system of the market prices of foodstuffs which is characterized by the interlinking of the retail, wholesale,
purchase and foreign-market prices, means a definitive removal of the price-formation approach based on calculation and balancing: it is replaced by a transition to market prices based on offer and demand.
During the past 40 years there has been no market, so it is not possible-owing to the gap between our economy and the world today-to introduce straight away the economic systems existing in the advanced countries with market-based economies.
During the period of the first several years of transition to market economy, structural changes in production will be induced by changes in the demand for foodstuffs. Owing to the peculiarities of agricultural production, especially the long production cycle and the poor adaptability to changes in demand, and also owing to the riskiness of production, the State will intervene in the market through intervention purchases of a limited assortment of farm products for guaranteed prices. In accordance with the scenario of the economic reform, in 1991 guaranteed purchase prices will apply to a narrow range of selected commodities. The level of these guaranteed prices will depend on the specification of the starting economic conditions of entering the price liberalization.
Financial means for the State interventions in the market will be allotted from the Federal Budget for 1991. This money is to be administered by the newly established Market Regulation Fund. The sum of money allotted to the Fund will be adjusted for the following years.
The Price Guarantee Fund will be used to cover the intervention purchases, expenditures associated with increased transport expenses, costs of storage, boom-period imports and exports, and the like. The Fund's income will consist, as said, of the State subsidies and also of the proceeds from the sale of the commodities bought. The Market Regulation Fund acts as a separate contracting party in all business events including those in foreign trade.
In cases of commodities with a guaranteed purchase price the Market Regulation Fund enters the market when the market prices fall below the guaranteed prices. Intervention purchases for guaranteed prices will return a balance to the relation between offer and demand.
The purchase commodities in the majority of cases are proposed on the basis of contracts between the fund and the respective companies. In a similar way the farm reacts by intervention sales to an increase in the market prices. Decisions concerning the storage and processing are made on the basis of the development of the situation in the market. In this way the fund influences the development of the purchase price and counters the tendencies of misusing the dominant position of processing and business companies on the market.
The organizations of agricultural producers and farm raw material producers, as well as their professional unions, should take an active part in securing this balance. At the state intervention purchases will also influence the levels of retail prices. Consumer protection organizations will also have their say in the process.
This year we have considerably reduced the subsidies to agriculture and this trend is going to continue in terms of the new agrarian policy. Nevertheless, some subsidies will be maintained for some time during the transition of the Czechoslovakian agrarian sector to the market economy but the purposes for these subsidies will be strictly defined.
In primary agricultural production and the associated areas the main objective for subsidizing is to encourage structural changes in agricultural production according to the programmes of privatization in agriculture, stabilization of the farm product market and so on.
In preparing the new Czechoslovakian policy we have been much inspired by the experience gained in countries with advanced agriculture. We have been making use of our international contacts. This is an approach we would like to maintain in the future. Of course we are interested in enhancing our cooperation with FAO. We have intensified and extended our FAO activities. A number of events held in Czechoslovakia testify to this. We are ready to start organizing activities and we are organizing the 18th FAO European Regional Conference to be held in Prague in 1992.
As to the transition of the countries of central and eastern Europe to the market economy which has a great impact on their agrarian sectors, I would like to recommend that the FAO authorities concerned, especially the European Regional Office, pay adequate attention to these changes. While I could suggest that the European Regional Office consider the possibilities of establishing a programme of restructuring agricultural production in east European countries, such a programme would be an exquisite completion of all FAO's activities as pursued in the east European region. I would like to tell you that if such an important programme is started Czechoslovakia is ready to carry out the function of coordinator.
Adel EL SARKY (Egypt) (Original language Arabic): My delegation would like to commend the efforts made by the Secretariat in preparing the excellent documents relating to this very important item which is regularly discussed in the session of the Council because of its importance. We would like to express our pleasure in seeing you presiding over our deliberations. We congratulate the three Vice-Chairmen on their election.
My delegation, having considered this document, is fully in agreement with the contents of the paragraphs relating to the international economic climate and paragraph 5 relating to the growth of production. We also agree that prospects are not so bleak and that is thanks to the efforts made by developing countries, including Egypt, which have reformed their policies.
The documents referred to external indebtedness. We should like to emphasise that much attention should be paid to assisting those countries affected by debts in rescheduling their debts in order to give them enough time to implement their reform programmes and also to develop their economies in the interests of their people.
My delegation also hopes that multilateral negotiations within the Uruguay Round will be successfully completed by the end of 1990. We welcome the
constructive attempts to utilise the resources of international financing organizations to relieve the debts of developing countries.
My delegation is happy to recognise the noticeable increase in official assistance to agriculture which has increased from 19 percent in 1980-81 to 31 percent in 1987-88. We hope that the aid given by multilateral agencies will be further increased and that international cooperation programmes will be reinforced.
My country is making great efforts to contain the adverse effects of the developments in our region which lead to the repatriation of many Egyptians working abroad and a decline in income from remittances and other sources.
The document has some information relating to productivity and production in Egypt. We have made much progress in recent years, thanks to our government's policy which led to an increase in the production of beans and rice. We are now self-sufficient in these commodities, thanks to advanced modern techniques. We give incentives to farmers in rationalising the use of irrigation and water and intensifying agriculture and land reclamation.
S.K. MISHRA (India): Mr Chairman, I am quite confident that under your outstanding leadership and guidance the deliberations of this session will lead to a fruitful outcome.
The Director-General of FAO in his address to the Council highlighted the concerns of the Organization with regard to the world food and agricultural situation and the FAO's efforts towards achieving global food security. We share those concerns and in particular about the FAO's financial situation. The Director-General has rightly emphasised that unless the Member Nations fulfil their obligations towards the FAO, including the timely payment of their annual contributions, FAO's ability to fulfil its mandate will be seriously jeopardized.
Permit me also to express my appreciation on the quality of the document CL 98/2 brought out by the FAO Secretariat for discussion. This document is amply supplemented by supporting documents CL 98/2-Sup.1 and CL 98/13.
The documents succinctly provide an overview of the world economic environment, growth patterns and trends in food and agricultural production. We also welcome the new approach of introducing a chapter in the document entitled "Regional Review" to provide a more detailed insight and sharper focus on discussions on the experiences of selected developing country sub-regions.
We are meeting at a time when the world is face-to-face with the situations emanating from the Gulf crisis and the unification processes in Europe. The effects of these developments on the world economic order have been suitably discussed in the documents to induce fruitful discussions in the Council on these processes of far-reaching significance, especially for the developing world.
The first estimates for world agricultural production in 1990, as indicated in the document, represent an increase of around 2.4 percent, a small expansion on 1989 production. The world cereal output is currently forecast at a record level of 1 941 million tons in 1990, approximately 66 million tons more than 1989. I am happy to inform you that in India the production of agricultural crops is expected to reach a new high in the year 1990/91 and the country hopes to harvest about 176 million tons of foodgrains, representing a 4-percent growth over 1989/90. Nevertheless the country is conscious of the need to sustain and take up further intensive measures to improve the productivity of agricultural crops considering the relatively low yield of important crops, especially of oilseeds, pulses and coarse grains. This perception is also dictated by the need to narrow disparities which exist between different regions of our country in their agricultural development and to generate greater employment opportunities in the rural areas as well as to improve productivity and production in rainfed farming regions through a watershed development approach and to optimise the scientific use of irrigation water together with the use of surface and groundwater.
By keeping the farmers as the focus of our agricultural policies in the 1990s, together with attempts to diversify agriculture from crop husbandry to allied activities in animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries and ensuring higher incomes to the farmers and farm labourers, India expects to help generate surpluses for deployment as capital investment in agriculture.
The Government of India is committed to deploying at least 50 percent of its planned resources to the rural areas to generate agricultural production at levels high enough to meet demands from its growing population and also to generate structural surpluses for the coming years.
The objectives of the long-term strategy for the food and agriculture sector detailed in Council document CL 98/13 are consonant with the thrust of India's agricultural planning for the 1990s and we therefore fully endorse this strategy.
We share FAO's concern outlined in paragraph 34 of document CL 98/2 that the margin of world food security provided by the current cereal stock would be inadequate to prevent supply shortages and escalating prices in the event of a significant production shortfall in 1991. Similar apprehensions were expressed during the discussions at the 15th Session of the Committee on World Food Security held in March of this year. We are of the view that production and access to food are essential ingredients for world food security and therefore the production of food should not be regulated solely by market considerations, especially with a view to firm up prices of foodgrains exported to food-deficit developing countries.
Paragraph 52 of the document brings out the distressing fact that more than 20 percent of the population of 98 developing countries was estimated to be undernourished during the mid-1980s. We agree that this is a major indictment of just about all aspects of development. Responding to the continuing gravity of the problems of hunger and malnutrition in the developing countries, the 25th Session of the FAO Conference held in
November 1989 decided on the holding of an international conference on nutrition under the joint sponsorship of FAO and WHO.
The close linkage between agriculture, food and health has been acknowledged by several national and international bodies, as has the achieving of the objective of nutritional adequacy. We are happy that close collaboration between FAO and WHO is developing on such an important issue in the form of an international conference. We strongly support it.
With regard to the optimism expressed in para. 45 of the document relating to the possibility of a compromise agreement on farm reform and other trade issues on the GATT negotiations paving the way towards a successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round in December 1990, we find that the differences between the major countries, especially with regard to the domestic support and export subsidies, still persist. We maintain that agricultural growth is the key determinant of development of the developing economies. Developing countries provide internal support to agriculture in the form of stable prices, infrastructural facilities and assistance in the delivery of input to the farmers in the process of their economic development.
We are glad that the special position of the developing countries and the need for their special treatment, including ways and means to compensate for the negative effects of reforms on net food importers, has been recognised. On their part, the developing countries may consider the requirements of reporting the subsidy programmes and border measures to enable the multilateral body to take a view whether a developing country concerned has reached a stage of development at which it should begin to accept the discipline in these areas. The multilateral body may examine such basic economic parameters as the share of agriculture in GDP, percentage of economically active population employed in agriculture, and proportion of total household consumption constituted by food, in determining whether the developing country concerned qualifies for assuming obligations in respect of internal support and border measure. India earnestly hopes for a successful conclusion of the 8th Round of GATT multilateral trade negotiations in December 1990 which should ensure equitable benefits of expanded trade between all countries, particularly of the developing world.
We also view the unification process and the policy reforms sweeping the European countries with a hope that these developments will lead to freer markets and world trade providing a greater share to the developing countries in the export of agricultural commodities.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le Représentant de l'Inde. L'Inde est un pays qui a fait un effort considérable dans le domaine agricole et je crois qu'il y a beaucoup de leçons à en tirer.
Sra. María Susana LANDAVERI (Perú): Siendo la primera vez que hago uso de la palabra, me permito felicitar a los tres Vicepresidentes elegidos el día
de ayer, y agradecer la presentación por la Secretaria del documento que está en discusión. Otros representantes de América Latina que me han precedido han especificado los diversos aspectos que caracterizan el estado de la agricultura y la alimentación en la región, en su mayoría negativos, como fuera resaltado en la declaración del Director General. Cito: en América Latina, la producción de cereales disminuye desde hace tres años consecutivos; las reservas han descendido hasta niveles peligrosamente bajos y la situación de los suministros es fuente de inquietud. En el marco del nuevo reordenamiento internacional, se hace incierto el futuro económico de los países en desarrollo, dentro de los que se encuentra América Latina y específicamente el Perú, pais andino, amazónico y ribereño del Pacifico. Como tal, defiende también su posición en negociaciones como la Ronda Uruguay, donde buscamos definir condiciones más equitativas de participación en los circuitos comerciales internacionales, particularmente la liberalización del comercio de productos agropecuarios y la reducción de las subvenciones de ayuda a la agricultura. Al mismo tiempo, el Perú continúa en negociaciones para su inserción en el esquema financiero internacional, la disminución de la deuda externa y el incremento positivo de recursos foráneos.
El Perú cuenta con una población de aproximadamente 22 millones de habitantes, con una tasa de crecimiento del 2,5 por ciento anual. Dos tercios de esa población es urbana. El territorio nacional cubre 1 280 000 km2 y está dividido en tres regiones principales: la costa, un 11 por ciento del territorio; la sierra, con un 28 por ciento y la selva con el 61 por ciento del territorio. Solamente el 21 por ciento de ésta, o 27 000 000 de hectáreas, son utilizables para actividades de apoyo a la agricultura, y de ellas solamente 3,5 millones de hectáreas son dedicadas a cultivos de consumo humano.
