STATEMENT BY TIE INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL
DECLARATION DU PRESIDENT INDEPENDANT DU CONSEIL
DECLARACION DEL PRESIDENTE INDEPENDIENTE DEL CONSEJO

GENERAL DISCUSSION
DEBAT GENERAL
DEBATE GENERAL

- STATEMENTS BY HEADS OF DELEGATION
- DECLARATIONS DES CHEFS DE DELEGATION
- MANIFESTACIONES POR LOS JEFES DE LAS DELEGACIONES

LIN HUJIA (China) (original language Chinese):

Mr. Chairman, before making my intervention, please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese Delegation, to congratulate your Excellency Mr. Jorge Ruben Aguado on your election as Chairman of this Conference; I should also like to extend our sincere felicitations to Dr. Edouard Saouma on his appointment for a second term as Directors-General of FAO, and our welcome to the new Members of this Organization: Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Zimbabwe.

After stagnating for the last two years, world cereal production has just begun to make some progress this year. However, as production and distribution are uneven, hundreds of millions still live in a state of hunger and malnutrition. Terms of trade have become worse for agricultural products of the developing countries, whose real export earnings are decreasing due to damages done by trade protectionism. The developing countries are short of funds and technology necessary for development of food and agricultural production. The question of rural energy resources has become more acute. The international politico-economic situation as a whole is an austere one. All these not only have a profound bearing upon the economic development of the developing countries, but adversely affect the entire world including the developed countries. We consider that the world economy is a closely interrelated and inter-active one; without the economic development of the developing countries, the commodity markets, supplies of raw materials and outlets for investments, needed by the developed countries, would certainly be affected. Further aggravation of this situation, with nothing being done about it, would only play into the hands of those seeking hegemony.

It is under these austere circumstances that the current Session is being held.We are confronted with very arduous tasks. The agricultural economic development of the developing countries remains heavily handicapped by external constraints; the old irrational international economic structure must be reformed to facilitate the developing countries' efforts to accomplish economic independence and realize collective self-reliance. At the just ended North-South summit of world significance, good will was expressed to maintain world peace and reform the international economic structure, and earnest deliberations were conducted as to how to solve some of the problems in the food and agriculture sphere so as gradually to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. The solution of these complicated problems, however, requires unremitting efforts.It is to be hoped that the international community will proceed, in a spirit of mutual understanding and increasedcooperation, to go about solving some of the burning issues in the international food and agriculture sphere and thus to contribute positively towards the gradual establishment of a new international economic order based on equality, mutual benefit and justice.

In the vast majority of developing countries, agriculture occupies a prominent position in the national economy. That is because, as the rural population is predominant, the development of food and agricultural production has a direct bearing upon the politico-economic development of the country as a whole. The very fact that the UN General Assembly has included the question of food and agriculture as an essential component of the future International Development Strategy serves to illustrate its significance.

China is a developing socialist country.Experience gained in developing our national economy has brought home to us that the question of agriculture, in the final analysis, is the question of the peasantry.In developing food and agricultural production it is imperative to rely closely on the strength of the peasants.In old China, the broad masses of peasants led a miserable life subject to hunger and cold. In the early days after the founding of the People's Republic, we relied on the peasants in reforming the system of land tenure and implementing the principle of "land to the tiller". This inspired the vast peasantry with tremendous enthusiasm for production so that China's agriculture which had formerly been battered by war and natural disasters was soon restored. Following this, the peasants were encouraged, on the principle of "voluntary participation and mutual benefit", to get united and set up socialist collective economic organizations. Thus, their zeal for production was further enhanced and the development of agricultural production greatly promoted.

Over the last thirty years, the Chinese Government has consistently taken agriculture as the foundation in developing the national economy and promoted the development of agricultural production in every possible way.In total, China has built 86 000 reservoirs of various types, sunk 2 090 000 powered pump-wells with complementary facilities and expanded her irrigated area to forty-six million hectares, that is forty-six percentof her cultivated land, while fourteen million hectares of saline-alkaline and other low-yielding soil have been ameliorated. State industry has helped to improveconditions for agricultural production by providing the rural sector with a total of 740 000 tractors of large or medium horsepower and 1 870 000 small or walking tractors, as well as an annual twelve million tons of chemical nutrients last year, whereas state appropriations and loans to agriculture have been considerable. In the last few years, particularly, in order to enhance the peasants'enthusiasm, we have introduced policy modifications and reforms in planning procedures, raised the procurement prices for agricultural and sideline products, reduced the peasants' burden and instituted systems of responsability in production. All this has yielded good results in boosting farming, forestry, livestock, fishery and sideline production as well as increasing the peasants' income; the rural economy is flourishing.

At the same time, in working out programmes for agricultural development, we stress the principle of proceeding from actual circumstances and taking local conditions into full account so that each locality can fully tap its own advantages and vigorously develop a diversified agricultural economy while never relaxing efforts in grain production. Despite serious natural disasters, last year's grain production topped 318 million tons, which was the second highest record though lower than that of 1979. This year, various parts of the country have been hit by serious drought and floods, yet grain output is estimated to go up and approach that of 1979, with all-round increases expected for industrial crops.In readjusting agricultural production patterns, land that is not suited to grain production has been converted to other appropriate crops while quantities of grain have been imported to meet the needs of such changes. With a large population and large requirements for food, China will never change her fundamental policy on internal self-sufficiency in food. The fact that China feeds her population of twenty-two percent of humanity on just seven percentof the'world's total cultivated land best illustrates the superiority of her socialist system; it is a result of developing agricultural resources self-reliantly by relying on the enthusiasm of the peasants and the support of the state.

Although specific circumstances vary from country to country, we are confronted with identical tasks and objectives in the food and agriculture sphere, namely, the acceleration of development of food production in developing countries in order to eradicate hunger and malnutrition progressively.

We are happy to note the development, over the last few years, of the food production of developing countries, although it is still insufficient in relation to the growth in population and the increasing needs of the people's improved livelihood.It is essential, in the spirit of the resolutions and Programmes of Actions adopted by the World Food Conference and WCARRD, to mobilize our rural people in developing agricultural production energetically, increase agricultural investments and inputs, improve agricultural credit and marketing and intensify international economic and technical cooperation. At the same time, attention must be paid to population control so that the growth rate is lowered and material production increased in a planned manner.

In the context of the long-term requirements of food and agricultural development, it is our common task to strengthen agro-scientific research. In order to step up the development of food and agricultural production, we should, in the light of our respective circumstances and needs, develop scientific and technical know-how suited to the conditions and level of our agricultural production, do a good job of training and organizing agro-scientific and technical personnel, expand education in agro-science and training of peasants, and improve agro-technical extension services, etc. so all this will serve to accelerate our food and agricultural development.

In their efforts to accelerate food and agricultural development, many developing countries are short of funds and technology, while commitments of developed countries to transfer capital and technology to developing countries have fallen short of agreed targets. Thus, agricultural resources abundant enough to feed the entire humanity lie untapped for lack of capital and technology, whereas hundreds of millions are reduced to starvation and have to depend on imported food. Such reality must indeed be changed.It is our hope that all developed countries will, in the spirit of the relevant targets and principles laid down in the International Strategy for the Third UN Development Decade, provide deve loping' countries with capital and technical assistance necessary for their agricultural development in order to help the recipient countries to better develop their agriculture in a self-reliant way.

Related to food and agricultural development are such extremely important questions as international trade of agricultural produce and food security. We should like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our support for the developing countries' just struggle to obtain access for their agricultural products to developed markets and improve the terms of trade for agricultural produce, for efforts made by all countries to promote world food security, and for FAO's work for accelerated development of food and agricultural production in the developing countries.

Over the years, FAO has done much in organizing exchanges of experience in developing agriculture, implementing field projects, helping developing countries to boost agricultural production and agroscientific research and education, as well as coordinating national agricultural policies. All this deserves the support of Member Nations. Convinced that exchanges of information and experience at this august forum among representatives of various countries and international organizations will certainly promote our mutual understanding and cooperation, we hereby wish our Session every success.

Madame E. CRESSON (France) : C'est un honneur pour nous de vous féliciter pour votre élection à la Présidence de notre Conférence et également de dire combien nous sommes heureux de voir reconduit pour 6 ans le mandat de M. Edouard Saouma, dont nous partageons la foi en une action militante au service des plus démunis, de ceux qui souffrent le plus durement de l'injustice de ce monde et de ceux qui en meurent. Les minorités industrielles font trop souvent oublier que le monde demeure peuplé de paysans. C'est par ces hommes et par ces femmes que l'humanité devra accomplir le progrès que nous voulons vers l'équilibre alimentaire mondial. C'est par l'amélioration de leur emploi et de la production, par la maîtrise qu'ils acquièrent de leurs propres outils que la démocratie peut s'étendre pour permettre les moissons de la paix. Voilà pourquoi c'est eux que je salue dans cette première allocution, Mesdames et Messieurs, Monsieur le Président, Messieurs les Ministres et les Chefs de Délégation, Mesdames et Messieurs. De cette tribune et à travers vous c'est à tous les peuples du monde, je le sais, que je m'adresse et que j'apporte la parole de la France ; vous le savez maintenant l'établissement d'une sécurité alimentaire effective constitue, avec la défense de la paix, l'objectif prioritaire de l'ac tion internationale de notre gouvernement. Cette action internationale est indissociable du combat que nous menons chez nous contre la crise, contre le chômage, contre les inégalités, indissociable car elle en est le prolongement hors de nos frontières. Indissociable car la faim n'est que la première, la plus brutale et la plus inadmissible des manifestations de la crise internationale. Lutter contre la faim, c'est lutter contre les inégalités et les injustices. Lutter contre la faim c'est lutter contre la crise. La faim, en effet, c'est la pauvreté, c'est cette fraction insolvable de la demande alimentaire mondiale. On ne peut donc oublier que le financement d'une aide alimentaire capable de vaincre la faim devrait avoir pour conséquence d'accroître de manière significative les échanges; cela nous le disons d'un point de vue tout à fait général et pour bien souligner que tous les pays sans exception devront se mobiliser pour satisfaire cette demande.

Dans ce premier temps il faudra sans doute faire appel à la puissance alimentaire dont disposent quelques pays riches exportateurs parmi lesquels la France; mais il faudra surtout dans la mesure du possible faire appel aux productions vivrières de tous les pays. A la faim et à la mort qui frappent toujours plus loin et plus fort il faut d'abord opposer des moyens matériels financiers et humains suffisants pour intervenir partout avec la rapidité et la force nécessaires. Des réserves de sécurité correctement localisées doivent être constituées et renouvelées en temps voulu et utilisées de manière à briser toutes les famines et ceci sans compromettre en rien le développement de la production locale. Mais cela ne saurait suffire car le mal gagne, le déficit des plus pauvres augmente, le volume et le coût de l'aide d'urgence continueraient de s'accroître de manière insoutenable si nn s'en tenait là, si l'on ne s'attaquait pas aussi aux racines du mal. Dans le tiers monde vous le savez la crise des économies paysannes et vivrières s'étend et s'aggrave tous les jours. Il faut en chercher les raisons dans l'exigui'té des moyens de production, dans l'excès des charges, dans le développement trop exclu sif des cultures d'exportation, dans les excès d'une modernisation souvent trop concentrée, trop coû teuse et mal adaptée. Il faut enfin et surtout chercher ces raisons dans l'existence de rapports d'échange nationaux et mondiaux qui mettent la paysannerie du tiers monde hors d'état de se procurer les moyens de progresser, hors d'état d'alimenter le marché local, hors d'état de se nourrir elle-même, hors d'ét; at de maintenir ses movens de production et de se maintenir elle-même. Ainsi se dégrade l'économie des paysans, ainsi s'amorce et s'accroît l'exode rural, ainsi la pauvreté et la faim des villes et des campagnes se rejoignent. Sauver et restaurer l'économie paysanne et vivrière du tiers monde, la mettre en état de se maintenir et d'assurer de plus en plus largement l'approvisionnement vivrier lo cal, national, régional, tel est pour la plupart des pays l'objectif premier du développement. Pour cela il faudra d'abord rendre aux agriculteurs la terre qui leur revient et dont ils ont besoin pour produire. Il faudra aussi relever progressivement et stabiliser le prix des produits vivriers et agricoles, accorder à l'économie paysanne et à la production vivrière le soutien et la protection qui leur sont nécessaires et enfin favoriser au maximum la production locale au profit de la consommation locale. C'est en redonnant aux agriculteurs les moyens d'exister et de remplir leur fonction nourricière que l'on développera du même coup leurs propres capacités d'achat et qu'on relancera dans chaque pays la demande intérieure. C'est alors, et alors seulement, que l'on commencera à rompre le cercle vicieux de la crise.

Car la crise en vérité est le fruit de trop de pauvreté à un pole de la société et, à l'autre pole, de trop de richesses et de trop de moyens financiers qui ne trouvent pas leur emploi dans le système actuel.

Aux stratégies de croissance qui consistent à réduire les paysans à plus de misère pour disposer d'une main-d oeuvre surabondante "taillable et corvéable" à merci, pour le plus grand profit des industries d'exportation, et qui réduisent du même coup la demande locale et qui finissent par ruiner, ailleurs, d'autres industries en exportant le chômage. A ces stratégies génératrices de misère pour le plus grand nombre et qui aggravent la crise générale, il faut donc bien opposer des stratégies qui, dans chaque pays et à l'échelle mondiale, réduisent la pauvreté, restaurent les capacités de production et les capacités d'achat de la paysannerie, relancent la demande intérieure.

Chaque pays doit donc élaborer sa propre stratégie de développement en fonction de ses propres ressources, de ses propres besoins, de ses propres conditions sociales, politiques et culturelles. Au monde hiérarchisé et polarisé que de monstrueuses inégalités de développement ont conduit à la crise présente, nous opposons donc une autre perspective, une perspective de rupture de la crise par le développement autocentré, le développement de chacun pouvant alors concourir au développement commun, c'est-à-dire à un codéveloppement économique, politique et culturel, réellement polycentrique.

En vérité, toute interprétation de la crise qui ignore la situation de l'économie agricole du tiers monde est une interprétation sans fondement. De ce fait, toute stratégie de rupture de la crise qui ne commencerait pas par la lutte contre la faim et contre la pauvreté, qui ne comporterait pas le sauvetage et la restauration des économies paysannes et vivrières du tiers monde serait vouée à l'échec. Ce combat contre la crise par la lutte contre les inégalités et par la relance du marché intérieur, nous l'avons engagé en France. Le soutien résolu aux petites exploitations et aux régions agricoles en difficulté pour sauver l'emploi, réduire l'exode et le chômage, telle est notre politique.

Par l'intensification, par la valorisation et la transformation de nos produits nous élargirons l'emploi et le revenu agricole. Nous mettrons l'agriculture française en état de contribuer à la satisfaction des besoins du siècle et nous le ferons de manière que notre agriculture reste toujours compatible avec les possibilités et les exigeances du développement des agricultures du tiers monde.

Pour nous, lutter contre la faim et contre la pauvreté c'est donc bien s'éloigner des rivages du désespoir et de mort où la crise nous a conduits.Voilà pourquoi la France s'est engagée à porter l'aide publique au développement à la hauteur de 0,7 pour cent de son produit national brut. Voilà pourquoi la France a décidé de porter à 0,15 pour cent de son produit national brut l'aide publique au développement destinée aux pays les moins avancés. Voilà pourquoi la France a décidé cette année de doubler sa contribution volontaire au Programme alimentaire mondial et espère poursuivre dans cette voie. Voilà pourquoi une première participation à certain Fonds fiduciaire de l'Organisation pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture a été décidée.

A cet égard, l'expérience et l'action de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture sont irremplaçables. L'engagement de la FAO au cours de ces dernières années en faveur de la relance vivrière, son soutien à l'économie paysanne et son approche prudente à l'égard du problème des transferts de techniques et la mise en oeuvre du programme d'assistance à la sécurité alimentaire correspondent à nos propres orientâtions

Enfin, la France plaide pour une organisation des marchés des produits de base par des accords inter nationaux vraiment efficaces et pour la stabilisation des recettes d'exportation indispensable pour asseoir un réel développement.

Pour les mêmes raisons elle a pris position pour la création d'une filiale Energie de la Banque mondiale cogérée et capable de coopérer au développement énergétique du tiers monde.

Pour terminer, je citerai le Président François Mitterrand dans son message au Comité français pour la Journé mondiale de l'alimentation : "Dans un monde où la sécurité alimentaire de l'humanité n'est pas assurée, il n'est plus acceptable que la puissance alimentaire des riches pays exportateurs soit utilisée comme un moyen de spéculation ou de pression politique au détriment des plus pauvres. Il n'est pas acceptable que la puissance alimentaire soit employée comme une arme alimentaire. La lutte contre la faim pour la sécurité alimentaire et pour le développement des pays les plus pauvres est conforme à l'idée que la France se fait de la solidarité internationale. Elle correspond aussi à l'intérêt de tous les peuples riches ou pauvres qui ont besoin de vivre dans un monde plus juste et plus sûr."

Ainsi, M. le Président, la France a-t-elle désormais inscrit le droit au développement parmi les priorités de l'action gouvernementale. Dans toute lutte contre l'injustice et la faim, vous trouverez, soyez-en sur, notre pays aux cotés de ceux qui mènent cette lutte.

(Applause).
(Applaudissements).

(Aplausos).

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias señora Ministro de Agricultura de Francia. Voy a conceder ahora la palabra al excelentísimo señor Omer El Amin, Ministro de Agricultura, Alimentación y Recursos Naturales del Sudán.

O. EL AMIN (Sudan) (Original language Arabic): In the name of God, the all merciful: Mr. President, Distinguished Heads of Delegations, Mr. Director-General, ladies and gentlemen:I would like to extend my greetings to you on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Sudan, wishing you every success in the conduct of our affairs and in the rendering of our responsibilities to this Organization in order to arrive at the targets we have set for ourselves, such as the agricultural development on a world scale and food security for humanity as a whole.

These congratulations we extend to you, Mr. Chairman, on your election as Chairman of the General Conference with full faith in your capabilities of conducting our affairs in a serious and objective manner.

Yesterday we welcomed friendly countries to the ranks of our Organization and today I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to salute our brothers in Palestine and South Africa, who are fighting to win over their legitimate rights from the forces of oppression and colonialism in the service of humanity and world peace. We are looking with trust and certainty to the day of victory when these people will join our ranks and when we will hear their voices from this rostrum and all the rostra of the international community.

Yesterday we expressed unanimously on behalf of the international community a gesture in our re-election of Dr. Saouma for a second term, and this gesture fills our hearts with hope for we know we are going to be wise in our decisions despite the differences in origins, despite the conflicts and disputes that bring us to the brink of war. This unanimity expresses faithfully our appreciation of the efforts that the Director-General has made. We do not wish him to discontinue these efforts.We give him full responsibility, because we are sure of his capabilities and his achievements and because we are aware that he is equal to the task despite its difficulty in these difficult times.

The path laid down by Dr. Saouma in conducting the affairs of this Organization and his vision and strategies on the programmes of this Organization are exactly what we aspire to and would hope to achieve.The responsibility requires us unanimously to support Dr. Saouma in a positive manner so that he will be able to be generous and to make greater achievements. My country will spare no effort in cooperating with Dr. Saouma, as we have always done.

Yesterday we celebrated World Food Day.We took it as an opportunity to consecrate the food crisis in the world. We made use of this day to enhance international cooperation and solidarity in facing up to the threat of hunger and the spectre of war. This day, which filled us with compassion and preoccupation and pessimism for the future of the developing world, has increased the awareness in the countries that have a low income that hunger is threatening them andthreatening their future generations.

The danger that the Director-General has signalled to us about the imminent disaster that is threatening the Third World has enhanced our awareness of the fact that food consumption is increasing with the increase of population, whereas production is falling because of the price of energy and the rise in the factors of production prices.

The deficit in trade balance has made it impossible for certain countries to invest in food production and we know now that foreign assistance and foreign aid is incapable of helping us produce more food. Developing countries know now that there is no future for them if they do not solve their problems before the year 2000. The bleak picture of the future is emphasized even more now, because there is no food security, no stability in life.

This is the echo that the World Food Day has had in many developing countries. This is the national awareness that we have tried to consecrate.It is the awareness of those who do not have any selfreliance to invest in their resources in order to be self-sufficient.It is the awareness of those who know that foreign aid and foreign assistance is needed for self-reliance because we in the developing countries would like the developed countries to have an awareness that is complementary to ours and which would go beyond mere words and help us supply food for the hungry millions in the Third World. We would like them to know that the world food situation does not depend on developing countries only but depends even more on developed countries. The developed countries should know that the threat of creaping hunger is a challenge to world cooperation which should serve the interests of all. We would like the developed countries to know that developing countries are undergoing sufferings under the present economic order because of unemployment, inflation and stagnation. We would like them to know that our export earnings in the developing world are not enough for the repayment and the servicing of debts, are not sufficient for us to be self-reliant.Self-reliance has been reduced to nil in the present international economic order.

We would like the developed countries to rethink their economic policies in order to arrive at a just solution between what the export earnings of the developing countries are and what their import requirements are, We would like them to seek peace and stability in the developing world in order to share the international heritage among all.

We would like the developed nations to know that now even more than before we ask them for effective cooperation towards developing countries in order to help them exploit and invest their resources. This will go beyond meeting consumption requirements.It will mean setting up the basis for a new economy.

We would like the industrialized nations to provide more financial resources and to help more in training cadres in order to enable developing countries to do more. We would like them to open up channels of cooperation with developing countries on all levels in order to achieve a new balance and in order to serve justice and peace in the world, which cannot be partitioned. Our mission is one of solidarity and cooperation for food security in the world.If we have agreed on targets and principles, if we have agreed on strategies, then we will agree on the volume of financial resources that are needed in order to obtain the targets.

The budgets set forth for the biennium are not equal to the tasks ahead and do not meet the needs of the developing countries as we have heard them voiced on International Food Day in order to help them face the crisis.The programmes under this budget show that developing countries are in dire need of foreign aid, and in this phase, therefore, we require a larger budget. We hope at any rate that the budget will not be cut back. We hope that in the developing countries we will be able to get the technical expertise under this present budget, and we hope that we will be able to get more aid in order to implement our agricultural programmes.