Debido a problemas de sequía, de reducción de disponibilidad de créditos y otros, la producción descendió un 8 por ciento en la cosecha de 89/90, mientras que en el ciclo anterior 88/89 el descenso o disminución fue del 66 por ciento. La zona más afectada es la del trapecio andino, al sur del Perú, la más pobre, donde están concentradas el 71 por ciento del total de hectáreas afectadas por esta sequía. Por ésta y otras razones, se hace marcada la escasez de alimentos. Por ello, el Gobierno peruano está implementando el Plan de Desarrollo y Emergencia Social, orientado inicialmente a proveer los medios de subsistencia a la población menos favorecida y más afectada por las medidas de ajuste económico. Se debe atender a una población que puede alcanzar 11 millones de habitantes, casi la mitad de la población. Este plan se basa en tres pilares fundamentales: (1) la recuperación de la agricultura rural andina y otras áreas rurales deprimidas; (2) proyectos de nutrición y salud orientados básicamente a la niñez; (3) generación de empleo y mejoramiento de ingresos.
A la fecha, se han impartido las disposiciones necesarias para cumplir con dichos objetivos, y se cuenta ya con la parte de la ayuda necesaria de organizaciones internacionales, ONGs, países donantes, etcétera, apoyado también por un llamado especial de ayuda por el Secretario de las Naciones Unidas.
Paralelamente, el Perú lucha contra la producción ilícita de la hoja de coca. Se requieren estrategias de reconversión de cultivos y una drástica
disminución del consumo. Estas acciones son especialmente importantes, porque el Perú produce el 60 por ciento de la hoja de coca en el mundo. Es por esto que recientemente se ha dispuesto la creación de un ente autónomo, organización civil que combatirá este tráfico ilícito, y también se buscará la creación de un frente común de países productores y consumidores para la consolidación de esta lucha. Para este fin, se busca combatir la probreza y el hambre, apoyando a los campesinos con compensaciones monetarias, por las sustituciones de cultivos y programas de ayuda a los agricultores. Así también, con el otorgamiento de títulos de propiedad a quienes se amparen en este plan de sustitución de cultivos de la coca.
No se dejarán al margen de estas discusiones, de estos problemas y sus soluciones, los temas de protección del medio ambiente, mantenimiento del equilibrio ecológico y la deuda externa, pues son todos aspectos del mismo plan integral.
Pedro Agostinho KANGA (Angola): En premier lieu, je voudrais joindre ma voix aux Délégués qui ont manifesté leur satisfaction de vous voir présider cette 98ème session du Conseil et vous féliciter aussi de l'élection des Vice-Présidents.
Je voudrais également associer à ces félicitations d'une part M. Dutia qui a présenté d'une manière claire et précise un résumé relatif aux documents qui font l'objet de notre analyse, et d'autre part le secrétariat qui a accompli cette noble tâche.
Ma Délégation, Monsieur le Président, constate avec satisfaction que le document CL 98/2 et le document CL 98/2/Sup.1 reflètent la réalité que nous vivons dans nos pays respectifs, et elle appuie sans réserve la FAO dans son effort de recherche de moyens pour combattre la faim et la malnutrition. C'est avec une profonde inquiétude que nous avons constaté que la faim et la sous-alimentation se sont accrues dans le monde, particulièrement dans les pays en développement. A cet égard, nous devrons continuer à accorder dans nos plans de développement la priorité à l'accroissement de notre propre production de nourriture et à la réalisation d'un degré aussi élevé que possible d'autosuffisance alimentaire en tant que voie la plus efficace du règlement durable du problème alimentaire des pays en développement, notamment de ceux d'entre nous qui, déficitaires en produits alimentaires, bénéficient de potentiels naturels adéquats.
Je ne voudrais pas m'étendre sur tous les points que mes prédécesseurs ont largement abordés, mais quelques points ont retenu mon attention.
Dans le cas particulier de l'Angola, les régions du centre-sud du pays, grande zone de production céréalière, se trouvent encore sous le fléau de la sécheresse et des actions déstabilisatrices dont les origines viennent de l'extérieur, qui affectent grandement les conditions déjà précaires de la sécurité alimentaire au niveau de tout le pays comme de chaque famille.
Tenant compte de la situation que mon pays traverse et que tout le monde connaît, malgré les efforts consentis par la mise en oeuvre d'un programme
d'assainissement économique et financier, la résolution des problèmes alimentaires et agricoles passe obligatoirememt par le programme de paix.
Nous sommes d'accord sur ce qui est dit au paragraphe 106 du document CL 98/2 comme une chance du développement de l'Afrique australe, parmi tant d'autres, la possibilité d'une cessation des hostilités en Angola. Mon gouvernement, Monsieur le Président, déploie des efforts considérables pour la paix, mais un environnement extérieur bien déterminé est réellement hostile à ces démarches.
A ce titre, il est difficile de compter à brève échéance sur un développement effectif de mon pays.
A part cela, Monsieur le Président, les séquelles des actions destructrices de l'Afrique du Sud sont si grandes que nous devons consentir des sacrifices énormes pour une grande mobilisation des ressources financières. Nous sommes sûrs que la communauté internationale comme d'habitude nous aidera à reconstruire notre pays.
Cas concret: en ce moment, une grande opération d'aide des Nations Unies se déroule en faveur des victimes de la sécheresse et des déplacés, mais nous reconnaissons que cette aide alimentaire est très inférieure aux besoins minimaux.
Je profite de cette occasion pour remercier, une fois de plus, les agences spécialisées des Nations Unies et les pays donateurs qui ont bien voulu répondre spontanément à notre appel.
S'agissant de la dette extérieure, Monsieur le Président, ma Délégation reconnaît que des progrès importants avaient été faits à propos de la stratégie de la dette sur la base de l'initiative Brady et de la Déclaration de Toronto, et certains créanciers ont pris des mesures positives et fait de bonnes suggestions pour la dette publique. Les accords Brady contiennent des clauses favorables aux créditeurs dans l'éventualité d'une hausse conséquente du prix d'un produit d'exportation ou d'une croissance du PIB, mais ne connaissent pas de clauses similaires en faveur des pays débiteurs dans le cas d'une détérioration importante de leur situation économique.
Monsieur le Président, la crise du Moyen-Orient affecte la capacité de remboursement de plusieurs pays lourdement endettés, y compris ceux qui avaient récemment fait des progrès en réduisant les niveaux de la dette et du service de la dette.
A notre avis, Monsieur le Président, la crise a également affecté les pays exportateurs de pétrole qui avaient engagé des négociations avec les banques commerciales et d'autres créanciers, car le prix élevé du pétrole crée l'illusion que de tels pays approchent du niveau de viabilité par rapport à l'extérieur avec le risque que la communauté internationale leur retire son appui. Beaucoup de pays en développement auraient besoin d'une aide financière massive pour faire face à la crise.
A cet égard, ma Délégation fait appel aux institutions financières multilatérales afin qu'elles accordent une assistance à des conditions très
favorables et qu'elles jouent un rôle catalyseur en trouvant des financements supplémentaires pour alléger de façon significative le niveau de la dette.
Un point encore a retenu notre attention, les négociations multilatérales d'Uruguay. Ma Délégation ne peut qu'exprimer sa déception à l'égard du manque de résultats substantiels et du maintien des déséquilibres dans les négociations d'Uruguay.
Les négociations multilatérales d'Uruguay ne seront un succès que dans la mesure où elles permettront un essor significatif de la capacité et des possibilités pour les pays en développement d'augmenter sensiblement leur part du commerce mondial et afin d'accélérer leur développement. De plus, le droit inaliénable des pays en développement à décider de leurs propres politiques économiques devra être reconnu, et espérons qu'à cette dernière étape des négociations, les participants cherchent à rendre crédible leur détermination de faire halte au protectionnisme et d'en renverser la tendance. Nous sommes en faveur d'une plus grande libéralisation du commerce pour l'agriculture.
C.B. HOUTMAN (Netherlands): Mr Chairman, before closing the session yesterday afternoon you suggested implicitly that we should keep our interventions short by leaving out things that had already been said by others. Thinking over your words after the session, we decided not to deliver the statement already prepared but to prepare a new short one. Thinking over the various statements delivered yesterday, the one made by the Colombian Ambassador came to our mind, and especially the first part of it. He said that one can deliver the same statement every year, changing only a few figures. Indeed, he is right. I checked the statement on The State of Food and Agriculture 1989 which we delivered during the Conference and compared it with what we originally planned to state here. It is almost the same thing with different figures. Whilst preparing this intervention, I also remembered what the Australian delegate said. Things are Indeed changing very rapidly. The supplement to document 89/2 issued in October gives a different picture from the document itself issued in August, and at the moment we shall undoubtedly be confronted again with other figures.
However, this does not mean that the documents presented are of no use; on the contrary, the documents are very useful. We wish to congratulate the Secretariat on their, as usual, very good work, as has rightly already been said by several other delegations. We shall need The State of Food and Agriculture here for two weeks whilst discussing the global food and agricultural situation. One can compare The State of Food and Agriculture with a diagnosis or a medical checkup when you go to the doctor. When you go there most of the time things are okay, not always completely-but when you behave a little better, do not smoke too much and take your digestivo or aperitivo only as a medicine, everything will be okay. However, sometimes there are more serious things, and you especially then need a proper diagnosis or the appropriate prescriptions.
In the same way we need this diagnosis, named The State of Food and Agriculture, to be able to take or advise proper measures when it is
necessary. What is the situation at present? In general, the production of food is not too unsatisfactory. The trade situation should be improved: one person says a little, others say more drastically, but it should be improved. In certain regions of our world, the average figure does not apply.
The Director-General mentioned in his statement yesterday that some countries in Africa are experiencing again a serious food situation. This confirms reports we heard during the recent European Council of Ministers for Development Cooperation meeting. We heard figures that in the Horn of Africa 17 million people are at risk of famine, and that at least one and a half million tonnes of cereals will be required from now onwards to rectify these problems. A massive amount of food needs to be brought to a huge number of people. It also means that, if nothing happens, disaster in that area will be greater than in 1984-85. Really, massive aid is required, but also maximum efforts by the authorities themselves.
This requires recognition of the seriousness of the situation. It also sometimes results in an attitude where humanitarian aspects are allowed to outweigh political factors. Massive quantities of food aid delivered by ships go much faster and are therefore much more efficient than sent by plane, but for ships we need ports.
Mr Chairman, I hope that I have adhered in some small way to your plea to come up with certain points not yet raised, so let me end with a plea to all concerned, donors as well as recipients, to avoid by timely and well planned measures-if necessary by setting aside political factors for a while at least-to avoid the horrible situation that occurred in 1984 or 1985, a situation where we said at that time "never ever again".
Duane ACKER (United States of America): Mr Chairman, I would join other delegates in complimenting the Secretariat on the well-prepared documents before us at this meeting. FAO's assessment of the condition of world agriculture generally parallels our own. A disruption in the food supply in one region can have major implications for the world. The 1988 North American drought is an example. Global Independence is increasingly important. Finally, it is becoming clear that a well functioning, market-based system is the only way to achieve food security.
Confronting the issues that FAO has so ably outlined will be no easy task. There is little question that these are the most challenging times for the world's economy since the end of World War Two. Literally dozens of nations are seeking to transform their economies, abandoning failed economic systems and starting anew. At the same time, one hundred nations are grappling with the future of world trade in these last days of the Uruguay Round of the GATT. If we succeed in these efforts, there is the genuine possibility of a remarkable renewal in world economy, and a boom in trade that will benefit us all.
Agriculture plays a central role in all of this. Forward-looking agricultural policies, national and international, are crucial to our collective success. Where agriculture fails, entire economies fall. After
all, poor performance in agriculture in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe helped spur the dramatic political upheavals we have seen there in the past two years.
It is time that we all took the hard steps needed to reform our agricultural policies and recognize that we are living in a changing world. Our collective agricultural policies are wasteful and strangle the initiative and ability of farmers to produce more, especially the poorer farmers of the developing world.
Current agricultural policies have placed an enormous burden on consumers and tax payers worldwide, about 250 billion for the industrialized countries alone according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We must move towards reform, and we must move quickly. The most important step we can take is to reach a sound agreement on agriculture in the Uruguay Round. As President Bush indicated at the Houston Summit, no GATT Agreement is better than a bad GATT agreement. Unless agricultural trade is dealt with fairly, there will be no agreement. Then we shall all be faced with a retreat to protectionism-a retreat that would threaten over $1 trillion in world trade not now covered by the GATT. At the same time we would lose the opportunity to expand world trade by $4 trillion over the next decade. We simply cannot lose the tremendous progress that the GATT has already achieved in trade and the opportunity we now have for even greater progress.
As the Director-General noted yesterday in his eloquent statement in regard to the GATT, we need substantial progressive reductions in agricultural support and protection. As the documents for this meeting note, a failed Uruguay Round would be potentially disastrous for many trade-dependent economies, particularly in the developing world. Tariffs on manufactured goods in the industrialized nations, for example, have been hammered down from about 40 percent in the mid-1960s to 4-6 percent today. During that same time, however, the nominal rate of protection on agricultural goods in the industrialized nations has nearly doubled from 21 percent to almost 40 percent. Last month, the United States submitted its final draft proposal on farm trade reform in Geneva. In it, we called for all nations to reduce their former export subsidies by 90 percent over the next ten years; all nations to change their agricultural trade barriers at the border to tariffs, and to reduce them by 75 percent over the next ten years; all nations to reduce their internal trade distorting farm-support programmes, 75 percent over the next ten years; and, finally, we have proposed that sanitary and vital sanitary regulations be based on sound scientific principles and not be used as artificial barriers to trade.
On this last point, we hope and expect that FAO will play a major role through the Codex Alimentarius and the International Plant Protection Convention. The Director-General expressed a willingness and capability to do this in his remarks yesterday. The United States appreciates the steps the Director-General and his staff have taken to prepare FAO for this important task. Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of trade reform will be developing nations and emerging democracies. For them trade reform is not a luxury, it is a necessity. They must have a successful Uruguay Round if they are to become successful players in the larger world economy. Producers in developing nations, who desperately need cash to invest and
energize their economies, lose as much as $26 billion in income each year because of restriction on world trade. They will lose even more if the Uruguay Round fails. The reforms contained in the US proposal at the Uruguay Round would benefit both producers and consumers world wide. It would reduce the burden placed on consumers from import access restrictions and high domestic price supports.
Consumers, especially in the developed countries would have a wider choice of food at significantly lower costs. Why should a shopper here in Rome pay twice the price for eggs as a shopper in Washington. Why should a shopper in Paris pay three times the Washington price for poultry. Our trade supports systems are senseless and rob consumers to their right to reasonably priced food for their families.
Opponents of the US GATT proposals claim that we want to do away with all income assistance programmes for farmers. That is absolute nonsense. The United States has never advocated getting rid of economic safety nets for farmers. What we have said is that internal support programmes ought to be just that, internal; they should not distort trade. Surely we are all intelligent enough to design farm income protection programmes that will keep trade distortions to a minimum. All over the world we are seeing countries move toward market oriented policies at home. Why? Because they work. How can we justify moving in the opposite direction when it comes to agricultural trade? Many of the recent changes in the US agricultural programmes reflect this strong belief in moving towards a more market based approach. Our Congress recently passed a new farm bill that gives farmers considerably more freedom in the mix of crops they plant. We want to see the market call the signals, not the government. The new farm legislation allows the United States to continue its traditional commitment to maintaining world food security. It re-authorises the farmer-owned reserve for grains and the four million tonne wheat security reserve that backs our food aid commitments. The law has a new provision that mandates re-building the wheat security reserve within eighteen months of its being drawn down. This new five year farm bill cuts $12.6 billion in farm programmes and breaks new ground in protecting the environment. It also makes significant revisions in the Food for Peace Programme in the world's largest food aid effort. Farmers have been given incentives to use chemicals more wisely and prevent the contamination of ground and surface conserves water. This new law also protects fragile wheatlands and promotes improvements in the quality and cleanliness of the grain we sell abroad. The farm bill revises the Food for Peace Programme and other US food aid efforts. These changes will help the poorest nations by increasing donations to the most needy, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. They also give the President the right to waive principal and interest payments due under past PL 480 title I sales for least developed nations that are undertaking major economic reform measures.
Under the Food for Progress Programme we will also have new tools with which to help the emerging democracies. The President will have the authority to denote food and spend up to $30 million for agriculture, for necessities such as fertilizers and transportation.
A major aspect of the inter-dependence cited in the FAO documents is the environment we all share. We are looking to FAO to assume a major role in
environmental activities during the coming years. Following the Houston Summit the FAO began to lay the ground work for a global forest convention. The FAO's Tropical Forest Action Programme offers us hope for a balanced approach to the use of the world's tropical forest, one that both preserves and develops this valuable resource.
In conclusion, if we are to build our economies, strengthen world agriculture, and overcome the pockets of hunger that still scar the developing world we must work together here in FAO, in the GATT, and in dozens of other international institutions. The United States as a partner in the development process can and will help FAO become even more effective and responsive to the needs of both developed and developing countries. In the course of this Council session members will have the chance to discuss in details aspects of FAO's operations and their lasting impact on world agricultural problems. We plan to play a cooperative and constructive role in these discussions. There are a number of clear challenges for the FAO in the years ahead. If we reach an agreement in the Uruguay Round the FAO mandate will broaden and have a major impact on trade. As the Eastern European nations and the developing countries seek to revitalize their agriculture they will look increasingly to FAO for policy advice. As we work together to confront global environmental problems FAO's forestry and conservation activities will gain greater importance. The United States stands ready to help FAO as it works to meet these challenges in the years ahead.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le Représentant des Etats-Unis d'Amérique de son exposé fort intéressant ainsi que de l'appui qu'il donne à l'Organisation.
Sra. Mónica DEREGIBUS (Argentina): Permítame en primer lugar, Señor Presidente, expresarle el placer de mi Delegación de verlo presidir nuestros trabajos. Por su intermedio quisiera felicitar también a los Vicepresidentes elegidos el día de ayer. Asimismo, queremos registrar la complacencia y la satisfacción de mi Delegación por la documentación que nos ha sido distribuida para este tema de la Agenda.
Los documentos que analizamos hoy tratan cuatro temas principales que brevemente comentaremos a continuación.
En primer lugar la coyuntura económica internacional y la producción, comercio y consumo alimentario y agrícola y sus cuestiones conexas.
La descripción de la Secretaría nos parece equilibrada y es ilustrativa de la triste realidad de la falta de avance de la gran mayoría de las economías de los países en desarrollo.
Nos parece oportuno destacar en primer lugar, como lo hicieran en el día de ayer los Embajadores de Colombia, Cuba y Venezuela, las referencias a América Latina y el Caribe contenidas en los párrafos 1, 6, 16, 20, 25, 30, 37 y 49 del documento 98/2, y 7, 15, 44, 45 y 48 del suplemento 1, cuyo contenido no podemos dejar de realzar y deplorar.
Los párrafos 1 all del documento 98/2 suplemento 1, describen el efecto perturbador sobre la economía mundial derivado del aumento del precio del petróleo por el conflicto en el Golfo Pérsico. El párrafo 7 prevé un crecimiento negativo del producto bruto interno real para América Latina y el Caribe durante 1990. La crisis del Golfo, Señor Presidente, no es un dato positivo en la actual coyuntura internacional porque obliga a las naciones importadoras de granos a redistribuir sus asignaciones de recursos externos en favor del aprovisionamiento del indispensable oro negro, y encarece la producción. Además, aumenta el coste de los fletes que en el caso argentino son casi siempre importantes.
El párrafo 34 del documento 98/2, y algunos oradores que me precedieron en el uso de la palabra sostienen que el margen de la seguridad alimentaria mundial que ofrecen las actuales existencias de cereales sería insuficiente en el caso en que se presentaran déficit importantes en la próxima cosecha. Mi delegación no coincide con tal afirmación ya que las previsiones indican que ellas alcanzarían el 18 por ciento del consumo estimado, cifra que según la FAO representa el borde superior del margen mínimo para salvaguardar la seguridad alimentaria mundial.
No creemos que el Consejo deba dar una nota alarmista a este respecto, ya que estimamos que los suministros estarán bien asegurados en un futuro próximo. En todo caso, nos permitimos avanzar una nota de cautela a los incrementos de producción en los países industrializados.
El párrafo 28 del documento 98/2 describe, Señor Presidente, acertadamente la necesidad de muchos países en desarrollo de continuar dependiendo de sus exportaciones agrícolas para obtener el necesario superávit en su balanza de pagos que permita atender al servicio de su deuda externa. Ese es el caso de Argentina y nos permitimos reafirmar la importancia de que este Consejo recoja tal conclusión.
La discusión sobre el ordenamiento de la agricultura en el mundo ha pasado a primer plano a raíz de la próxima conclusión de la Ronda Uruguay del GATT. Superficialmente, existe la impresión que se trata únicamente de un conflicto de intereses entre las naciones ricas que subsidian su agricultura y los países afectados por esa política, como la Argentina; sin embargo, se trata primordialmente de un conflicto interno de los países altamente desarrollados, en especial la Comunidad Económica Europea que se plantea como una contradicción entre el enfoque racional de la economía y la más primitiva irracionalidad. Como fue recordado en el día de ayer por varios oradores, los países que conforman la OCDE han gastado en 1989 más de 250 000 millones de dólares en subsidios de diversos tipos a su agricultura. Esto es cinco veces el aporte público de esos mismos países para ayuda a los países en vías de desarrollo. Entonces, por un lado, los países ricos hacen un sacrificio para ayudar a los pueblos más pobres; pero, por otro, hacen un esfuerzo cinco veces mayor para perjudicar a esos mismos pueblos que, en parte, son productores agrícolas eficientes. Viene al caso recordar la declaración del Señor Delegado de Australia que dio cifras acerca del verdadero impacto de los ingresos por concepto de exportación, vis-à-vis los desembolsos por asistencia, para que este Consejo reafirme el valor de los primeros, y, sin desmerecer los esfuerzos de ayuda, indique la necesidad de dar más oportunidades comerciales como instrumento óptimo y genuino de desarrollo.
Pero hay más aún, al impedir el acceso de terceros países a sus mercados y subsidiar las exportaciones agrícolas de manera salvaje, los países ricos impiden a sus potenciales proveedores de productos agrícolas pagarles lo que le deben.
El distinguido delegado de Australia se refirió ayer al descenso en el precio de varios productos agrícolas, como consecuencia de la guerra de subsidios, y el distinguido delegado de Tailandia, otro país que produce eficientemente, indicó que con mejores precios su producción podría incrementarse sustancialmente. En el caso de Argentina, si la agricultura mundial estuviese liberalizada, nuestras exportaciones serían entre cinco y diez mil millones de dólares superiores, por mayor precio y mayor cantidad, inducida ésta por el mayor precio; con un excedente de tal magnitud, atender la deuda externa sería un problema menor.
Estimamos importante, Señor Presidente, como expresaran en el día de ayer el Embajador de México y otros oradores, señalar que este Consejo se celebra en un momento crítico de las negociaciones comerciales multilaterales de la Ronda Uruguay del GATT y que es preciso que el Consejo dé señales claras acerca del significado que la cuestión reviste para el futuro de la agricultura y la alimentación en el mundo. La Ronda Uruguay del GATT se halla en un estado de crisis, no solamente en la agricultura. Sin embargo, pese a que en todos los grupos importantes de negociaciones existe aún falta de consenso, es la falta de avances en la negociación agrícola la que está envenenando toda la Ronda.
La Argentina ha demostrado gran flexibilidad en todos los demás grupos de negociación, particularmente en temas de interés para países desarrollados, tales como inversiones, propiedad intelectual y servicios. En todos los grupos, la República Argentina se ha mostrado dispuesta a efectuar concesiones. Es lamentable, Señor Presidente, que no se observe una actitud similar en algunas de las partes de la negociación agrícola, en particular la Comunidad Económica Europea y Japón. Hace un año, en la 25a Conferencia, al tratarse el tema del reajuste agrícola internacional, lamentábamos que algunas de las principales partes en las negociaciones para liberalizar el comercio agrícola, no habían dado muestra todavía de una real voluntad política para efectuar las reformas recomendadas por la Orientación 7. Hoy más que nunca esa afirmación permanece vigente.