We hope that the resources will be renewed here and in IFAD and in all the international agencies commensurately with our programmes. The aid supplied to developing countries should be increased in order to meet the new crises, so that consumption and production should strike a balance the world over.

We thank the donor countries through these programmes and through this Organization which has proved its capabilities. We are happy to note that the Administration of this Organization has been extremely effective. The Director-General has cut back the number of posts and has emphasized the trend of decentralization. We are all for it, and we hope that the Regional Offices will follow in his footsteps. We hope they will try to establish better links in order to take decisions more quickly and to make better achievements.We in Sudan would like to thank the Organization for all it has done for us and would like to commend the efforts of the Regional Organization in the way of coordination and comprehensive programmes it has set up.In Sudan, because of our limited resources and because of the distribution of our people and of wealth, we are for an integrated development especially in the rural areas which would be able to establish food security and which will be the basis for progress.

We have come a long way in agricultural development and in developing agricultural resources and exports. We have been able to avail ourselves of the help of friendly nations and some international agencies and organizations.However, we would like to effect agricultural investment, and we would like to make better use of our huge agricultural resources, for I think these resources will enable us to help friendly nations and brother countries. We were the first to open our door to agricultural investment in Sudan, and we have said time and again-we will say this again-that this sort of investment is not for Sudanese good only, it is to be shared out amongst ourselves and amongst our friends. We were the first to open international cooperation on Sudanese land, and we have done this sincerely and truthfully. We would like to invest our resources for the good of Sudan and for our friendly nations and for the world in general. This is why we believe that our responsibility towards food security goes beyond the borders of Sudan. We would like to make use of our resources in order to meet all the needs and in order to ward off the threat of hunger in the world. We hope that this will be possible through self-reliance and through bilateral and multilateral cooperation and through the help of the international community. We hope that in this way we will be able to ward off the spectre of hunger from the world.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. Chairman, and to the Director General, and I wish our Organization every success.

R. LYNG (United States of America): Mr. Chairman, Mr. Director General, my fellow delegates and friends.It is with pleasure that I appear before this distinguished audience of world agricultural leaders to share with you the views of the United States on matters coming before this Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The United States played an important role in the founding of this Organization in 1945. We have remained a major supporter of FAO and we reaffirm our commitment in support of the FAO objective.

In my remarks, I would like to touch on U.S. assistance to developing nations, our domestic and agricultural trade policies, world food security, the creation of a climate for growth, and FAO activities and its budget.

My country has a long-standing commitment to combat hunger and malnutrition. This commitment is deeply rooted in the hearts of the American people.

The United States has carried out a bilateral food aid program since 1954,Since then, the United States has contributed almost $40 billion in food aid to nations in need, more than all other Nations combined.

The United States is one of the founders of the World Food Program. As you know, a significant portion of the food aid provided by the United States moves through the World Food Program, as well as through UNICEF and voluntary nonprofit U.S. agencies such as CARE and church organizations.

Food aid is only a portion of our total assistance to developing countries. The United States has provided a total of $57 billion in development assistance in the last decade alone. This is a substantial sum.It is unfortunate, however, that we must measure aid in dollars instead of in lives, in health, and in hope on the part of those who have been helped.That is the real measure of aid.

The problem of solving world hunger and improving world food security is beyond the power or responsibility of one country or a few. No nation can ignore its share of this responsibility.

In most countries, farmers produce more than 90 percent of the food eaten within their own borders. But more can be grown within the borders of food deficit nations; more must be grown there. The development of greater self-reliance is the single most important factor in creating vigorous national economies and improving the level of living in developing countries.

Low-income, food-deficit countries that are attempting to improve their food supplies as well as their economic well being merit our help. Not just help from a few nations and the international agencies they support, but assistance from all nations in a position to do so. The newly wealthy and more advanced developing countries -- those with important intermediate technology -- certainly can assist less-advanced developing nations to increase their food supplies.

At this time, I would like to review with you briefly the agricultural policies of the Reagan Administration.

Our policies are designed to maintain a strong economy at home and to keep the United States as an active and responsible participant in world agricultural affairs. As world population continues to increase and the demand for food and agricultural products rise, the United States seeks to remain a dependable supplier of food and agricultural products to both developing and developed nations.

We will conserve and replenish our productive agricultural resources so that we can continue to respond to world food needs on both a commercial and assistance basis. As the pressures grow on land needed to feed the world's people, the protection, conservation and wise use of productive agricultural land throughout the world become increasingly essential.

We will continue to supplement our domestic research with cooperative international research programs, and to exchange scientific information with developing and developed nations. All nations and their people benefit from these research activities and exchanges. Research will increase agricultural productivity. Research will also reduce post-harvest losses and increase food processing efficiency.

U.S. agricultural trade policies are part of our overall economic policies. They are directed at an expanded and liberalized exchange of commodities in the world market.

None of us should overlook the role of commercial trade in food availability. Nor should we forget that many developed countries, as well as the developing nations, must look beyond their own shores to meet some of their food requirements commercially.

Even though the United States is a large food producer, we do not produce all we need of many important agricultural commodities. We will continue as a leading market for large amounts of commodities from developing countries. In 1980, we imported nearly $17 billion of agricultural products, almost 12 billion of which came from developing countries.

I will now comment briefly on U.S foreign assistance; my colleagues on the U.S. Delegation will contribute more on this matter later.

In these inflationary times, the need for fiscal austerity seems to dominate the policies of almost every country, including my own. Nevertheless, U.S. bilateral aid will provide about $5 billion for development assistance to developing nations in 1982, with an increasing proportion directed toward food, agriculture and rural development in the least developed countries. This year we will be pro viding nearly $2 billion to multilateral organizations. We believe that there are many conduits through which our assistance may be channeled, and our objective will be to achieve maximum impact for every dollar spent.

The United States Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development (AID) cooperate closely in transferring high-yield technology to developing nations through technical assistance and training programs.These programs help developing nations to improve their food production while helping develop the individual and institutional capacity needed to stimulate agriculture and economic growth.

The U.S. Food Security Reserve of 4 million tons of wheat will continue to back up our food aid commitments under the Food Aid Convention and the World Food Program. The Reserve includes 300,000 tons of wheat that can be used for immediate emergency relief when needed.

While the problem of world food security is complex, one thing is clear: The long-term answer to the increasing need for food is to increase the productivity of agriculture worldwide and to increase purchasing power in those countries which do not produce enough to meet their needs.The domestic and international policies of the United States are designed to accomplish this goal. Increased production is achieved by millions of farmers throughout the world as they respond to better incentives and technology in an atmosphere that rewards their efforts.

World food security will improve as individual governments set aside reserve stocks to help cushion periodic downturns in production. FAO's Plan of Action calls for adoption of national food grain stock policies as its first point. We agree on this as a matter of national priority. U.S. grain reserve policies are consistent with FAO's guidelines.

The United States shares many of the concerns expressed by Director-General Saouma on the world food situation. We appreciate the staggering work that still lies ahead to resolve the problems of adequate food supplies, improved distribution, and rural development. The task is magnified by inflation, high energy prices, rising debts, and the economic instability associated with these factors.

We recognize the importance of FAO as the lead international agency concerned with increasing food production. FAO's technical assistance and training activities are comprehensive and unique. We have cooperated with FAO in these efforts to improve technology and productivity in the food and agricultural sector, and we expect to continue doing so.

We value FAO's work in collecting and disseminating worldwide statistical data about food and agriculture and its early warning system. We find it useful in our own statistical and economic analyses.

FAO's collaboration with international financial institutions like the World Bank and IFAD has led to increased investment in food and agriculture projects. The United States has encouraged the financial institutions and FAO in those efforts.

We are pleased to see that FAO is giving higher priority to forest resource management and is making an effective response to animal and plant pest control. We look to the FAO as the lead U.N. agency in these areas.

Our comments about the good work that FAO is doing lead inevitably to issues of costs and priorities, and of budgetary limitations. The Reagan Administration is firmly committed to the view that austerity in government expenditures is essential to overcome worldwide inflationary pressures. The United

States is making substantial cuts in domestic programs and will be making further cuts in our new budget year in order to achieve a sound economy.

We think that all international agencies, including FAO, must hold down rising expenditures. This does not mean a reduction in FAO's essential activities, but rather a shifting of resources from lower priority to higher priority activities, and putting a lid on administrative costs in order to conserve resources for programs in member countries.

It is time to review the progress we have made in the past 20-25 years and to address the obstacles that hinder continued growth.

There are many examples of developing countries in which food production has increased substantially. Some of these countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Malaysia, and Brazil. On the African continent, we note the example of Cameroon and Niger. In each case, those countries have given priority to their food and agriculture problems and have provided incentives for farmers to produce more.

The American Government and the American people are committed to the continuation of efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition. While worldwide resources to deal with the complexities of this problem are limited at this time, we will seek more effective uses of the resources that are available to us in bilateral and multilateral assistance efforts.

On Sunday, I stood among thousands of people not far from here as Pope John Paul II reminded us that land is a gift of God and has to produce benefits for everybody.

His Holiness referred to the urgent need for new initiatives and added dignity to farmers in Third World Countries "where the majority of the population lives from the land".

The United States will enthusiastically share appropriate U.S. production technology with low-and middle-income developing countries. And we will look to these countries for answers that may help us overcome some of our problems.

We will continue to extend the benefits of our agricultural research to other countries to reduce animal and plant diseases and to increase yields though improved genetic strains and farm technology.

We will continue to offer assistance, when requested, in helping interested countries link their production and consumption policies. President Reagan has recently reaffirmed this.

The United States will do its part to improve world food security. Our farmers will maintain high levels of production, and the United States will hold open the doors for importing countries to secure the foodstuffs they need when they have shortfalls or seek to build their own reserves.

We will continue to support efforts to reduce barriers to trade. We do this because of the depth of our conviction that those barriers add to the world's food problems instead of helping the people who need food.

I share with you the sense of encouragement from the progress that has been made -- past efforts and accomplishments should serve as an inspiration to all of us. Working in concert, we can overcome the age-old scourge of food scarcity, insecurity, and fulfill the aspirations of all our world's people.

E. PISANI (Communauté économique européenne): Il y a vingt ans, presque jour pour jour, j'accédais à cette tribune pour la première fois en tant que Ministre de l'agriculture de mon pays. Depuis lors, deux décennies du développement ont parcouru leur temps, et la situation alimentaire mondiale n'est pas meilleure qu'elle n'était. Peut-être est-elle pire.

La tentation est grande de se laisser gagner par le doute alors qu'au contraire tout nous appelle à accroître nos moyens et à engager davantage de forces.

Je parle ici au nom de la Communauté économique européenne, en ma qualité de responsable du développement. Je voudrais simplement indiquer, non pas pour en tirer orgueil, mais pour que les choses soient claires, que la Communauté économique européenne apporte près de 50 pour cent de l'aide publique au développement que l'ensemble des pays industrialisés apporte à l'ensemble de l'effort qui est fait à travers le monde. Et pourtant, nous considérons que cet effort est insuffisant, qu'il nous faut l'am plifier, et qu'il nous faut encore chaque jour davantage en accroître l'efficacité.

Le problème qui nous est posé aujourd'hui est celui de savoir comment contribuer davantage à l'équilibre alimentaire du monde, alors que nos propres économies sont en crise et que nos travailleurs s'interrogent sur la concurrence que les pays en voie de développement sont susceptibles de faire à leur emploi au moment cù le chômage se développe. En plus, on peut se demander si la conférence de Cancun a été oui ou non un échec.