En julio de 1990 se aprobó en el Comité de Negociaciones Comerciales del GATT la propuesta del Presidente del Grupo de Negociación sobre Agricultura que debía ser utilizada como un medio para intensificar las negociaciones. Ella proponía una metodología común para las ofertas que los países debían presentar antes del 15 de octubre último. Lamentablemente este documento no fue respetado. No se respetó ni la metodología propuesta, ni su recomendación de fondo, ni tampoco los plazos previstos. En cuanto a los plazos, es de destacar la demora de tres semanas de la Comunidad Económica Europea en efectuar su presentación, lo que hace peligrar el plazo final de conclusión de las negociaciones de diciembre de este año.
En cuanto al contenido, la propuesta de la Comunidad no respeta el documento del Presidente porque no contiene compromisos explícitos de reducción en los subsidios a las exportaciones ni mejoras en el acceso. Además su propuesta de reequilibrar hacia arriba la protección de algunos
sectores, resulta totalmente inaceptable porque implicaría terminar la negociación en una situación peor a la que existía antes del inicio de la Ronda Uruguay.
El análisis de la propuesta de la Comunidad, nos permite afirmar que ella no se ajusta ni siquiera mínimamente, ni al mandato de Punta del Este, ni a lo acordado en la revisión de mediano plazo en el sentido que las negociaciones tienen como objetivo final la reducción sustancial y progresiva en el apoyo y la protección a la agricultura.
En los últimos 40 años el GATT ha ofrecido una estructura institucional para promover el comercio mundial. Aceptar la propuesta de la Comunidad implicaría revertir el curso de los últimos 40 años. La propuesta de la Comunidad esencialmente codificaría y legitimaría en el GATT su Política Agrícola Común, permitiendo la adopción de políticas similares por el resto de los países; por lo tanto, no puede ser la base de las negociaciones para reformar el comercio agrícola.
La Comunidad, Señor Presidente, tampoco ha respetado la obligación de mantener el status quo contraída en Punta del Este.
Para no extenderme demasiado, mencionaré, a título de ejemplo, una de las numerosas medidas tomadas que violan ese compromiso. El 7 de noviembre pasado la Comisión de las Comunidades anunció que reforzaría temporalmente su apoyo a sus productores de bovinos, permitiéndoles liquidar sus excedentes a precios garantizados sin límite de cantidad hasta el 15 de enero. Esta medida viene a sumarse a otras que perjudican enormemente a nuestro país, como la venta prevista de 80 000 toneladas de carne subsidiada a Brasil. En coincidencia con lo que expresan los párrafos 21 y 23 del documento 98/20, permítame expresar que el fracaso de las reformas a la política agrícola común introducidas en febrero de 1988, puede observarse a través de los siguientes ejemplos: los stocks de carne formados por compra de intervención alcanzan 420 000 toneladas. Solamente en la última semana se compraron otras 100 000 toneladas a un costo de 40 millones de dólares para los contribuyentes. Los stocks de leche en polvo descremada se incrementaron de 5 000 toneladas en enero a 333 000 toneladas a fines de septiembre; la cantidad de manteca creció un 450 por ciento. Se estima, además, una existencia adicional en depósitos de los productores.
Queremos efectuar una exhortación a los gobiernos de los países miembros de la Comunidad para que tengan en cuenta que los perjuicios de la Política Agrícola Común no se limitan a los países productores de productos primarios; antes que nadie, son sus 320 millones de consumidores y contribuyentes los que deben pagar su costo, y se beneficiarían con su eliminación.
Para la Argentina es inconcebible que por el beneficio de esa pequeña parte de la población agrícola de los países europeos que depende del mantenimiento del sistema actual de protección y subsidios, se ponga en peligro el buen término de las actuales negociaciones comerciales multilaterales.
Argentina ha sostenido en toda esta Ronda Uruguay la necesidad de liberar los mercados agrícolas. Si bien esta liberalización podría elevar los
precios de los productos agrícolas afectando a aquellos países en desarrollo importadores netos de alimentos, resulta imposible el desarrollo de sub-sectores agroproductivos si han de enfrentar mercados con precios irreales producto de las políticas de subsidios de los países desarrollados. En el período de transición deben preverse medidas, a través de los organismos financieros multilaterales u otros, que amortigüen los efectos negativos sobre estos países con fuerte déficit en su producción de alimentos. El grupo CAIRNS, en su propuesta en la Ronda Uruguay, hace expresa mención de esta situación en particular.
Permítame ahora referirme brevemente a la información que brindan los documentos respecto de la conformación del mercado europeo en 1993 y a los cambios de política que afectan a Europa oriental y a la Unión Soviética. La actualidad de ambos temas resulta indiscutible. La profunda investigación de la Secretaría pone, sin embargo en primer plano, la incertidumbre respecto de la efectiva dirección futura de los acontecimientos, y cómo afectarán a la situación global de la agricultura y la alimentación en lo que resta del siglo. Estimamos por ello necesario que este Consejo, y en su caso la Conferencia, efectúen un seguimiento atento de ambos fenómenos, siendo informados adecuadamente de los acontecimientos que se vayan desarrollando.
Respecto de esta cuestiones, me permito señalar lo siguiente: los párrafos 243 y siguientes del documento 98/2, referidos al proceso de integración europeo, no hacen referencia a las consecuencias que tendrá, más allá de 1992, el mantenimiento de la Política Agrícola Común y la incorporación a su régimen de grandes extensiones agrícolas como consecuencia de la unificación de Alemania.
El Consejo debería instar a la Comunidad Económica Europea a que acepte normas internacionalmente reconocidas en materia sanitaria y fitosanitaria, y debería impulsar la activa participación en las controversias internacionales sobre dichas cuestiones de organismos científicos internacionales como la FAO, a través del Codex Alimentarius y la Convención Internacional de Protección Fitosanitaria.
Coincidimos por último, respecto de esta cuestión, con la previsión de la Secretaría incluida en el párrafo 284 del documento 98/2, en que sin un acuerdo en el GATT para liberalizar el comercio agrícola, la Comunidad Económica Europea podría encerrarse en sí misma y pasar por alto los efectos externos de su política. Es necesario que este Consejo alerte sobre las consecuencias nefastas de tal posibilidad.
Mi delegación desearía recordar, respecto de la última cuestión que nos ocupa, que acaba de realizarse en Budapest la Conferencia sobre Reestructuración de los Sistemas Agrícolas en Europa central y la URSS, en el curso de la cual se plantearon interrogantes acerca de si ellos serán abiertos, competitivos, o cerrados, con altos costos de producción y altos precios internos. Nuestra opinión es que toda inversión para mejorar el sistema agrícola en la Europa del Este debe ser hecha buscando un aumento de la productividad en términos de eficiencia económica, evitando políticas proteccionistas. Sobre este particular, coincidimos con el contenido de los párrafos 54 y 57 del documento 98/20, que esperamos sean recogidos en nuestro informe.
Jean A. YENNIMATAS (Grèce): Merci, Monsieur le Président. Plusieurs orateurs qui m'ont précédé se sont exprimés de la même façon que je voudrais le faire. Par conséquent, Monsieur le Président, suite à vos précisions d'ailleurs fort pertinentes quant au déroulement de notre débat, je me limiterai aux observations suivantes, tout en me félicitant de la clarté et de la précision des documents que nous sommes en train d'examiner.
Je crois, Monsieur le Président, que mention devrait être faite, quant aux conséquences de la Convention de Lomé IV vis-à-vis des pays d'Afrique, du fait que cette rubrique a été reprise concernant les autres régions géographiques.
Un autre point que je considère opportun se réfère aux ressources halieutiques. La question est de savoir à quel point leur exploitation actuelle est conforme aux recommandations scientifiques. C'est tout, je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.
A.L. THOAHLANE (Lesotho): Mr Chairman, Director-General of FAO, Excellencies and distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, allow me, Mr Chairman, to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the 98th Session of the FAO Council.
My delegation would like to thank the Director-General of FAO, his Administration, and the Host Country, Italy, for excellent arrangements which will go a long way towards making this conference a success.
I would like to express our vote of confidence in you, Mr Chairman, and in the Vice-Chairmen. We are confident that under your able guidance together with your able officers the 98th Session of the Council will achieve its goals.
This moment is charged with emotion for me, as I am sure it is for the members of my delegation. Lesotho's tenure of office as a member of the Council will expire in December this year. We will look back with nostalgia and bitter-sweet memories at our membership in the Council. Nostalgia is brought about by the invaluable experience we have gained while working within the Council. The bitter-sweet aftertaste is brought by the sad financial problems which have besieged our Organization. But we are grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve in that capacity in the first place. It has been a gratifying experience to have served with the finest officers of this Organization. We shall endeavour to serve the interests of this beloved Organization even outside the Council.
In addressing the issues on our agenda, allow me to start with those contained in document CL 98/2. The decline in food production in the developing world is of great concern to us. This is the case when viewed against the nature of the economies of these countries. Most countries in Africa, for example, have subsistance agriculture. The exports of these countries are primarily commodities whose prices have fallen drastically in the world markets. At the same time these countries are faced with explosive population problems. The population is growing at rates well
above 3 percent in some cases, while food production is declining. Because of this declining production a chain reaction is set in motion. First there is widespread unemployment, which has a direct bearing on poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Then there is a mass exodus as people flock to urban centres in search of a livelihood. This overstretches food resource requirements, housing, transport and, most important, health and sanitary facilities. Urgent population policies and policies conducive to sustainable food production are needed to solve these problems.
As the health facilities are stretched to breaking point, epidemics break out in the form of new diseases. Diseases which had hitherto been controllable gain the upper hand as they mutate into new strains.
Thus, in our societies hunger, malnutrition, pain and suffering have become the order of the day. The most intolerable feature of this suffering is mirrored in the face of our future society, the children. This vulnerable group of our society is least prepared to deal with the pain and suffering. What is more, they should not deal with such painful responsibility at their young age when they should be awakening to a world of bright sunlight and bounty.
The smiles are gone, nipped in the bud. All that remains for the children of Africa is sadness, as children have to cope with formidable elements beyond their comprehension, and the sure knowledge that it will be a while before they find reprieve from these problems. Hunger has a sad face-the face of our children.
Yet there is an answer, or there should be an answer, to these problems. The answer is in fact a challenge, a challenge that we cannot afford to be complacent in the midst of such suffering. We should be challenged to work even harder, for in the hard work lies our salvation.
Mostly, we have to do away with costly misallocation of funds to the projects whose aims are mostly to line individual pockets.
The other part of the answer lies in the recognition that we cannot do it alone, that we need help. Indeed the answer lies in being able to identify the kind of help we need. But even while we look for such help, our aim should be to maximize the use of such aid with well researched policies based on correct problem identification so that aid can lay the foundations for sustainable development.
The list of causes and effects to Africa and the developing world is endless and one which cannot be sufficiently chronicled here. Indeed, this is not my intention to do so. I only wish to highlight some of the more pressing problems, even though, having said that, I am at a loss as which of these problems is more pressing. My confusion, however, underscores the gravity of the situation. In this situation we can neither be too slow nor too hasty to act. But, even as we pause to reflect on solutions, we must urgently find ways to reverse the massive land degradation which is eating away at our very roots. We must find a way to address the urban sprawl which is encroaching on agricultural land. Most importantly, we must find ways of reversing the urban bias which is beginning to marginalize agriculture and rural development.
Somewhere in the scheme of things we must find ways to integrate women into our development activities. This will call for a radical change of attitudes towards women and their role in development.
Falling prices of commodities on the one hand have plunged most developing countries into debt problems which they cannot hope to discharge in the near future. The debt burden in some countries is half the GDP of those countries. Collectively the developing countries owe a staggering sum of US $1 213.5 billion, an amount which, if put to productive use in these countries, could provide enough food to feed entire populations. The solutions to the debt burden are not very easy but one thing is clear, we cannot hope to feed ourselves as long as we have this massive debt to service. Already most of our countries have embarked on structural adjustment measures with painful short-term results which have adversely affected the most vulnerable groups in our societies.
With regard to these problems, I would like to remind us all that structural adjustment measures are not an end in themselves but a means to such an end. We must therefore continually pause and reflect whether the gains in the long-run will be worth the sacrifices and the pain endured by the poor of the poor in our societies. Already benefits seem to be outweighed by the negative effects when reflected against the massive odds with which developing countries are faced.
These problems are too many to mention by name but the Gulf crisis is the biggest one which will literally break the camel's back.
The reality of the situation is that developing countries will continue to be used as guineapigs in this endless fight against these problems. We can only hope that in the end alternative solutions to the problems of the developing countries will emerge.
Further, we ask for the indulgence of the World Bank and IMF that there should be flexibility in application of structural adjustment facilities in order to take into consideration the unique features of each country. In some countries, and Lesotho is an example, most injections result in consumptive multipliers whose impact is felt more outside the economy. Secondly, the pressing problems revolve around how to generate employment for the 120 000 or more Basotho employed in the Republic of South Africa. Therefore, the long-term sustainability of the structural adjustment facility will depend on its ability adequately to take into account these structural bottlenecks and the vulnerability of our economy to outside forces.
In addition to these problems is the fact that the world stocks of food have declined drastically. In the past we have relied on commodity food aid to offset the shortages in our countries. One publication has shown that where we used to have global grain reserves to last 101 days in 1987, we now have stocks to last us only 54 days. Hunger and famine breed discontent.
If this situation continues too long we will see more tensions flare in other areas, especially those areas where rich meet poor. Already the failure of agriculture has led to a mass exodus to cities and towns, thus
overloading resources. As sanitation and other health facilities are swamped, it is only a matter of time before major epidemics break out.
We would like, therefore, to throw our wholehearted support behind such programmes as the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development. We would also like to show our support for the International Scheme for the Rehabilitation of African Soils, Tropical Forestry Action Plan and the implementation of environmental action plans in member countries.
We also take note of other similar developments of FAO such as the efforts being taken to stimulate the recovery in other developing countries. A special mention can be made of efforts to resuscitate Aquila in Latin American countries.
The present Gulf tensions have literally added oil to the fire. The increase in oil prices cannot be sustained for long by our ailing economies. We are cornered by numerous problems which are real without adding man-made ones. Provocative as the situation may be, we continue to support a negotiated solution to this problem.
War is destructive and painful. Nobody wins. Even the innocent bystanders have lost heavily, as testified by our devastated economies. War inhibits production and free passage of goods, laying waste vast resources and leaving economies devastated.
The cost in bloodshed and lost lives is high, leaving whole families hollow shells and making a mockery of world peace efforts and civilization which is the very fabric of our society.
Burdened with problems as we are, we cannot afford to be fatalistic about these problems. We must work harder to reduce wastefulness. It is in recognition of this very fact that the Lesotho Government has embarked on an ambitious programme of privatization with the help of FAO through TCP funding. One project will be successfully privatized while another will be commercialized under the project. It is sad but true that some of our countries have become used to luxury consumption far beyond our means.
In most cases this consumptive waste goes hand-in-hand with widespread mismanagement of resources. I must apologize for this rather strong language but the key to solving our problems lies in the honest examination of our own actions. Only when we have courage to face ourselves can we begin seriously to look for solutions. Only when we have cleared our consciences can we even begin to look outside for help.
This is what we can do. We must be prepared to make sacrifices. We must do away with restrictive policies, particularly in agriculture. We must develop policies which are cohesive and consistent. We can no longer afford to borrow to finance luxurious consumption. But we must acknowledge the cost of production on the environment and budget accordingly for this cost.
The little foreign aid we get must build stepping stones on the foundations of sound policies. Only then can we gradually move away from being perpetual beggars.
We are very supportive of the increased responsibilities FAO has taken to strengthen the planning capacity in our countries. We are sure that this is where the light will emerge from the darkness that threatens to engulf us. We especially commend the advisory role which FAO will take in the implementation of the necessary but painful structural adjustment programmes.
As technology advances and production expands to feed growing populations, mankind has caused irreparable harm to the environment. The hole in the ozone layer is one painful reminder of this. The global warming and greenhouse effect is another. Already there have been unprecedented droughts in unlikely parts of the world while violent storms rage in yet others. The African continent is prone to numerous droughts, as testified by the large deserts which form a large part of our world.
The Director-General himself mentioned in his speech in Marrakech that additional areas are brought under desertification each year in Africa. We are presently in the throes of a major drought whose effects are being felt throughout the southern African region. Ironically, the cycle of drought and downpours comes with regularity and has been forecast in at least one study but nothing has been done to prepare ourselves for the eventuality.
Despite painful reminders, the disruptions of the eco-system continue. Widespread pollution still continues as more countries strive to increase industrial and agricultural production. Wildlife and plant species are disappearing at a rapid pace as rivers are dammed into hydropower and diverted to irrigation canals. Rivers are silting as vegetative cover is burned and overgrazed but still the tropical forests in Africa and the rain forests of the Amazon disappear at an alarming rate.
The biggest enemy is ignorance, followed by the need to survive. Burning of forests is a widespread practice in Africa and Latin America as more land is brought under the plough. The spillover benefits are charcoal which earns revenue and least cost subsistence production but the social cost is massive in the form of land degradation and reclamation.
Admittedly, the concept of environment and sustainable development is both difficult and new and will need a change of attitude.
FAO, together with UNEP and other environmental agencies have a role to educate the masses. Education is the key to popular participation in the eradication of practices which are harmful to the environment. We have to provide knowledge to our people with the hope that their heightened awareness of environmental protection will be integrated in all developmental activities. We must make allies of our people because none of us can afford to fight alone. This is a formidable mandate which will consume all the resources that FAO and other United Nations Agencies can muster.
The urgent issues of sustainable development can no longer be ignored. These issues have taken on a more urgent and incessant note only because they threaten the very life of our planet. The questions which keep coming to mind are-At what cost development? Must man destroy himself in a quest
to grow more food and develop? Must the desire to feed ourselves lead to the extinction of important animal and plant species and man himself?
More than ever before we are faced with difficult decisions to make and choices which will not give us satisfaction. As we choose between growing more food and sustaining the environment, some of us are wondering whether there is really a need for such choices, when clearly the need to produce more food should override everything else. This is what has been the practice till now. But the results of neglecting the environment have finally caught up with us. Choices have to be made, unpleasant though they may be. Costs must now be associated with every action we take and decisions taken. Our survival depends on it.
The Ninety-eighth Session of the FAO Council has convened here today in the wake of major developments. Some of these developments are positive, some are negative. We can mention here the unification of the two Germanies as a shining example of what peaceful settlement can do. We can also talk about the continual changes in Eastern Europe as countries strive towards economic recovery. Closer to home, we can talk about the coming of age of the youngest state in the world, Namibia, but we must also talk about the significant efforts to find a negotiated solution to South Africa's problems. Finding solutions to these problems can only lessen tensions in the Southern African region, making a welcome opportunity to deal with other problems crying out for attention. As we have said, these are shining examples with which I am sure every statesman would like to be associated. All. of these examples have implications for increased food production. In fact, in most cases they signify the very spirit in which the peaceful United Nations was formed. These shining examples are dwarfed, however, by the dark shadows that threaten humanity. One such cloud hangs over the Gulf, effectively bringing the world to the brink of a major war.
To a smaller extent declining food production, poverty and misery have dulled the shine of positive events. The shine will be gone completely unless we find solutions to the financial crisis which has overshadowed this beloved Organization.
We will be preoccupied with this topic for a good part of this conference, so therefore I will not labour this point. However, I would like to warn that those member countries who have not paid their assessed contributions to this Organization may not lay claim to their commitment to this Organization.
I cannot find any higher and nobler priority than that of food production. This is what FAO means to us-food production and true commitment to our countries and food for all.
I shall conclude these remarks by expressing the hope that we can learn from the shining peacetime examples of our time. I hope we can learn that acting together in peace, for a common goal, can bear good fruit for us all!
J.R. GOLDSACK (United Kingdom): The United Kingdom delegation has studied the document CL 98/2 and the supplement with interest and considers that they summarise well the current status of agricultural production and food availability on a global basis.
The picture is mixed, with the outlook in Africa being the most pessimistic. We feel, moreover, that CL 98/2 is too optimistic about the developmental opportunities open to Africa. Paragraph 105 states that Southern Africa has a "rich natural resource base and a capricious but favourable climate". In fact, large areas in the region are arid or semi-arid, marginal for crop production and susceptible to environmental degradation. This, taken in conjunction with a soaring population growth rate, is a cause for great concern. In our view the paper could have made explicit the links between over-population, poverty and environmental degradation. Deforestation and soil erosion are often the result of the needs of an increasing population of poor people to obtain a living from the land. In this context we should recognise that whilst fertilisers do play an important part in improving crop yields, over-use can cause environmental problems. Their use should take into account wider ecological effects; they should be used not simply to maximise production per se, but to obtain optimum yields consistent with longer-term sustainability.
My delegation welcomes the emphasis given to the environmental concerns confronting newly industrialised nations. As paragraphs 143-145 of CL 98/2 clearly illustrate, these comprise deforestation, soil erosion, watershed degradation, pollution and a shortage of rural amenities. It is to be hoped that the lessons learned and openly portrayed by, for example, Thailand can help to ensure that other countries avoid some of these pitfalls.
Among the environmental concerns highlighted by these papers are concerns over the destruction of tropical forests, which are linked with the questions of climate change. FAO has the lead coordinating role in the Tropical Forestry Action Plan and, important though it is that FAO contributes to the discussions on climate change, the United Kingdom feels that it is to the reform of the TFAP that FAO should give the highest priority.
In the sphere of fisheries we consider that whilst the overall increase in global fish production is welcome, it must be recognized that the bulk of the gain is in an area subject to environmental fluctuation, and the gain is unlikely to be sustainable. Furthermore, we view with concern the evidence in para. 78 of decline in per capita fish consumption in the domestic markets of developing countries at a time when their fish production is increasing and exports of fish and fish products to developed countries have almost doubled within a three-year period. There is clearly a potential conflict between economic and social policies which would benefit from an examination of overall impact. FAO is well placed to undertake analysis and provide guidance on this issue. The UK delegation would welcome the inclusion of such objectives in the future work programmes of the FAO Fisheries Department.
I would like now to turn to the topics of the world economic environment and agricultural trade. We are pleased to point out that the Toronto Initiative (originally a proposal by our Government) has now covered 17
African countries, although we recognise that it does not go far enough to meet sub-Saharan Africa's financing needs. Our Chancellor in Trinidad in September this year, as mentioned in Document CL 98/2-Sup.1 launched new proposals for the official debt of the poorest countries providing economic reforms. These comprise reductions in stock of debt by two-thirds, the remainder to be rescheduled over 25 years with no payments in the first five years.
Document CL 98/2 suggests that creditors are considering additional measures for the lower middle-income countries. In fact the Paris Club has now agreed a scheme involving lengthened repayment periods for these countries. This document also suggests that a problem with the Brady Plan has been shortage of IMF and World Bank resources. In our view this is not the case. The aim surely must be to get the greatest debt reduction for the least additional borrowing from the IMF and IBRD. Subject to a study of the text proposed we suggest that it be adopted as a decision of the Council.
Finally, a comment on the remarks made by Mr Alessi at the beginning of the discussion of this Item. Here, I am linking up your invitation, Mr Chairman, to make observations throughout the meeting about the working of this Council and the validity of working methods which are set out in Document CL 98/INF/4. We can understand that papers can be late due to shortages in the administration departments and we agree that in time of difficulty we would prefer the administrative rather than the technical departments to be starved. However, we suggest that if papers are to be late for administrative reasons or if substantive papers of an unexpected sort are to be provided late because of last-minute developments, the membership could be kept informed during meetings of the Permanent Representatives here in Rome called by the Bureau or by the Secretary-General of this Council. Thus, our capitals could organize our briefs better and prepare to take views late on particular subjects.
Two other practices might be helpful in order to deal with difficulties. First, the Agenda could be provided in a more detailed form which would give a clearer indication of the nature of the papers to be presented and points for decision, discussion or advice required. This would allow those countries particularly interested to obtain more detailed information from the department concerned.
Secondly, early production of the timetable would help delegations ensure that any specialist officer intending to participate in any particular debates could plan to be present in advance of the meeting.
LE PRESIDENT: En ce qui concerne le point de la Conférence des pays les moins avancés, le Représentant de la France avait annoncé un document que nous n'avons pas eu jusqu'à présent et que nous aimerions avoir dans un très proche avenir.