Le débat sur la négociation globale en est revenu au point où il était il y a deux ans. La filiale énergétique qui était l'élément le plus significatif de la recherche collective n'a pas abouti. II était l'élément le plus significatif car s'il y avait eu une filiale, il y aurait eu adaptation par les pays développés d'un partage du pouvoir dans une institution internationale. Or de ce partage on n'a pas voulu. Le problème est donc posé, pour une communauté comme la nôtre de savoir comment elle peut contribuer au développement du monde et d'abord comment elle peut le faire à partir des moyens qu'elle mobilise déjà. C'est la signification que nous donnons à l'initiative que la Commission a prise sur suggestion du gouvernement italien et que le Conseil des Ministres de la CEE a adopté. Je voudrais donc analyser devant vous les éléments pour dire la philosophie. A titre indicatif, nous apportons hors de nos contributions habituelles une contribution complémentaire de 40 millions d'unités de compte et nous avons joie à avoir décidé qu'une partie de cette contribution complémentaire aiderait à la constitution du Fonds mondial de sécurité. Nous considérons en effet que l'existence de stocks de sécurité serait un élément essentiel pour le futur. Mais nous nous sommes inscrits et c'est là l'essentiel, dans la ligne que la FAO a elle-même initiée et qui est la ligne des stratégies alimentaires nationales. L'analyse que nous faisons pays par pays des interventions conjointes de l'aide alimentaire, de l'aide au développement et des politiques nationales nous démontre qu'il n'y a pas de cohérence. Que l'aide alimentaire décourage la production, que l'aide au développement s'inscrit parfois dans des projets qui ne sont pas immédiatement utiles et immédiatement exploitables et que parfois les politiques économiques nationales viennent contredire l'ensemble des efforts qui sont par ailleurs réalisés.

Nous avons décidé à 10 pays plus la Communauté de proposerà un certain nombre de pays partenaires d'accepter de voir avec nous expérimentalement, au cas par cas, comment en combinant les éléments de l'aide alimentaire, de l'aide au développement et des politiques nationales il est possible de tirer meilleur parti des interventions extérieures ; pour cela, et ceci constitue une première innovation, les dix pays et la CEE acceptent de coopérer étroitement dans les pays les plus pauvres non pas de telle sorte que chacun des pays membres de la CEE aide chacun à sa manière et que la Communauté aide d'une onzième manière mais de ce que l'ensemble européen constitue un élément cohérent d'intervention au profit des économies en développement.

Cela entraîne des conséquences extraordinairement difficiles à gérer; actuellement, en termes de budget, nous avons un chapitre d'aide alimentaire et un chapitre d'aide au développement. Si nous ne parvenions pas, pays par pays, à obtenir qu'un pays bénéficiaire qui économiserait sur l'aide alimentaire par une politique positive bénéficie du transfert de l'aide alimentaire sur l'aide au développement, nous aurions tendance à installer l'aide alimentaire comme un des éléments permanents de la politique internationale alors même que, au contraire, nous souhaitons que l'aide alimentaire se détruise ellemême en contribuant au développement, en étant un instrument de prise en compte de chaque pays de sa propre économie, de son propre destin, de sa propre capacité de croissance et de production agricole. Nous souhaitons pouvoir ainsi entreprendre sur le terrain, et nous le ferons dans le cadre des études de la FAO et avec son concours, une stratégie globale qui permette à chaque pays de progresser vers cette autonomie dont il a besoin, car il n'est pas suffisant que le monde en tant qu'ensemble ait la capacité de nourrir le monde, il n'est pas suffisant que quelque part quelques continents privilégiés aient la capacité de nourrir l'ensemble du monde, encore faut-il que chaque pays atteigne un degré de suffisance alimentaire qui contribue à son autonomie politique, à son autonomie, stratégique, à son autonomie culturelle. Si nous pouvions imaginer quelque part sur une planète un lieu privilégié qui serait capable de produire pour l'ensemble de l'humanité à 10 milliards d'individus et qu'il nous suffise d'importer de cette planète nous devrions refuser ce don du ciel, car l'autonomie alimentaire doit être le résultat de l'effort de chacun des pays pour son autosuffisance ; c'est à ce combat que la CEE participera, pays par pays, si ses pays partenaires le souhaitent et s'ils acceptent cette recherché en commun ce contrat pour le développement, cet engagement politique. Mais il est des actions qui dépassent largement les frontières de chaque pays partenaire. Il est des réalités auxquelles à l'intérieur d'un pays on ne peut pas faire face. et dans le cadre du programme que la CEE a adopté prend place cette action thématique : lutte contre la destruction des forêts, lutte pour la sauvegarde des récoltes, effort pour le développement de la recherche. L'un des drames dont nous sommes, nous Européens, responsables si les pays d'Afrique le veulent, et le drame africain. Il y a aujourd'hui en Afrique 400 millions d'habitants,-il y en aura 800.millions à la fin du siècle.

Entre-temps 30 millions d'hectares auront disparu pour devenir désert. Comment ce continent peut-il prétendre dans de telles conditions aboutir à ce minimum d'autosuffisance auquel il a droit, que nous devons l'aider à acquérir? Comment accepter pour le problème énargétique fondamental qui est celui

de l'energie domestique aboutisse à la destruction de dizaines, de centaines, de milliers d'hectares par an. Comment peut-on accepter que la femme soit obligée, après être allée chercher le bois à un kilomètre, à aller le chercher à 5 et bientôt à 10 km pour pouvoir faire cuire les aliments ? Comment imaginer, alors que les techniques simples existent, que nous ne mettions pas à la disposition, non pas de ces pays, mais de chacun des habitants de ces pays d'outils simples à sa portée technique à sa portée financière de façon au'il économise sur les énergies de cuisson. J'ai été à Nairobi parmi tant d'autres. Il y avait là un spectacle admirable de la technologie moderne: les fours solaires. J'ai été impressionné par tant de science et finalement par tant d'inutilité et dans un coin il y avait quelques petits fours... imaginés suivant la tradition africaine et qui permettaient que le gaspil lage d'énergie au lieu d'être de 95 pour cent ne soit que de 60 pour cent: huit fois moins de prélè vements sur la forêt chaque année, alors la prise de l'homme est inférieure à la création de la nature, alors l'équilibre s'inverse, alors l'avenir devient possible et les habitants du Kenya étaient de mon sentiment, puisque aussi bien ils n'ont pas visité les monstres de la technologie moderne mais sont allés voir comment les petits toyers domestiques pouvaient fonctionner. Est-ce à dire que. enfin, si les pays d'Afrique recourent à ce système d'économie des ressources nous leur refusons lès technologies avancées: non; les deux efforts doivent être conduits en même temps. C'est dans cet esprit de stratégie alimentaire nationale et d'action modeste mais efficace et répandant à travers les territoires que nous inscrivons notre effort. Notre effort dont nous souhaitons qu'il s'articule sur les résolutions d'opinion, car nous considérons, et c'est un appel que je lance du haut de cette tribune aux responsables de pays dont je suis l'interlocuteur, que de la part des gouvernements, par delà les administrations, par delà les techniciens et les experts ce soit la population elle-même qui prenne son destin en main. Il n'y a pas de développement dont les peuples ne soient autoresponsables.

L. HACK CHERL (Democratic People's of Korea) (original language Korean): Mr. Chairman, Mr. Director General, distinguished delegates, first of all I should like to extend my sincere congratulations to you Mr. Chairman for the appointment as the Chairman of the Conference. I also, on behalf of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, extend my most warm and sincere congratulations to Mr. Director-General for his re-election as the Director-General of the FAO. This is the reflection of the absolute support and trust you gained from all the Member States through your efforts to contribute to the work toward a solution of the present food and agricultural difficulties, the most urgent ones of the developing countries.

I also want to take this opportunity to express my deep thanks to the officials of the Organization for their excellent preparations for the success of the Conference under the able leadership of the Director-General.

The delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea also warmly welcomes the newly admitted members, Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Zimbabwe.

We are, now discussing the world food and agricultural problems which are of most concern in human life, and the activities of the Organization.

The food problem represents the basic one directly related with human existence and a very serious international one today.

Food constitutes an essential factor indispensable for the life of people, and agriculture is one of the two major components of the national economy as is the case for industry.

The respected and beloved leader of our people Comrade Kim II Sung taught as follows:

"Only when grain is produced in large quantities through good farming can industry be developed rapidly, the people's living standard raised further and all problems arising in socialist construction solved satisfactorily".

The failure of a nation in meeting its domestic need for food by its own production and its continued dependence on others may lead its political independence to instability, create social disorder and render it impossible to ensure complete equality in its international relations.

Therefore, whether or not the food problem is properly solved is a vital question of the country and nation for its very existence.

Our Government has always paid great attention to the question of agriculture and consistently pursued the policy of developing industry and agriculture simultaneously.

Upholding "Theses on the Socialist Rural Question in our Country" we stepped up the ideological, technical and cultural revolution in the countryside and, at the same time, intensified the assistance of towns to agriculture and steadily improved the guidance and management of the rural economy.

Today our country, under the wise leadership of the respected and beloved leader Comrade Kim II Sung, has a perfect irrigation system able to ensure high and stable harvests under whatever adverse conditions, and electricity has found its way to all the rural villages and farm households from the plains to the remote mountainous regions.

As a result of the active acceleration of mechanization, there are now on average seven tractors per 100 hectares of cultivated land in the plain area and six in the intermediate and mountain areas on an average in our countryside which had not a single tractor in the past.

Especially, the extensive application of the most advanced and scientific Juche farming method created in person by the great leader resulted in a remarkable growth of food and agricultural production.

Therefore, in the land of the northern half of the Republic which produced 2.16 million tons of grain at the most before liberation, 9 million tons of grain have already been produced and this year we are endeavouring to achieve the goal of producing 9.5 million tons of grain.

Meanwhile, our people are now waging an active strugle to produce 15 million tons of grain by industrializing and modernizing agriculture and reclaiming and acquiring 300,000 hectares of tieland and 200,000 hectares of new land respectively in the near future, as is advanced at the 6th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.

When these goals are attained, our country will be a land more bountiful and good to live in and the economic might our country strengthened incomparably.

We consider that these achievements of ours will actively contribute not only to the collective self-reliance of the developing countries but also to further strengthening of the activities of the FAO struggling for the solution of the food problem.

If the Member States and the non-aligned and developing countries strengthen the economic and technical cooperation and exchange on the principle of collective self-reliance, they can use more effectively their own potentials and decisively increase food and agricultural production in their efforts to overcome their difficulties and to solve food and agricultural problems.

The Symposium on increasing food and agricultural production held in the capital city Pyongyang last August', according to the decisions of the 5th Summit Conference of the non-aligned nations and the Foreign Ministers meeting held last February, discussed the ways and means to overcome the present difficulties created in the fields of food and agriculture of the non-aligned and developing countries according to the ideal of the organization. It was attended by the delegations and delegates from 81 countries and 14 international organizations.

The respected and beloved leader Comrade Kim II Sung has told that the non-aligned and developing countries can certainly provide self-sufficiency in food if they solve the questions of establishing the agro-scientific research bases, training the agro-technicians and building the irrigation setups in order actively to develop the agriculture by mobilizing to the utmost their own strength on the principle of self-reliance and to strengthen their mutual cooperation.