En ce qui concerne le retard dans la distribution dès documents, je crois que le Secrétariat général a expliqué la situation dans laquelle nous nous sommes trouvés. Il est clair que ce problème ne sera pas éternel mais qu'il se posera encore pendant un certain temps. Il est dû aux difficultés
financières de l'Organisation. En ce qui me concerne, je suis frappé par le peu de moyens dont dispose l'Organisation. Quand on examine la situation budgétaire de celle-ci-et nous aurons l'occasion de le faire-et que l'on compare les chiffres du budget aux immenses besoins du monde, on peut se poser un certain nombre de questions sur l'adéquation de moyens dont nous disposons pour les politiques que nous entendons mener.
Henryk ANTOSIAK (Poland) (Original language Polish): Beginning 1 January 1990 we have been implementing an economic programme in Poland, the aim of which is a move from a centrally-planned economy to a market economy such as exists in the European countries. A characteristic feature of this programme is the rapid change from a centralized model into a market economy. We are carrying out a radical programme, the success of which depends primarily on our society's approval and the political and economic support of states which wish Poland well.
Ten months after the programme's implementation, we can state that in general the economic processes are running in line with the programme's assumptions. The following have been overcome: a balance has been restored in the commodity market; the State budget has been balanced, and the home rate of exchange of the dollar to the zloty has been stabilized; price level and structure are shaped by the market and are gradually coming closer to world prices.
The introduction of such a radical, economic programme is always accompanied by unfavourable phenomena. The most dangerous of these phenomena is a drop in production and a lowering of living standards. How can we evaluate the condition of our agriculture and food economics, considering the processes that have occurred over past months in our economy as a whole?
It must be remembered that the initial decisions aimed at setting up a market economy in this sector were taken in late 1989. It was then that the fixing of prices for agricultural products and of retail food prices for food was discontinued. These decisions brought about multiple increases in prices paid to farmers for agricultural products, and a temporary rise in their incomes. There followed a short-lived boost for agricultural production, particularly in animal production. However, late in the autumn of 1989 the overall inflation trend in prices further reduced farmers' profits. A sharp rise in food retail prices accounted for a drop in demand for some articles. Agriculture was beginning to be directed by demand.
The economic solutions introduced on 1 January 1990 in relation to the total economy increased the rate of change in agriculture and food economics, moving towards a market economy. Over recent months in agriculture, as in the economy as a whole, there have occurred adjustment processes which concerned the following main aspects: changes in the internal structure of prices for agricultural commodities; the process of adjusting agricultural production volume to domestic and export needs began; the relation of prices of agricultural products to those of the means of production was gradually improved; the so far existing economic
structures operating in the field of agricultural food processing and servicing of agriculture were demonopolized.
The changes occurring in agriculture, as regards applying the first phase of the programme's implementation in relation to agriculture, have the same economic solutions as in the whole economy and were of a "shocking" character.
The rise of prices for means of production was still faster than the rise in prices for agricultural produce, which brought about a considerable drop in demand for yield-raising production means, fertilizers and pesticides. The maintenance of this unfavourable trend for a longer period of time may cause a drop in the crops of agricultural production in the future.
In the past months of 1990 there was an obvious barrier in demand for a number of agricultural commodities. This was a painful experience for our farmers, the more so because, owing to financial shortages in the State budget, State interference on a larger scale in this economic sector was not anticipated. The Agricultural Market Agency, whose main objective is to stabilize prices for agricultural commodities and to secure an adequate level of income in agriculture, started its activities only in July this year. Its influence mainly concerns the grain market. In spite of the difficulties in restructuring the economy, the agricultural sector-80 percent of which is private-is adapting relatively well to market economy rules. We consider the results achieved in plant and animal production in 1990 to be satisfactory. We had good crops of cereals and root crops. We note upward trends in pig and poultry production. We expect that State activities aimed at accelerating the restructuring of the dairy industry and of dairy cooperatives should soon increase farmers' interest in cattle production. The decreased demand for food commodities on the home market, with the absence of State intervention in this area, has created the danger of a breakdown in agricultural production.
Now Polish agriculture has been rescued by an opportunity to export food to European markets. We have taken advantage of this possibility. In return Poland has imported highly processed food from many countries, particularly southern fruits from the developing countries of the world.
Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the experience of 1990 as regards the introduction of a programme in agriculture and in the whole economy has confirmed the need to elaborate an agricultural policy along these lines. The agricultural organizations and the political parties representing the interests of agricultural environments have demanded, since the beginning of the year, that the Government defines its policy towards agriculture.
Consequently, work on the shape of future agricultural policy has been going on since the beginning of the year. The difficulty in determining policy consisted among other things of defining economic solutions adjusted to the specific character of agriculture and food economics, without breaking the generally tough rules of the market economy as specified in the programme of economic stabilization.
In October the Ministers' Council approved such a programme which is now being debated by Parliament. Whilst working out the agricultural policy
programme we drew on our own efforts, on the results of the work of expert groups of the World Bank, of the European Economic Community and of the Government of the Polish Republic. We also used the contributions of peasant agricultural organizations and political parties. The solutions contained in the document essentially converge with the solutions to be found in the report of the World Bank experts and the EEC.
The assumptions of agricultural policy are a vital document since the economic solutions contained therein refer to 40 percent of the country's population (that is the number of people living in rural areas) while 27 percent of the professionally active population are employed in agriculture. As distinct from other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in Polish agriculture private land ownership predominates whereas only 20 percent of arable land is owned by the State. Agriculture is thus the most private sector of the economy.
It is confirmed in the agricultural policy that the basic organizational forms are, and will continue to be, peasant family farms. The basic goal of the agricultural policy is to ensure conditions for permanent agricultural development and the effective use of its production potential.
In the agricultural strategy of the coming years, the basic conditions for agricultural development are listed as: permanent inflation control; expansion and modernization of agricultural services, agricultural commodity processing, and trade, bank and investment services; the demonopolization and privatization of enterprises and institutions; multifunctional development of rural areas; technical modernization; production concentration and specialization of farms and regions; proper functioning of the agricultural market; supplying credit for agriculture. Thus our programme refers to the recommendations of the FAO known as Agricultural Adjustment.
The above-named conditions will be set up primarily by way of economic policy based on the following rules: agriculture, just like the whole of the economy, will be subordinated to the rules of the market economy; agricultural prices will be shaped by demand and supply, and in justified cases they will be modified by the State by means of taxes, customs duties, credits and intervention in the agricultural market; credits for agriculture will be commercial as a matter of principle, but for some purposes operational credits at a lower rate of interest will be introduced; the subsidizing of agriculture will be carried out in forms that do not conflict with market mechanisms, research works, introduction of technological and biological progress, and the financing of the rural infrastructure; customs policy will further extend active cooperation in trade, in agricultural commodities throughout the world, and will protect domestic agricultural production within the GATT rules.
The economic solutions contained in this document on agricultural policy take into consideration the anticipated developments in common EEC and GATT policies. It will be possible to implement the programme, described in brief, only if we have the cooperation of the farmers and other population groups concerned. Therefore, a separate part of the programme deals with the establishing of conditions for creating various forms of self-managed
organized groups of workers aiming at the achievement of specific economic and social goals.
Moreover, the State will provide conditions for setting up and developing institutions in the economy which are absolutely essential in a market economy, such as real cooperatives, exchanges, banks, land management institutions, and social security and investment institutions.
At present there is a tremendous shortage in this field, and the institutions which are operating do not fulfil their functions in a market economy.
This new programme involves generally known and tested instruments of agricultural policy. Its exceptional character does not result from the means used for its implementation but from the fact that it makes part of the programme the changing of a centrally planned economy into a market economy. Such changes cannot be effected rapidly. They are a long-term process. A few years have to elapse before the institutions and mechanisms suited to a market economy are set up and fully developed and before those participating in the economic process act according to its rules. The change in people's behaviour requires a change in mentality which is, as it turns out, a key factor in these ongoing changes. The implementation of this programme also depends on the rate of using the capital and technical assistance offered to Poland by developed countries, mainly by the EEC Member States, as well as by FAO, all of which have considerable experience and well prepared staff. Precisely in this respect we highly appreciate the ongoing cooperation and good prospects for future cooperation with the Director-General of FAO.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le Représentant de la Pologne. Il est évident que les pays d'Europe orientale sont confrontés, à l'heure actuelle, à des situations particulièrement délicates et difficiles.
Nous avions décidé hier que nous examinerions ensemble les trois documents. Il va de soi qu'après le présent débat général, on pourra exposer plus précisément certains éléments ou certaines ébauches de solution dans le cadre du point 4.1. Mais je voudrais que l'essentiel des interventions se fassent dans le cadre de la discussion générale.
Je voudrais également attirer l'attention sur le fait qu'il reste encore 11 orateurs et un certain nombre d'observateurs, et que nous devrons donc déborder sur le débat de l'après-midi avant de passer à l'examen d'un autre point de l'ordre du jour. Je me permets donc d'insister pour que les interventions soient particulièrement brèves et condensées tout en restant complètes.
Je voudrais également faire une autre remarque. Vous aurez constaté qu'il y a un certain nombre de difficultés parmi le personnel. Cette question relève évidemment de la compétence exclusive du Directeur général. Nous aurons toutefois l'occasion d'examiner l'origine de ces difficultés à l'occasion de la discussion du point 18 de l'ordre du jour, le vendredi 23 novembre, plus exactement lors de l'examen des rapports du Comité
financier. Nous évoquerons alors les problèmes du personnel et éventuellement les difficultés rencontrées en ce moment.
Puis-je me permettre d'insister, dans ce débat que nous allons poursuivre jusqu'à midi et demi, sur la nécessité de condenser les interventions?
Winston RUDDER (Trinidad and Tobago): First of all may I say we support the comments made by the many speakers who have sought to link the situation of the agricultural development in developing countries to the unfolding conditions of the world economy and the international agricultural development and trade. I wish merely to draw attention to the observations, analyses and conclusions at paragraphs 157-179 in the English version of document CL 98/2. These highlight in particular the dilemma faced by small developed countries of the Caribbean-micro states if you will-bedevilled by the sharply reduced export earnings and the reduced external financial flows in a situation which, for these countries, agricultural export earnings contribute quite significantly to meeting the costs for the range of imports which are required for development and for consumption.
The plight of my sub-region is, of course, exacerbated by the particular constraints and disadvantages we suffer being small open economies with limited resources of land and other natural resources and subject to relatively high production cost, structures. In this regard, therefore, we have very few degrees of freedom to manoeuvre as we seek to improve the agricultural situation in our respective countries. In consequence, therefore, we share the concerns of others who have spoken before us about the need for changes in the global economic and agricultural environment, such changes as will impact favourably and positively and halt the deteriorating agricultural terms of trade, the fall in demand for the traditional exports which come from our countries and indeed allow us increased market access for the range of exotic, non-traditional export commodities into which we know we must, and we are advised we ought to, diversify.
I need not emphasize the vulnerability of small states such as mine, not only to the vagaries of the international market-place but to the foibles of the major players in the marketplace and also to the machinations of those who seek to undermine peace and stability in our countries in periods of economic and financial difficulty.
I wish to underscore the crucial importance of developed country markets insofar as we are concerned in the Caribbean and to indicate that within the sub-region, that is to say the CARICOM, we have prepared a detailed plan of action, the Caribbean Community Project Programme for Agricultural Development, which outlines the approaches we intend to take in a cooperative way to promote agricultural development in the region. The major underpinnings of the approach are improved efficiency in the production of the traditional exports for which we are famous and for which we have some comparative advantage, and diversification into other export areas, ornamentals, exotic and tropical fruits etc., and also expanded production to meet all our own domestic needs. The strategies that underlie this approach include increased and enhanced productive flexibility which
speaks to a greater role for research and development, education and training insofar as our farmer populations are concerned and also the mobilization and organization of the production system to involve in a deeper way the farming community. The overall approach is a market-led approach, both in respect of the domestic and the export market. We wish to emphasize that the approaches that we have taken are quite compatible with the PLANLAC, which is the FAO Plan of Action for Latin America and the Caribbean with which we have cooperated fully and with which there is tremendous compatibility.
I wish to emphasize that in the light of the assessment made about the state of food and agriculture in the world generally and in our region in particular we cannot be complacent about the continuing and expanding role which we expect of the FAO in providing the needed technical, policy and planning support for efforts at agricultural development and at this juncture I must pay particular tribute to the Organization for the help they have provided to my country in particular in these areas. In fact, I dare suggest that the success of FAO's initiatives in this regard will in part be judged by the degree to which, as we look at these annual reports on the state of food and agriculture, we note significant improvements that will come about in this regard.