The Pyongyang Declaration adopted at the Symposium on increasing food and agricultural production in reflection of the will and aspiration of the people of the non-aligned and developing countries defined in detail the directions of their agricultural development and their principled stand and tasks to be adhered to by national states in the struggle for its implementation and the means and ways to strengthen cooperation and solidarity among these countries.

The Pyongyang Declaration is a new landmark in the struggle of the non-aligned and developing countries to tide over the present food crisis and achieve national and collective self-sufficiency in food, and it conforms to the ideals and purposes of this organization to overcome the present food crisis and encourage the agricultural development of the developing countries.

We consider that at this Conference, the member states should exchange the precious experiences gained in their struggle for self-sufficiencyin food and further strengthen and develop cooperation among themselves thus arranging the effective ways and means and measures to make a progress in food production.

We the member states should participate in the work of the organization with sincerity, must not use the technical and economic assistance to the developing countries as a political weapon of any kind to put pressure on them, must not pursue national egoism in overcoming the present food crisis and must provide technical and equipment assistance at reasonable prices so that they can discharge their international obligation for usirîg the fund of the organization effectively.

And they must render sincere assistance by observing the date of assistance and increasing the effectiveness of investment so that the food crisis of the respective countries can be overcome in a short period of time.

We also hold that the production of lethal weapons aimed at aggression must be suspended and money for them should be spent for the emancipation of mankind from hunger and poverty.

Our delegation will make its every effort for the success of the Conference by actively participating in the plenary and sub-committee meetings in order to strengthen the mutual cooperation with the developing countries in conformity with the ideals of the organization.

Finally, I would like to express my expectation that the current general meeting will gain great successes thanks to the sincere efforts of you the distinguished delegates from various countries present here.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias señor Vicepresidente de la Comisión Agrícola de la República Popular Democrática de Corea. Voy a conceder ahora la palabra al excelentísimo señor Unia C. Mwila, Ministro de Agricultura y Desarrollo Hidrológico de Zambia.

U. MWILA (ZAMBIA) : In preparing what I might say today, the several salient points which first occurred to me are those which I am convinced are on the minds of all of us here :the setbacks in the North/South dialogue; the strains in economic relations; the frightening economic problems we all face; the risks of neo-nationalism and return to beggar-my-neighbour policies; and the continuing precarious world food security situation.

If I do not address myself to these themes specifically, it is not because they are unimportant; it is, however, only that the problem of world food security is the most important single problem facing humanity today; this problem also happens to be the mandate of this august organization.

The core of the problem of poverty in our countries of the Third World remains the agricultural sector in which the majority of our people continue to depend for their livelihood. The food situation in the world and in Africa in particular has been worsening over the past two decades, as indicated by the decline in food production per capita and the consequent reduction in food availability below physiological requirements. If the present trend continues, the number of hungry and malnourished people in Africa will double by 1985. If, indeed, as some observers say, by the turn of the century, Africa south of the Sahara will need more than 200 million tonnes worth of imported foods in order to survive, then we are faced with real calamitous problems. How can our countries import food, when in fact they are the very countries that have no capacity to pay for imports? How can we pay for imports, when we are denied opportunities to generate foreign exchange? Through protectionism we have only limited opportunities to export to developed countries even those agricultural products that are non-competing. Through protectionism industrialized countries import only limited amounts of our manufactured goods on the pretext of protecting their labour force. It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the whole process of economic development, with a strong agricultural base is being severely affected by the pernicious effects of restricted market access. The new protectionism is a threat to the structural changes in world production and trade which are necessary for continuing growth and development. The new nationalism is a return to the introspective and unacceptable beggar-my-neighbour policies of the thirties which are double edged-doing harm firstly to the poor-then to the rich with equal brutality. Indeed, the new nationalism turns the clock back 50 years.

Developing countries cannot improve their performance in food and agriculture by waving a magic wand. They need to be assisted to break the vicious circle to enable them to utilize their abundant natural resources. But, alas, how can they now when some of the industrialized countries now appear to want to rock the boat, the very boat that has the mandate to serve the poor without any strings.

It is important to bear the above background in mind when looking at the FAO programme of work and budget over the next two years. There is a great and urgent need to enable FAO to execute a Urogramme of work commensurate with the gigantic task before it; for what is the purpose of lofty ideals, numerous prenoucements and pledges at various international fora and world food day rallies, if only to give a modicum of resources ! The fear about the meagre resources being given to food and agriculture is not unfounded. The record of official development assistance to the Third world over the past decade bears a disappointing testimony and the prospects for the future are gloomy. Official development aid from industrialized countries presently averages only 0.35 percent of GNP, exactly half of the target of 0.7 percent agreed at the beginning of the decade and endorsed by the Brandt Commission for achievement by 1.985.

The industrialized countries should strive to meet their obligation of 0.7 percent GNP and should also meet their obligations to multilateral agencies and contribute even more generously. Bilateral aid should not siphon off prospective funds to multilateral agencies but the two should be reinforced simultaneously.

Or is the pernicious protectionism going to be allowed to affect our contributions to multilateral agencies! Are we to lose the benefits of unfettered multilateral aid in preference to larger but fettered bilateral funds' Nay, this should not be so.

The case for more aid should rest on a view of longer-term relationship between the developing and the developed countries rather than on short-term or medium-term need to keep recession and/or inflation under control. There are medium-and long-term benefits to the industrialized countries in the expansion of the economies of the Third World.. The large-scale transfer of resources from the industrialized to the Third World could serve to expand international trade, which is more often than not a motive-force for growth for all participating countries.

Zambia supports the policies, priorities, strategies and programmes as put forward by the Director General; we feel that the real programme increase of $ 11 million per annum is modest enough and in keeping with what is required, as an integral part of the international community, to accelerate development of the Third World, for the establishment of a new international economic order.

As the finances of FAO for the next biennium are being discussed at this tine of recession and high inflation • the world over, some industrialized countries are reluctant to support any increase in the FAO budget.This appears to be partly because FAO is expected to conform to the current; norm of zero-growth in industrialized economies; and partly because FAO is required to prune its activities with a view to strengthening the most cost-effective and reducing accordingly those which are otherwise.

My delegation does not lend support to the concept of zero-growth in respect of FAO activities, partly for what I have already outlined and also because FAO provides a development service and without prejudice, was given the mandate to implement the International Development Strategy for the Third Development Decade. This strategy has its targets and its time frame. In addition FAO is also the lead agency in implementation of follow-up to WCAARD resolutions.The need to revamp the financial resources of FAO is. further reinforced by the recent declarations in-Mexico where the Cancun Summit highlighted food and agriculture as the most important area requiring international action.

With regard to streamlining activities to improve cost-effectiveness, we are satisfied that FAO has done its best in this programme and budget before us, and we thus offer our strongest support for the proposed increases in the next biennium.

Mr. Chairman, the road ahead requires vision, selflessness, unity of purpose and unwavering support for the amelioration of suffering and improvement in the quality of life of millions of people.

Let us all unite to meet the challenge.

J.L. ZAPATA (Venezuela): Señor Presidente: Gracias por concederme el privilegio de hablar y saludar en nombre de Venezuela a los excelentísimos señores Ministros y delegados de países amigos, al excelentísimo señor Director General y a los muy dignos representantes de organismos y entidades participantes en esta 21a Conferencia de la FAO.

Señor Presidente, deseo en primer término expresarle mis más sinceras felicitaciones por su elección para presidir los destinos de esta Conferencia; sus condiciones personales y su experiencia, nos permiten anticipar que sabrá usted conducir sus deliberaciones sin tropiezos hacia el éxito.

En acto de justicia debemos también rendir un sentido homenaje a su distinguido antecesor, su excelencia doctor Jaime Lamo de Espinosa, Ministro de Agricultura de España, quien ejerció con singular acierto la Presidencia de esta Conferencia, granjeándose el respeto y la simpatía de todos los miembros de esta Organización.

Igualmente nos sentimos obligados, y así deseo reconocerlo, con el excelentísimo señor Bukar Shaib, quien se desempeñó durante los últimos cuatro años como Presidente Independíente del Consejo de la FAO, ejercicio durante el cual demostró sus excepcionales dotes de dirigente persuasivo, prudente y firme, lo que le permitió vivificar el clima propicio al diálogo sin confrontaciones, que es característico de esta casa.

Debemos expresar nuestra complacencia por la incorporación del Reino de Bhutan, Guinea Ecuatorial, Zimbabwe, Tonga y San Vicente y las Granadinas como nuevos Estados Miembros de esta Organización. Para cada uno de ellos nuestra cordial bienvenida.

Señor Presidente, soy consciente de que aquí, en esta Organización, se conjugan los esfuerzos de casi todos los países en el noble empeño de erradicar la malnutrición y el hambre que diezman los pueblos de la tierra; de que aquí se labora tesoneramente por hacer de la agricultura un soporte de la economía de las naciones en desarrollo, para asegurar a todos los hombres de todos los pueblos del mundo un nivel de vida cónsono con la dignidad de la persona humana.

El historial de 36 años de vida de la FAO nos demuestra que sus logros la proyectan en el tiempo, permiten que depositemos en ella nuestras mejores esperanzas y la hacen acreedora a nuestro respaldo y fe. Durante ese período, necesario y justo es reconocerlo, ha tenido la fortuna de haber sido conducida con mano diestra por hombres capaces que entendieron, cada uno a su tiempo, la magnitud y trascendencia de su responsabilidad, ejercida con vocación y celo; entre ellos destaca el actual Director General, su excelencia Edouard Saouma, a quien acabamos de rendir el homenaje al reelegirlo para un segundo período. En nombre de mi país me complazco en felicitarlo y hago votos porque continúen sus aciertos para pres tigio de la FAO y para bien de los pueblos del mundo que necesitan su asistencia y ayuda.

Venezuela, ustedes lo saben, es un pequeño país andino ribereño del Caribe y del Océano Atlántico y tributario de la cuenca Amazónica. Se sabe y se siente orgulloso de ser iberoamericano, sin olvidar que forma parte del Continente Americano y que con éste se integra a la Comunidad Universal.

Venezuela es crisol donde se han fusionado razas y culturas, y es cuna de libertadores, Somos un pueblo sin complejos, orgulloso de nuestro ancestro que nos hace mestizos; tenemos tendencia natural hacia la paz y mantenemos un sostenido empeño de nivelación social. El pueblo venezolano ama la libertad y practica la democracia.

Creemos en la integración y en la cooperación internacional. Así se explica que formemos parte del Pacto Subregional Andino, de la OPEP y prestemos el mayor aliento al Grupo de los 77 y a todas las formas de cooperación entre los pueblos del Tercer Mundo.Entendemos la integración como un medio de complementación económica y de solidaridad política para impulsar el desarrollo de los pueblos. Todo, dentro del pluralismo ideológico, la libre determinación y la no intervención.

Como país del Tercer Mundo, sabemos lo que significa vivir en un mundo periférico y sometido a la interacción de fuerzas que, dentro de un contexto de dominación, nos expone a diversas formas de violencia.

Los países productores de petróleo podemos dar fè como es cierto, que durante décadas fue una feliz desgracia tener en las entrañas de nuestro suelo ese recurso vital que sirvió para estimular injerencias extrañas, las cuales mediatizaron nuestro desarrollo y nuestra política en favor del enriquecimiento de las transnacionales y como una forma de subsidiar en alta tasa el desarrollo de países industrializados. Hoy, no obstante esa nuestra condición de país productor de hidrocarburos, aún padecemos pobreza, desempleo e injusticia social.

Entendemos que debemos rastrear en la historia sus enseñanzas, no para cargarnos de odios y resentimientos sino para que esas enseñanzas nos ilustren y orienten en el análisis de los difíciles problemas de esta hora y en la búsqueda de las soluciones que nos permitan enfrentar con razonable seguridad, ese futuro inmediato que se nos muestra tan incierto.

Aun cuando debemos admitir que la acción que se requiere para sacar a los países del subdesarrollo, abarca diversos sectores como el del comercio, el financiamiento, la energía, las materias primas, la tecnología y la industrialización, todos interrelacionados, lo cual configura una situación compleja que no permite establecer un orden absoluto de prioridades, no puede dudarse que, como lo ha planteado el Grupo de los 77 aquí en Roma, a la agricultura corresponde un punto de primacía. Así fue reconocido en la Cumbre de Cancún, donde 22 Jefes de Estado afirmaron que "el hambre debe ser erradicada en el pía zo más breve posible. Este objetivo es claramente una obligación de la comunidad internacional y cons-tituye una primera prioridad tanto a nivel nacional como en el sector de la cooperación internacional”.

En el marco de una época caracterizada por una aguda tension política, por una marcada injusticia social, por una inmensa distancia tecno-científica-cultural y por un grave desequilibrio económico, la FAO continua haciendo inmensos esfuerzos decidida a fomentar el bienestar general y luchando por una causa que es autentica: eliminar la paradoja de un mundo donde millones padecen miseria y hambre, mien tras otros tienen todo o casi todo en abundancia.

Compartimos el criterio de que el Tercer Decenio para el Desarrollo se inicia en la coyuntura económica más dura registrada en las ultimas décadas, siendo éste el momento oportuno para reflexionar y para adoptar decisiones trascendentes en el ámbito de la competencia de la FAO. Sin duda esta Organización, puede y debe ser una trinchera para la defensa de la soberanía de los países que requieren asistencia y ayuda de la comunidad universal, y que deben recibirla bajo formas que no establezcan la dependencia. La cooperación sin condiciones y el respeto a los procesos internos de los Estados, son factores generadores de distensión y paz.

Señor Presidente, en virtud de tales consideraciones, queremos reiterar nuestro apoyo al Programa, Objetivos, Prioridades y Estrategias presentados a consideración de esta 21a Conferencia por el Señor Director General, por estar convencidos que responden adecuadamente a las urgencias que en este campo de la agricultura y la alimentación, confrontan la mayoría de los países del Tercer Mundo en esta precaria coyuntura histórica.

Consecuentemente, consideramos que el Proyecto de Presupuesto presentado por el Señor Director General, representa el nivel mínimo requerido para llevar a la práctica dicho Programa; y, habida consideración de los esfuerzos que se han hecho para lograr una mayor productividad y eficiencia en el gasto, debemos considerar razonable el moderado incremento que se solicita.

No ignoramos las razones que todos los Estados Miembros confrontamos para poder explicar, en el orden interno, cualquier incremento en los gastos de ayuda externa; tanto más difícil, cuando se confrontan problemas sociales derivados de la inflación y la recesión. Sin embargo pensamos, que si en algún campo está justificada, la excepción sería en ése por las razones ya expuestas. Formulamos votos porque esta posición, que sabemos no obedece a falta de voluntad política, pueda ser reconsiderada y permita así, que esta Conferencia apruebe en forma unánime el Proyecto de Presupuesto que nos ha sido presentado.

No debería escatimarse el apoyo de todo orden que esta Organización requiere, del mismo modo que es necesario que se intensifiquen los esfuerzos que el Director General ha venido haciendo en orden a lograr la descentralización sin burocratismo a fin de que los beneficios de los programas se distribuyan ra cionalmente y con justicia sobre todas las regiones del planeta.

Señor Presidente, Señores Delegados, la ya citada Cumbre de Cancún ha revitalizado las expectativas y esperanzas de la concertación Norte-Sur, confiemos en que esa acción permita salir del estancamiento en que habían caído esas negociaciones, y podamos pronto caminar con pasos firmes hacia ese nuevo orden económico internacional que el mundo requiere para un verdadero desarrollo con justicia, unica garantía de la paz. A pesar de esas circunstancias promisorias, resulta imperativo, entre tanto, que los países en desarrollo mancomunen esfuerzos para salir del estancamiento.

Estamos persuadidos de que es fundamental la cooperación entre países en desarrollo para su fortalecí-miento, para mejorar su posición negociadora y para hacer que el diálogo con los países desarrollados sea equilibradoy llegue a ser fructífero. Así lo reconoció el Grupo de los 77 en la Conferencia de Caracas, celebrada en mayo de este año, cuando afirmó que: "la cooperación económica entre los países en desarrollo no sustituye la cooperación económica global entre estos países y los países desarrolla dos".

Conviene tener presente igualmente lo recomendado en esta misma Conferencia de Caracas, en el sentido de llegar a acuerdos cooperativos para la producción y comercialización de insumos agrícolas. Otros sectores señalados como posibles campos de acción, fueron el pesquero, la ordenación de los recursos na turales renovables, la investigación, el desarrollo, la transmisión de tecnología, el desarrollo rural y el comercio de alimentos y otros productos básicos agrícolas. Es evidente que estos buenos propósitos se verán frustrados si no se cuenta con el respaldo eficiente de organizaciones intergubernamentales como laFAO, y cuando sea necesaria y justificada, mediante la cooperación bilateral.

Apoyamos, Señor Presidente, calurosamente el llamado que hizo usted en su intervención inaugural, en contra de los arraigados y dañinos esquemas proteccionistas adoptados por algunos países y que tan gravemente lesionan el comercio mundial de alimentos con las conocidas infaustas consecuencias que dicha práctica tiene a nivel de los productores agrícolas de los países en desarrollo.

Es evidente que los países desarrollados y los que están en proceso de desarrollo no podrán progresar aisladamente los unos de los otros. Así como en lo interno de cada país existe un ordenamiento jurídico fundamentado en principios de justicia social, que garantiza el bien común de la sociedad sin sacrificar los derechos fundamentales del individuo, mi país ha venido insistiendo que la comunidad de las naciones debería estar regida por un ordenamiento semejante fundamentado en la justicia social internacional, que distribuya con equidad y justicia las cargas y beneficios, sin prepotencia de los aportantes ni humillación de los beneficiados.

En nuestro caso, y con el próposito de hacer del petróleo un instrumento más allá de la negociación comercial y de la generación de divisas, podemos mencionar, a título de ejemplo, que Venezuela y México tomaron la decisión audaz y novedosa de estructurar un Programa de Cooperación Energética para las naciones centroamericanas y caribeñas, con garantía de suministro y facilidades para el financiamiento y posibilidades de conversión en préstamos a largo plazo y bajo interés, orientadas a planes de desarrollo, sobre todo para procurar fuentes alternas de energía.

En la medida de sus posibilidades y desde que la OPEP logró que el petróleo no siguiera siendo vendido a precio vil, Venezuela ha venido destinando mayores aportes a los programas de cooperación con los pue blos del Tercer Mundo, tanto técnica como financiera.

En este orden de ideas, consideramos necesario fomentar programas multilaterales a través de las instituciones que representan a los países en desarrollo como son el Fondo Especial de la OPEP, el FIDA, el SELA, ALADI, el Pacto Andino y otras similares.

Señor Presidente, sin intenciones inconfesables y sin propósito de auto elogio, pero con la sola intención de hacer reflexionar a los que pueden, queremos mencionar que en Venezuela desde 1973 a 1980, nues tro PTB creció aproximadamente en 42 000 millones de dólares, acordándose la concesión de casi 7 mil míllones de dólares en cooperación internacional, es decir, la sexta parte de este incremento en el PTB, lo que constituye verdaderamente una genuina demostración de solidaridad internacional.

En el período citado, la proporción de cooperación en relación con el PTB, ha variado entre un 1 por ciento y un 3, 69 por ciento, alcanzando porcentajes aún mayores si se utiliza en el cómputo el monto de la cooperación efectivamente comprometida. Venezuela ha venido así otorgando en cooperación financiera internacional, más del doble de lo dispuesto como norma para los países desarrollados en la Estrategia Internacional para el Tercer Decenio. Estos países por el contrario, lamentablemente no han alcanzado todavía ni la mitad de la meta del 0, 7 por ciento de su PTB.

En Venezuela, el Presidente Luis Herrera Campins se ha propuesto un gobierno compartido en lo fundamental con los pobres. Una democracia de las personas como lo exige la dignidad humana, y dentro de es te criterio, hemos puesto especial énfasis en procurar un desarrollo rural integrado.

Cuando se correspondió el privilegio de instalar en Caracas el pasado mes de septiembre, la Conferencia de Plenipotenciarios para el establecimiento de un Centro Regional de Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural de América Latina y el Caribe, tuve ocasión de expresar "que sin justicia social en el medio rural no podremos detener la "erosión humana" que cae como aluvión en la periferia de los grandes centros poblados; no podremos reducir la marginalidad ni podremos evitar la violencia. Tenemos conciencia de que no lograremos un desarrollo satisfactorio ni alcanzaremos un grado razonable de seguridad ali mentaria para todos, que garantice la paz interna, si no prestamos la debida y constante atención a los problemas del campo, procurando la participación consciente y responsable de todos y prestando especial cuidado a la mujer que habita en ese medio en condiciones de injusticia".

Señor Presidente, conscientes de que la Seguridad Alimentaria es algo más que la sola producción y distribución de alimentos, en Venezuela nos esforzamos a través del Plan de la Nación, en delinear el desarrollo agrícola en armonía con los demás sectores de la vida nacional y estamos elaborando un plan agrícola a largo plazo, prospectivo, integral y regionalizado que oriente los planes quinquenales.

Deseo expresar el reconocimiento del gobierno venezolano y el mío propio, a la Misión de la FAO que examinó recientemente la situación y perspectivas de nuestro desarrollo agrícola, analizó las estrategias que propone el VI Plan de la Nación, correspondiente éste al actual período constitucional, y formuló utiles y valiosas recomendaciones. Acepte el Señor Director General, nuestro sincero agradecimiento.

Finalmente queremos expresar, en esta hora de confusión que vive la humanidad, cómo reconforta saber que en esta casa de todos, se mantiene el diálogo permanente, sin confrontaciones y dentro de un enfoque tecnico como corresponde a una organización intergubernamental que ha de ser respetuosa del plu ralismo, la soberanía y la libre determinación de sus Estados Miembros.

Sabemos que estos sentimientos y actitudes rigen también en el seno del Consejo Mundial de la Alimentación y del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), por ello me complazco en expresarles a estas instituciones el reconocimiento de mi país por la labor que realizan en favor de la Seguridad Alimentaria en el mundo.

Por todo ello no es optimismo exagerado esperar que aquí en Roma, surjan en primer término esos acuerdos jurídicamente vinculantes voluntariamente convenidos, que provean formas de tributación equitativas, justas y más estables. Así se abrirán vías hacia la anhelada meta del nuevo orden internacional regido por los principios de la justicia social internacional.