Finally we look forward to continued cooperation with the institution in agricultural efforts.
Joseph TCHICATA (Congo): Monsieur le Président, la délégation congolaise est heureuse de vous voir présider cette 98ème session du Conseil. Elle tient à vous assurer qu'elle n'épargnera aucun effort pour vous faciliter la tâche et contribuer autant que possible au succès de nos travaux.
Nous adressons nos félicitations aux trois Vice-Présidents élus ainsi qu'aux membres du Comité de rédaction et notamment à son Président, qui vous aideront dans l'accomplissement de votre mission.
Ma délégation voudrait également rendre hommage au Directeur général pour sa brillante déclaration d'hier matin, déclaration lucide, empreinte de clairvoyance. L'introduction claire et concise faite par Monsieur Dutia des documents complets et détaillés actuellement soumis à notre étude nous parait être de nature à faciliter l'examen de ce point de l'ordre du jour.
Monsieur le Président, le tableau dépeint hier par le Directeur général sur la situation économique mondiale demeure caractérisé par les sempiternels contrastes: le contraste entre les riches et les pauvres-à cet égard le fossé continue à se creuser entre ces deux groupes-, le contraste entre les régions à production agricole et alimentaire excédentaire et celle des régions où sévit la pénurie, le contraste entre les régions à haut investissement agricole où la production par habitant croit sans cesse et celles ne disposant pas de capacités à se servir des nouvelles technologies pour accroître leur production, etc., etc.
Autant dire, Monsieur le Président, que nous continuons à vivre dans un monde de déséquilibre flagrant entretenu par l'ordre économique injuste
actuel; celui-ci privilégie les forts au détriment des faibles. Longtemps on a cru que la tension est-ouest ne permettait pas d'offrir aux pays pauvres les ressources nécessaires à leur développement, celles-ci étant englouties dans la course aux armes.
Le nouveau climat né de la détente et de la coopération est-ouest n'a pas encore comblé nos espoirs. La situation semble même se dégrader à tel point que nombre de pays développés non seulement n'ont pas accru substantiellement leur aide publique au développement du tiers monde, mais ils se sont même permis de la réduire pour la réorienter au nord. Ce n'est pas la tension actuelle dans le Golfe qui améliorera cette situation; au contraire elle constitue à présent même un prétexte.
Bref, nous attendons avec une certaine appréhension de recueillir ce qui semblait évident aux yeux de beaucoup, je veux parler des fruits de la paix. En effet, l'espoir qui était le nôtre de voir les ressources supplémentaires précédemment affectées aux armements et aux affrontements politiques, et consacrées au développement du tiers monde et singulièremement à celui de son potentiel agricole, n'a pas été effectif. Nous estimons que les ressources disponibles doivent servir les objectifs de paix au détriment de ceux de la guerre destructrice.
Monsieur le Président, la situation qui est décrite dans les documents CL 98/2 et CL 98/2-Sup.1 représente désormais des données quasi immuables qui nous sont continuellement ressassées. En effet, il n'y a qu'un fait nouveau si nous disons que, tout en étant globalement satisfaisante, la production agricole reste caractérisée par une répartition inéquitable des stocks au détriment des zones menacées par la faim et la malnutrition.
Cette situation maintes fois décriée reste actuelle, puisque rien ou presque rien n'est fait pour remédier à cette anomalie. L'agriculture africaine reste des moins productives puisque sa production par habitant diminue. D'exportatrice hier, l'Afrique devient une région importatrice nette de denrées alimentaires: une situation qui la place dans une position très vulnérable. Rien d'étonnant que la région qui utilise le moins d'engrais connaisse cette situation de pénurie alimentaire quasi permanente. Ainsi l'augmentation globale de la production alimentaire agricole en 1990 ne concerne pas l'Afrique dont la croissance de la production alimentaire est inférieure à celle de la population et ce pour la deuxième année consécutive. Cette situation ne permet plus à l'Afrique de peser dans le commerce des produits agricoles. Ainsi, les exportations agricoles qui jouaient jadis un rôle prépondérant dans l'ensemble de l'économie, accusent désormais la plus forte diminution des exportations, source des devises nécessaires à l'acquisition de biens d'équipement.
Le Congo, qui connaît un exode rural important dû à la paupérisation de la campagne, a retenu comme priorité des priorités la nécessité d'assurer une relance de l'économie rurale en mettant l'accent sur les cultures vivrières, le développement de l'élevage et des pêches tout en créant les conditions de vie acceptable à la campagne. Dans le cadre de ce programme de développement de la production vivrière, nous faisons confiance aux petits exploitants qui restent les principaux artisans de la production agricole congolaise. Il reste que cette agriculture est peu productive, elle n'est pas encore en mesure d'assurer la satisfaction de nos besoins.
Le Congo, longtemps exportateur de produits agricoles et alimentaires, est devenu un importateur de denrées alimentaires pour faire face aux besoins nutritionnels de la population. Mais il s'agit là d'un poids de moins en moins supportable en cette période de crise avec une population qui s'accroît à un rythme supérieur à celle de la croissance de la production vivrière. Les mesures actuellement arrêtées dans le cadre de la restructuration de notre système de production et de commercialisation des produits agricoles, devraient nous amener progressivement à mieux garantir notre sécurité alimentaire. Il reste que, pour ce faire, nous avons besoin d'assistance aussi bien de la FAO que des bailleurs de fonds multilatéraux et bilatéraux, à des conditions compatibles avec notre fardeau de la dette. Nous comptons beaucoup sur nos ressources forestières pour contribuer à la croissance économique de notre pays et, à cet égard, le financement du PAM doit retenir l'attention des donateurs. Les pays développés devraient conjuguer leurs efforts pour améliorer les termes nets de l'échange des produits agricoles par rapport à ceux des produits manufacturés; ils en ont les moyens. Seule la volonté politique agissante reste à mobiliser. C'est cette volonté politique qui fait encore défaut et qui fait craindre un échec des négociations de l'Uruguay Round. Cet échec sera d'autant plus désastreux que l'agriculture y est devenue le point majeur des négociations, et que les intérêts des pays développés sont en jeu.
Monsieur le Président, sans doute le recul que connaît l'agriculture africaine est-il également lié à la mise en oeuvre de politiques inadaptées mais personne ne peut méconnaître que celle-ci ne bénéficie pas des investissements nécessaires à l'accroissemnt de ses capacités de production sans compter qu'elle manque à certains égards des compétences voulues.
C'est pourquoi la FAO doit intensifier son assistance technique en appliquant au maximum les mécanismes de la CEPD et de la CTPD à cette région qui en a besoin. Voilà pourquoi nous devons arrêter toute véléité visant à réduire la FAO à une institution de collecte des statistiques c'est-à-dire un centre académique sans connaissance pratique du terrain. Nous devons renforcer au contraire la capacité d'intervention de notre organisation. La FAO devrait en conséquence se montrer plus active dans ce domaine mais il faut à cet égard remettre au plus tôt cette institution en mesure d'assurer et d'exécuter ces programmes en la sortant des difficultés financières dans lesquelles elle a été plongée par certains de ses Etats Membres. Il faut espérer que l'optimisme relevé sur ce sujet dans la déclaration du Directeur général devienne réalité au plus tôt.
Bref, la situation agricole et alimentaire des pays en développement demande des efforts supplémentaires notamment en Afrique. Des initiatives sont prises ça et là mais elles ne sont pas suffisamment concertées et parfois discriminatoires. Les donateurs devraient répondre à l'appel du Président du FIDA visant à proroger le programme spécial du FIDA en faveur des pays de l'Afrique subsaharienne touchés par la sécheresse et la désertification.
Au total l'effort sollicité ici est une réponse juste au problème de la dette, un engagement à oeuvrer pour que l'aide publique au développement atteigne le taux fixé de 0,7% du PNB des pays développés, faute de quoi les programmes d'ajustement structurel, qui soit dit en passant, accentuent la marginalisation des plus démunis, seront insuffisants pour faire face à la
dégradation continue de la situation qui accroît sans cesse le nombre de sous-alimentés dans ce monde, justifiant pleinement l'organisation par la FAO et l'OMS, d'une Conférence internationale sur la nutrition en décembre 1992 à Rome.
Espérons que cette Conférence aboutisse à un accord sur une stratégie coordonnée d'actions nationales et internationales visant à éliminer la faim et la malnutrition comme indiqué au paragraphe 52 du document CL 98/2, et surtout que des ressources réelles et suffisantes soient dégagées pour la mise en oeuvre des programmes précis concourant à cet objectif.
Dans la panoplie des dispositions devant contribuer à réduire la faim et la malnutrition dans le monde, figure en bonne place l'aide alimentaire qu'il convient d'accroître dans le cadre du PAM. Nous espérons que celle-ci continuera d'appuyer la production agricole et permettra au gouvernement de prendre les mesures nécessaires pour assurer une exploitation rationnelle des ressources naturelles en vue d'un développement durable de l'agriculture dans nos pays.
Monsieur le Président, la situation agricole et alimentaire actuelle et son évolution au cours de ces dernières années n'incite guère à l'optimisme. La communauté internationale devrait s'en préoccuper davantage en aidant à la restructuration des systèmes de production grâce à un accord d'input visant à accroître la capacité des pays déficitaires et en réorganisant le marché pour l'écoulement à des conditions avantageuses des produits agricoles de ces pays, de manière à soutenir les termes de l'échange. C'est de cette manière que nous aurons oeuvré pour que chaque enfant n'aille plus se coucher le ventre vide comme nous le déclarions en 1974 lors de la Conférence mondiale sur l'alimentation.
Nous aurons ainsi oeuvré pour la paix universelle.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie tout particulièrement son Excellence l'Ambassadeur Tchicaya de son intervention substantielle et émouvante. Il sait combien nous partageons ses idéaux.
John McGOWAN (Canada): Monsieur le Président, tout d'abord je voudrais vous féliciter de votre élection à la présidence de ce Conseil et félicitations aussi aux trois Vice-Présidents de leur élection.
Let me begin by saying that the report is a comprehensive and useful overview of the global food and agricultural situation.
Since we are but a few days from the ministerial meeting of the Uruguay Round of Trade Negotiations of the GATT, we would like to underline at the outset of our intervention the importance which Canada attaches to successful conclusions to be reached in the weeks ahead. We consider that a more liberal agricultural trade system will open markets for agricultural producers throughout the world, based on their real comparative advantages.
We note that since the report was prepared there have been significant new developments. Obviously this is not the place for detailed discussion of the positions of our various countries in the MTN. We note that several of the countries meeting here in the Council, including my own, have recently made detailed offers in the agriculture negotiations.
Concerning special and differential treatment of the exports of developing nations, Canada supports generalized rules for all nations under the GATT. We believe that special arrangements should be made with LDCs about the pace of implementation, technical assistance and liberalization in specific areas of concern, such as tropical products.
Canada is sensitive to the concerns expressed in paragraph 179 regarding the impact of the US-Canada free trade agreement on trade opportunities for Caribbean countries. Our view is that expanded market opportunities in all parts of North America will actually increase Caribbean export prospects. In the meantime, we continue to discuss with the Caribbean countries concerned the prospects for changing the provision of CARIBCAN, which provide preferential access to the Canadian market.
We believe that efforts to harmonize national regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary regulations and measures are of key importance. Canada recognizes the important role that the FAO has to play in trade liberalization, providing assistance to GATT in the area of technical barriers. These efforts however will have to rely on the standards established by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius and the International Plant Protection Convention. Canada considers that the FAO/WHO Conference on Food Standards, Chemicals in Food and Food Trade, to be held in March next year, together with the establishment of the global secretariat of the IPPC, are of utmost importance in the achievement of this goal.
Regarding domestic policy Canada is responding comprehensively to the challenges facing our agri-food industry. These challenges range from new technology, changing consumer preferences and increased competition to the need to conserve our resources. Under the direction of the Deputy Prime Minister of Agriculture, Don Mazankowski, we have undertaken the most extensive review ever of Canada's agri-food policy. Based on the four pillars of self-reliance, market responsiveness, environmental sustainability and regional sensitivity, government-industry task forces have examined the major facets of our agri-food industry intensively. The task forces are studying such diverse issues as competitiveness, supply management, transportation, food safety, environmental sustainability, safety nets, research and technology transfer, pesticide registration, and farm finance and management.