U.MWILA (Chairman, Group of 77): On behalf of the Group of 77, I thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for enabling us to make our contribution so that members of this august body can consider it in its entirety. Once again I am speaking as the Chairman of the Group of 77 and not as the Minister of Zambia. My remarks concern the important issues of the Programme of Work and Budget of FAO over the next two years. The means which we shall place at the disposal of the Organization to serve us in the next biennium are one of the key issues of this Conference. It is a central part of our agenda and indeed the chronometer which will regulate the functioning of the Organization.

The views of the Group of 77, in support of the Director-General's proposals, will come as no surprise, since we expressed them at the Session of the FAO Council in June.

Food and agriculture have been in the forefront of all international debates. There is no dispute in any quarter about the overwhelming priority which the subject should be accorded. At the last Conference it had already been accepted as a major part of the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade, which has since been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The subject has been given key focus in all the summit discussions whether of the NonAligned, the Ottawa Summit in July, the Meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Melbourne last month and in the European Parliament.

The priority attention to be devoted to food and agriculture has most recently been highlighted in the Cancun Summit.

Our ears and hearts still resound with the declarations of commitment to food and agriculture made by Heads of State and Government all over the world on the recent occasion of the first World Food Day.

The observance of World Food Day not only by governments but by peoples in all walks of life shows the extraordinary degree to which governments and people are seized of the overwhelming need to tackle the world food problem.

It is encouraging and gratifying for us also to see that priority to food and agriculture is being given prominence by traditional donors in their programmes of bilateral assistance. This is welcome.

By the same token we wish to see the same priority reflected in multilateral assistance.

Multilateral aid is not a rival to bilateral aid. How could it be when it is so small in comparison? Yet, it has a special value to the developing countries which goes beyond the small amount involved. It is devoid of political and economic pressures. It fills gaps which are not attractive to private enterprise or bilateral aid. It is shaped exclusively to our needs as a result of close dialogue between us and international experts.

Turning now to FAO’s Programme of Work and Budget, we are fortunate that there is unanimity of agreement on the strategies and priorities, on the policies and on the programmes which have shaped the Director-General's proposals. We are assured of this by the close examination of our Council and its Programme and Finance Committees. This in itself is a rare achievement, considering the complexity and diversity of our needs and the extensive range of the programmes.

What is at stake then is only for us to agree on the modest real programme increase of $11 million per annum.

We are certain that this august assembly, the summit of world agriculture, led by men of good will, will respond willingly and positively to the proposed modest increase.

What is at stake, Mr. Chairman, is the foremost imperative to increase domestic food production and achieve self-reliance by food deficit countries. Self-reliance is not an empty hope, but the cri du coeur of every self-respecting nation. And this can only be achieved through the universal acceptance of the basic premise of economic inter-dependence rather than a headlong fall on the erroneous path of charity and self-centred interest.

We who benefit from this Organization's assistance and programmes are unshaken in our judgment that we value this assistance and need more of it. Let us remember that there is also a reverse flow of benefits to developed countries.

We are convinced that the Organization has the capacity to assist us further, given the means; and we are impressed by its proven efficiency. In fact, the Council at its June Session appreciated the economies achieved by the Director-General in reducing administrative costs and commended him for his administration of available resources and the further cuts now proposed for administrative costs.

Moreover, the modest regular budget of FAO has generated and supported in 1980 a field programme at the real rate of nearly $3 billion per annum. This amounts to a "gearing" of the regular to the field programme of 1: 25.In 1981, the ratio should be even higher.

The debate on this subject will take place in Commission 11.I do not therefore propose to go into details, I should only like to reiterate here our appeal to all Member Nations to agree unanimously on the proposed Programme of Work and Budget. We urge our friends, in particular those who have so far reserved their position, to realize that we have to unite in the battle against hunger. No back can be turned; no ear can be closed. For food is not only a basic human right.It provides the essence of political and economic stability. Food security is more important and lasting than the insane race to armaments which has led to the accumulation of several tons of TNT for every man, woman and child on this planet, but has not yet enabled us to achieve modest stocks of food to avoid hunger and malnutrition.I hope, Mr. Chairman, that this appeal from my heart, on behalf of the Group of 77 will be heard and engender a positive response.

J. ERTL (Germany, Federal Republic of):I would like to congratulate the Chairman on his election. I would also like to congratulate the Director-General on his re-election.

Hardly two decades separate us from the year 2000. Then probably 6.4 billion people will live on this earth. They all have a right to an existence' worthy of man. but above all the right to have something to eat every day. Already with the present world population this basic right is not ensured and guaranteed in many parts of the world. Not only is combating hunger a great challenge to us.It is also the possibility and necessity of utilizing agriculture and forestry in future as suppliers of renewable resources for the production of energy whilst preserving the productive capacity of the rural environment and landscape in order to leave the subsequent generations a world which is endowed with the resources which they will need.

This is realized at a time when we are faced with a world-wide economic recession when many countries suffer from a catastrophic lack of foreign exchange because of the increase in the cost of energy and the extent of inflation, at a time when more investment is necessary than is made, when more jobs are being lost than are being created and when purchasing power is rather being reduced than increased. Inflation has to be fought effectively. Firstly, I can agree to a large extent to the analysis of the relevant Conference document, and for that reason I want to make one basic statement only. It amounts to the same thing-whether the main cause of the food problem is, on the one hand the continued population growth and, on the other hand, inadequate food production as a result of a great number of negative factors with which you are fully acquainted.

The main problem is the lack of mass purchasing power. It is a vicious circle which consists in the fact that on the one hand not enough food is being produced because the money that means purchasing power is lacking and food prices have to be kept low for consumers by State Control. On the other hand food aid may affect the self-reliance efforts. At the same time, however, it is essential that inadequate prices do not give domestic producers sufficient incentives to increase their production. The main task is to overcome this vicious circle.

As in the developing countries where two-thirds of the external energy are accounted for by fertilizers, the increase in energy price endangers what has been achieved so far, and particularly the successful results which have been obtained for example in the Far East with high-yielding, but very fertilizer-intensive, grain varieties.

When one considers all these difficulties under which farmers and farmworkers as well as their families in the Third World have to do farming, the average 3.3 percent production increase in developing countries in the last decade is an important performance which deserves appreciation.In this connexion I do not ignore that the target of an annual increase in production of 4 percent set by the World Food Conference in 1974 has not been achieved, that the per capita production increase in the last five years was minimal and in Africa there has been a decline of 1.1 percent.

Also in the Third World man is the focus of agricultural production with his skills and his willingness to get a higher living standard through more performance. The value of better education and training cannot be rated highly enough.Secondly, in view of the partly precarious situation in developing countries and the problem of supply in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world, the difficulties with which agriculture and food economy are faced in the Federal Republic of Germany seem to be insignificant.

Certainly there are problems because costs have exploded in Germany as energy has increased, and this has affected all branches of production. Also German agriculture has its problems, and there has been a reduction in farm income which is a two-figure number.

As little disputed the general analysis of the world agriculture isthe complicated and occasionally controversial seem to be the remedies and measures to improve the food situation in the Third World.In the 1980s we are urgently dependent on a world food strategy which in turn has to result: in mutualcoordination and division of labour. I disagree here with Mr. Pisani. I think it is quite wrong to say that every country has to be separate. This is absolutely wrong as regards human possibilities and climate and soil. I will repeat this. Climatic conditions alone are different around the globe, likewise are human abilities. Therefore animal production, for example, will be reserved to a substantial extent to the temperate zones, whereas tropical and sub-tropical zones offer themselves for plant production.

The concept endorsed this year by the General Assembly of the United Nations for food and agriculture-that is, self-reliance efforts by developing countries together with external aid-is a proper approach. We support it-we, the German government.

In their fight against hunger and malnutrition, members of the international community are in the same boat. The success of these endeavours is a joint success. A failure is a joint failure for the North as well as the South, wherever we live, and here we need to coordinate our concepts.

A problem of many developing countries is population growth. This has been referred to already. All possibilities for increasing food production must be exhausted. This requires that priority is given to the policy of rural development which in turn must be supported by a comprehensive regional and national economic and income policy. For the implementation of such a policy a set of individual measures must be taken in the fields of production methods, inputs, agricultural credit, education and extension, and transport and marketing systems.

In document C 81/22 on regional and national agricultural development strategies, the Secretariat gives a number of concrete proposals worth taking to heart to increase food production and to improve the agrarian structure. I can fully endorse the importance the FAO Secretariat attaches to an adequate agricultural price policy as an incentive to farmers to increase their production. The desired success will only appear if the improvement of the agrarian structure is integrated into the overall economic development of the whole country, including trade, handicrafts, small manufacturing businesses for consumer goods. Only this way will it be possible to create the necessary purchasing power.

We have to reorganize actively the rural areas. We have to make it possible for people to have a reasonable and dignified existence in the country. To put it into other words, the creation of non-agricultural jobs in rural areas is indispensable. Otherwise the rural exodus will continue, cities with their slums will become a nightmare.

Under the constraint of as rapid a food production increase as possible, and in view of the burden of energy price increase, some developing countries tend to exploit their resources, irrespective of the long-term implications for environment or supply.A greater self-reliance of developing countries also implies avoiding everything leading to increased erosion, transformation into steppe, salination, etc.-particularly deforestation without reforestation.

As pointed out in document C 81/21 the forest resources of tropical countries are diminished every year by seven million hectares of closed forest area and a further 4 million hectares of other wooded land, while afforestration comprises 0.9 million hectares only, which is less than one-tenth. I wonder whether this meets the responsibility for the coming generations.

Every country must examine carefully whether the domestic food situation allows the production of energy from biomass. I consider this question from the point of view of agriculture a very important topic which has rightly been put on to the agenda of this conference.

The self-reliance efforts of developing countries in the priority areas of population policy and food production cannot be successful without external aid.I can support the thesis of the document C 81/22 that increased domestic investment must be supported by a greater flow of aid. This statement is in line with what we want to do, to help people to help themselves. This is the standpoint of the German Government. Our official development aid since 1980 rose to about DM 6.4 billion. In terms of volume we are amongst the first three donor countries in the world. The development aid budget of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1981 increased again by 8.8 percent.

Also the budget of 1982, which is a budget of self-restraint for our citizens brought a rate of increase for development aid which far exceeds that of the total budget. This shows that our citizens are prepared to accept cuts in social aids so that we can achieve balance in this world.

The promotion of rural development is a priority area of our development policy cooperation; therefore the share of bilateral agricultural development aid was raised from 13 percent in 1979 to about 20 percent in 1980 and should this year reach more than one-third, or about DM 1.3 billion.

I would also like to say that we cooperate a great deal with international organizations, and I would like to refer to what was said by Mr. Pisani about the commitment of the EEC.I can also point out that the German populationmake their contribution. This is clearly reflected by private contributions to development aid in Germany-churches, trade unions and associations-and the amount collected, worth DM 764 million in 1980. This is made available above all for the agricultural development in the Third World. The willingness of my country is not only verbal, but concrete.

It will be decades before the food situation in developing countries is ensured on a continuous basis through self-reliance efforts and external aid. Therefore the people in the Third World will need a long-term development aid which should, however, not impede their self-reliance efforts. My country makes its contribution within the framework of the annual food aid of the European Community to which I have already referred, as well as through other channels.