One of the four pillars of our policy reform, environmental sustainability, has been the focus of attention of both the federal and provincial governments in Canada. Our intention is to incorporate environmental concerns, along with those which are economic and social, into the design of agricultural policies and programmes to conserve the resource base and support a safe and secure food supply for future generations. Canada considers that it would be most useful were the report on the State of Food and Agriculture to include in future information on global environmental conditions relevant to agriculture and on policy efforts being undertaken.
Concerning the Canadian grains and oilseeds situation, Canada is this year expected to harvest its second largest wheat crop ever-31 million tons-which is 27 percent above last year's production. Ending stocks of wheat in Canada in 1990/91 are expected to increase 84 percent, from 6.4 million tons to 11.8 million tons. Similarly, Canadian coarse grain production is expected to rise by 2.1 million tons to 25.6 million tons, the second highest on record. We are projecting that ending stocks of coarse grains in 1990/91 will total 6.4 million tons, an increase of 48 percent over last year. Canadian oilseed production is estimated at 5.4 million tons in 1990/91, compared to 4.8 million tons a year earlier. Because of lower beginning stocks, the total supply of oilseeds will be the same as last year. The net effect of these dramatic increases is that carryover stocks of Canadian grain will return to normal levels as early as the end of the current crop year.
Regarding food aid, our view is that the Secretariat may be underestimating food aid flows in 1990/91, while it is correct that Canada's 1990/91 food aid budget is about the same as last year's. Lower wheat prices will, we estimate, result in about a 25 percent increase in the quantity of cereals shipped for food, from 880 000 tons in 1989/90 to over 1 million tons in 1990/91. Given significantly lower cereal prices, total food aid in 1990/91 may very well be substantially higher than the previous year.
Canada is encouraged by the positive outlook for fisheries outlined in the document. We are particularly pleased to observe that in this sector, the developing nations have a positive balance of trade. Canada attaches considerable importance to FAO's contribution in world fisheries.
Regarding forestry, the report provides an overview of global timber production and trade. This overview does not reflect the current downturn, particularly in North America. We consider that the FAO should play a stronger role in documenting the value of living forests and the production and trade of such non-traditional forest products as nuts, fruits, latex, fibers, bush meat and palms which provide substantial economic benefits on a sustainable basis.
We are pleased that the FAO is undertaking a re-inventory or global assessment of forest resources. The last inventory was done in 1980. This project is not yet completed but preliminary results have been published. The news is not good; deforestation in the tropics continues to increase at alarming rates.
Canada agrees that the reform of the Tropical Forestry Action Plan (TFAP), as recommended by the Committee on Forestry, is critical to the development of successful long-term strategies in the entire food and agriculture sector. Canada concurs with other nations on the need to develop a global approach to forestry, encompassing not only the tropical forests but all forests of the world. The Canadian delegation strongly believes that the FAO Council should endorse the need for a comprehensive international instrument on the conservation and development of forests, as recommended by the Committee on Forestry.
Finally, Mr Chairman, although we understand the limitations facing the Secretariat in the production of documents for our meetings, we would like
to stress that, without more time than we have had in the case of this session to analyse key documents, the participation of Member Nations in the Council is inevitably impaired. We would be grateful were every effort made in future to ensure more timely distribution of documents.
Mustapha SINACEUR (Maroc): Monsieur le Président, permettez-moi tout d'abord de féliciter les trois Vice-Présidents élus, et de vous exprimer la satisfaction de notre délégation de vous voir présider nos travaux.
Monsieur le Président, je serai bref et mon intervention sera essentiellement axée sur les questions qui présentent à nos yeux un intérêt majeur.
La situation mondiale de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture, telle que présentée dans les documents du secrétariat, documents détaillés, exhaustifs, pour lesquels nous le remercions vivement, cette situation nous donne une image sombre de l'économie des pays en développement, et je ne saurais répéter ce que d'autres délégations ont déjà dit à ce sujet.
Cependant, la situation en Afrique mérite une attention particulière de notre part, et ce en raison de la gravité de son cas.
Les paragraphes 103 à 121 du document CL 98/2 mettent en exergue l'aspect catastrophique de l'économie de ce continent pour lequel les années 80 ont été considérées comme une décennie perdue pour le développement.
En effet, le montant total de la dette pour l'Afrique a atteint le chiffre de 200 milliards de dollars, sans parler des services de cette aide qui ont atteint 25% de ce montant. A cet égard, nous tenons à souscrire aux initiatives prises par certains pays en visant l'annulation de la dette pour une catégorie de pays, tout en formulant le voeu que de telles aides soient encore plus généralisées.
La production agricole reste largement en-dessous du niveau de la croissance démographique, et de nombreux pays de notre continent connaissent des difficultés d'approvisionnement alimentaire, avec tout ce que cela entraîne comme conséquence pour la nutrition.
En plus des longues années de sécheresse qui ont caractérisé les années 80 et du problème acridien qui continue toujours de constituer une menace, il faut mentionner le fait nouveau qu'est le problème de la lucilie bouchère et du danger imminent qu'elle représente pour les pays de notre sous-région notamment.
A ce titre et plus particulièrement, je tiens à rendre hommage aux efforts déployés par notre Organisation et le FIDA dans le cadre du projet d'éradication de ce fléau qui sévit actuellement en Libye et dont les proportions deviennent alarmantes.
Aussi je tiens à exhorter notre Conseil à lancer un appel à la communauté internationale en vue de mettre en place rapidement les moyens nécessaires à l'extinction de ce phénomène.
Je ne saurais conclure sans rendre hommage aux efforts que la FAO ne cesse de déployer en vue de la réalisation des objectifs visant le développement agricole et la résorption de la faim et de la malnutrition dans le monde.
Cependant, je voudrais souscrire à l'inquiétude du Directeur général exprimée dans son discours d'hier, inquiétude de voir certains faire jouer à notre Organisation un simple rôle académique.
Aussi, nous sollicitons notre Conseil: le soutien sans condition de la mission que doit continuer de remplir notre Organisation.
LE PRESIDENT: Je remercie le Représentant du Maroc de sa substantielle intervention. Je crois que tous, nous sommes conscients du rôle important de la FAO tant sur le plan conceptuel que sur le plan opérationnel.
Gerhard LIEBER (Germany): Our delegation is very pleased indeed to see you in the chair for this important meeting of our Council. We assure you and the three Vice-Chairmen of our full support in your difficult task of guiding the Council through its heavy agenda. Our contributions will consist in short statements on this item. We would very much like to thank Mr Dutia for his useful introduction.
As in previous years, this year we can also testify that the report on the State of Food and Agriculture and its supplement have been very carefully prepared and that they are useful documents.
It is always a temptation to enter into many details and comment on them but that would consume even more time. I will refrain from doing that.
Speaking now in somewhat more general terms, this year one of the important conclusions we draw from FAO's document is that global figures are getting increasingly problematic and are losing information value. Unfortunately, the differences are getting increasingly serious from country to country, above all, however, from region to region. This is not only true for the state of agricultural production but also for overall development.
We have to draw attention to a greater extent than before to regional development. We can be satisfied less than ever before with global data on world production and consumption. This is true if and when we include the problems of population dynamics and environmental issues into our calculations which are increasingly gaining political and economic importance.
On the other hand, it is becoming more clear that the dependence between states is growing and that closer relations and contacts between economic systems and states and groups of states become more or less a question of the survival of mankind. That means also that, taking into account adequately these inter-dependencies becomes almost compulsory.
The Eighth Round of the GATT Multilateral Trade Negotiations, the Uruguay Round, is under way. Unfortunately, many difficulties, particularly in the agricultural sector, have still to be overcome. They extend into the domestic policies of many European countries, my own country included, and raise many problems for all our governments. Nevertheless, we continue to be convinced that there will be a successful conclusion to the Uruguay Round which will be decisive for the future development of trade, agricultural trade always occupying a prominent place. In this respect we are in full agreement with the analysis given in document CL 98/2.
As I have mentioned already, I do not want to go into the detailed data of the report on agricultural production, supply and source flow, etc., but I would like to recall a remark from the statement of my delegation in the Council almost two years ago which is, in our view, still fully valid today. The development of national, regional and international agricultural policies must be oriented towards the stabilization and development of production in the developing countries in such a way that sufficient food will be available and is available for the domestic population and, if possible and desirable, for export markets. To achieve this objective, however, it is also important to develop income opportunities for the local population so that it will have sufficient funds to buy if necessary an adequate diet. In return, this requires that highest priority should be given to national agricultural policies for the development of rural areas where the majority of the poor in developing countries live. We expect FAO to give special attention to this complex of problems so that we can give developing countries, if they wish, the necessary policy advice.
As I have the floor, I would like to use this opportunity to thank through you, Mr Chairman, the Director-General for the very kind words in his introductory statement regarding the reestablished unity of our people. We consider the events since last year as part of a historic process towards ending the division of Europe. This is certainly a political development which fills us with great joy.
LE PRESIDENT: Je peux assurer le Représentant de l'Allemagne que nous nous réjouissons tous de la réunification de son pays. Nous sommes convaincus qu'il va vivre une expérience étonnante et parfois difficile dont, dans le domaine agricole, il faudra peut-être tirer certaines leçons qui pourront lui bénéficier.
Waleed A. ELKHEREIJI (Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of): Mr Chairman, it gives me great pleasure to see you presiding over our deliberations. I should also like to congratulate the three Vice-Chairmen on their election.
We have read very attentively the documents submitted to us, and I should like to commend the Secretariat for the excellent preparation of these documents. From these it is clear that the state of food and agriculture in the world has improved in certain regions while it has deteriorated in others. In fact, the decline was mainly concentrated in the least developed countries in Africa and in Latin America as well as in the Near East. This
decline has had its adverse effects on these countries. The solution to problems related to agricultural production should be sought first of all in self-reliance as far as possible, and in foreign aid in order to increase output and lay out strategies for that purpose. We support a reinforcement and strengthening of the role of FAO in providing technical assistance, because we know that this is fruitful and beneficial.
My country has formulated a strategy to reach self-sufficiency in food production. We have achieved this objective in many areas, notably the production of wheat. We have also reached an advanced stage in the production of vegetables and fruit. Last year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exported US$ 533 million worth of food products. My country contributes to multilateral cooperation and has also decided to take part in the World Food Programme for the year 1990 to 1991 at the same level as that for the year 1989 to 1990-that is, an amount of US$ 50 million. Through other agencies of the United Nations we also contribute effectively to multilateral cooperation and have made great efforts to contribute to bilateral cooperation.
LE PRESIDENT: Je voudrais vous signaler qu'un accord est intervenu entre les différents groupes concernant la composition du Comité de rédaction. Je voudrais remercier le Conseil d'avoir été particulièrement rapide pour régler ce délicat et important problème. Le Comité de rédaction se composera comme suit: Arabie Saoudite, Argentine, Canada, Cameroun, Colombie, Finlande, France, Indonésie, Japon, Maroc, Nigéria, Pakistan, Pays-Bas.
Et, suite aux contacts entre les différents groupes, il a été proposé de désigner comme Président du Comité de rédaction notre ami Muhammad Saleem Khan du Pakistan. Monsieur Khan est le Représentant permanent adjoint du Pakistan. Donc, il y a treize membres du Comité de rédaction. Je crois qu'un large accord est intervenu. S'il y a des observations à faire, je vous demanderais de les faire, et à défaut d'observations, la composition du Comité de rédaction sera définitivement arrêtée. Je ne vois aucune demande d'intervention. Il en sera ainsi.
Je crois que nous avons bien travaillé ce matin. Il reste encore un certain nombre d'interventions cet après-midi: celles du Pakistan-et j'en profite pour féliciter M.Khan de sa nomination au poste de Président du Comité de rédaction qui est une tâche importante et lourde pour laquelle nous lui
faisons entièrement confiance-du Portugal, de l'Iran, des Philippines, de l'Ethiopie, du Kenya, du Brésil et, en tant qu'observateurs, de la Bulgarie, du Chili, de la Commission économique pour l'Europe et de Chypre.
Après l'examen du point 4 de l'ordre du jour, nous passerons à un rapide examen des spécificités du point 4.1 et nous prendrons le point 5 relatif au rapport de la quinzième session du Comité de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. La séance sera alors présidée par le premier Vice-Président, le Représentant de la République islamique d'Iran.
The meeting rose at 12.45 hours
La séance est levée à 12 h 45
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.45 horas