At the beginning of the 1980s, which will be difficult, this year's FAO Conference has the important task to set the course for international agricultural policy for the next few years. Even though opinionsmay differ, we should agree that world food security can only be improved through partnership cooperation. Let us not forget, let us remember here, that Cancun was a positive approach, because a dialogue took place and therefore I do not understand why people say it was not a success. We have to go forward from this so that the necessary pre-conditions are met for further discussions. I therefore think it was useful, in fact very useful, to go to Cancun and start this dialogue.

We have to realize that the plough is the symbol of peace. It is a sign of peace. Let us make sure that more money is spent on the plough and not on the sword. Our swords will be turned into ploughshares. This is the emotional appeal which has to go beyond international organizations. We have to work together for peace and cooperation and in that way we will be making a contribution for mankind. I think we are able to do that if we have the necessary will and the strength to do it and if we are prepared to assume political responsibility.

I hope that this Conference will be successful.I would like to end by extending a warm welcome to the new member countries of our Organization: Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga and Zimbabwe. We welcome you to the FAO and it shows that once more this enriches the FAO, making it more universal, and it ensures a policy of international dialogue even further so that we can improve the life of mankind throughout the world.

M. F. JANJUA (Pakistan): Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of my Government and my delegation allow me to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your election as Chairman of the 21st Session of the FAO Conference.I would also like to welcome the new Member States to the FAO.Their presence will enrich our deliberations.

I would also like to take this opportunity of congratulating Dr. Edouard Saouma on his unanimous election as Director General of FAO for a second term of six years. My delegation views the previous tenure of Dr. Saouma as most constructive. During the period, the objectives of the FAO consistently guided the Director General and the FAO’sprogramme and activities. We hope and trust that Dr. Edouard Saouma will continue to take initiatives in developing new horizons of thought and action for the FAO, so that the Organization continues to play a significant role in eradication of hunger and malnutrition in the world.

The FAO Conference is and has always been the most momentous occasion where Ministers of Agriculture of Member Nations and experts in various fields gather to take stock of the previous two years and in the light of experiences gained, lay down policies and programmes for the coming two years.It is indeed an occasion to pool our experiences and benefit from the interaction and exchange of ideas between all of us. We are confident that the 21st Conference will be able to concentrate on substantive issues which face the world today, where about 800 million people live in a condition of absolute poverty and if I may quote from Mr. Willy Brandt's speech which he delivered in this very hall on 16 October 1981 on the occasion of World Food Day 'behind every digit in this total, lies the fate of a human being with a right to life, a right to unimpaired health and a right to an existence imbued with dignity.' The gravity of the problem is staggering. However, there is hope. The presence of so many distinguished delegates in this Conference indicates that the problem will receive the full and serious attention it deserves.

It is most encouraging that FAO is endeavouring to enhance its technical capability and skill to handle the challenge of agricultural development. We are also happy to note that the programme of work initiated by the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development has been continued. The WCARRD approach calls for are-examination of modalities and content of FAO field programmes and a deliberate orientation of these programmes towards involvement and meeting the needs of rural poor and small farmers.The influence of WCARRD and the rural development approach should, as quickly as possible, permeate all FAO activities.This is important because a vast majority of the population of the developing countries consists of rural masses.

Pakistan has a predominantly rural and developing economy on which depends the welfare of nearly 70 percent of our population living in the rural areas, one third of its GNP originates from this sector, about 70 percent of foreign exchange is earned through export of raw material and agro-based industrial products, about 57 percent of the labour force is employed in agriculture including animal husbandry and forestry.

As far' as natural resources are concerned, Pakistan is richly endowed. We have abundant land, water, manpower, and other resources.Our climate is ideally suited for the cultivation of all kinds of crops the whole year round. But limitation of resources is a constraint for the optimum exploitation of our potential. Since substantial increases in the cultivable area can only be obtained through massive investments in drainage, reclamation and irrigation, our immediate strategy for increasing food and agricultural production is to concentrate on enhancing crop yields. For the early 1980's this is, therefore, the thrust of our programme.For the medium term, however, continuing investments in irrigation, drainage and reclamation are needed to expand the irrigated area for the development of agriculture. The new National Agricultural Policy, which was announced by the Government in February, 1980, provides the guiding principles and the philosophical framework for specific lines of action. The major specific measures included in this policy, inter alia, are:

i) Provide at the doorstep of the farmers modern agricultural inputs including the latest appropriate technology for increasing agricultural production and productivity;

ii) Give balanced emphasis to all aspects of agricultural production, including livestock, fisheries (inland and marine), poultry, dairy, forestry, range and water shed management:

iii) Development of land and water potential for a sustained growth of agriculture. The emphasis should not only be on irrigated agriculture but also on Barani, arid and semi-arid zones of the country;

iv) Give to the people equitable access to the natural resources of agricultural production, that is, land and water:

v) Provide basic amenities in the rural areas such as potable water, sanitation, primary education, basic health care and village to market roads;

vi) Establish remunerative input-output prices and provide financial incentives for increased production;

vii) Provide opportunities' to the people to engage in gainful employment to enhance their income for their social progress and contribute to national prosperity.

It gives me pleasure to report that the new set of policies and the agricultural strategy has yielded satisfactory results. The average growth rate in agriculture in the past three years has exceeded 4 percent-the growth rate recommended by the World Food Conference. We have been harvesting record wheat crops for the last three years and its production has gone up by 35 percent from 8.3 million tons in 1978 to 11.38 million tons in 1981. This year we have achieved self-sufficiency in wheat which is our main staple food. The cotton production during the same period increased by 27 percent. We were the world' s second largest exporter of cotton last year. Substantial increases have been registered in sugar cane, maize and rice, specially the world renowned basmati, the fragrant long grain variety. We have been exporting over a million tons of rice annually for a number of years.

The important feature of our policy is that the fruits of increased production should reach the small farmer. While previously emphasis was placed almost exclusively on agricultural development, emphasis has now been shifted to 'development with equity.'The focus of the policy is not on a small number of more affluent farmers who were the sole beneficiaries of the various programmes, but is on the majority of farmers with scarce resources, who are being helped through programmes specially designed to meet their needs. Provision of interest-free credit for inputs, supply of seed and fertilizer at their door-steps through cooperatives and making the extension services more responsive to their needs are some of the features of this policy.Government is also administering an Integrated Rural Development Programme under which the activities of all the national building departments are focused on one point locally known as Markaz. Through this Markaz an effective coordination among various agencies serving the rural areas has been made possible with the full participation of elected local bodies.

It has been repeatedly stressed in various international fora and summit conferences that the problem of hunger cannot be resolved unless the developing countries themselves increase their food production, adopt and implement policy measures to achieve this objective. We fully subscribe to this view. The challenge of world hunger and malnutrition' can best be met by substantial advances in agriculture in the developing countries where there is a tremendous gap between the actual achievement and the potential. Most of the developed countries have reached optimum production levels in the agricultural field whereas in the developing countries the production levels can be increased tremendously by providing them with the necessary financial resources.It is only by increasing production levels and outputs in developing countries that the world food problem will be solved. That some countries have the will, the natural resources and the capability of doing so has been demonstrated by their actual performance.Such developing countries can be identified in different regions of the world. Unfortunately, these countries lack adequate financial resources for the optimum development of their potential. My delegation feels that such developing countries can in a short period contribute positively to the world food security and help the world community in combating hunger and malnutrition. Such Countries need particular attention from bilateral and multilateral aid-giving agencies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is ideally equipped to identify the needs of developing countries. FAO with its reservoir of knowledge, expertise and technical resources is in a position to provide the requisite initiatives and lead in launching effective programmes and projects.It can identify suitable investment opportunities and make proposals for economic and technical cooperation among developing countries.It can promote complementarities for appropriate and well-coordinated agricultural adjustment projects. My delegation, therefore, supports the programme of work and budget presented by the Director-General for the biennium 1982-83. We are of the opinion that FAO should place more emphasis on field activities particularly TCDC, ECDC and WCARRD follow-up.

We are aware that the world just now is plagued by economic problemsand some of the donor countries have to grapple with inflation, unemployment and reduced output.We appreciate the economic difficulties of some of these developed countries but would like to draw attention to the plight of the non-oil producing food deficit countries when they have to import food and fuel, live with the nightmareof adverse balance of payments and at the same time make earnest efforts to reach the target of 4 percent agricultural growth by pumping their limited resources into the agriculture sector sometimes at the cost of more urgent needs in other sectors.

On the subject of food security Pakistan has made its humble contribution by building up a national food security reserve of 1.5 million tons which includes 0.8 million tons of operational reserve. However, we are disappointed that an internationally coordinated system of national food reserves,

has not been established due to the failure of the negotiations on a New Wheat Trade Convention. We urge that a new Wheat Trade Convention be concluded as soon as possible to provide the essential stability for an international grain market. The Food Aid Convention has been ratified but the quantum involved is far short of the 10 million tons target. We would have liked to see that the IEFR contributions are governed by a legally binding convention but we are happy to note that a positive step forward has been taken by the donor countries and a consensus has been arrived at regarding biennial pledging convention for IEFR. We are hopeful that the pledging convention would achieve the targets laid down for IEFR and would give it the requisite flexibility to respond to emergency needs all over the world. The recent decision by the IMF to allow additional balance of payments support to assist low income food deficit countries to meet their increased food import bill is praiseworthy.

Regarding WFP it is satisfying to note that it has proved to be a true example of partnership between developing and developed countries and has formally established the consensus and value of the concept of multilateral food aid and has in the process won the trust of the recipient countries. We have benefitted from the World Food Programme through development projects and recently through emergency aid for the two and a half million refugees whom we have given shelter on humanitarian grounds. We are happy to note that consensus has been reached for 1.2 billion dollars pledging target for the World Food Programme. We hope and urge that this pledging target is not only reached but is exceeded.

High costs of energy intensive inputs are becoming a constraint to food and agriculture production in developing countries even though only a very small percentage of their energy consumption is used in agriculture. We welcome the initiatives by the FAO to develop regional research and development programmes in accordance with the Nairobi Programme of Action on new and renewable sources of energy. The priority areas identified by the Nairobi Programme of Action particularly with regard to financing, promotion of research, demonstration and development activities in new and renewable sources of energy would, we hope, attract the requisite attention from multilateral and bilateral donors and there will be concerted effort in this field. We must find ways of reducing the cost of production of food so that it is kept within easy reach of the consumers.

It is absolutely necessary that incentives should be provided to the developing countries to increase the food and agricultural production.In this context it is imperative that the trade barriers, protectionism and all other disincentive against agricultural trade are removed. We urge the world community to review their policies so that the developing countries get fair and equitable returns for their agricultural products.

It is indeed sad that despite miraculous technological advancement and extreme consciousness about human poverty-and malnutrition, expressed in all international fora including summit conferences like Ottawa, Melbourne and Cancun, the world has not been able to solve its food problems. It is certainly well within the resources of the world community. What is required is determination and political will. I am hopeful that our deliberations and the efforts of FAO will go a long way in creating conditions conducive to the resolution of this problem. This is a very noble and worthy objective for the achievement of which I and my delegation assure you of our fullest cooperation.

EL PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias señor Ministro de Alimentación, Agricultura y Cooperativas de Pakistán. Con la exposición realizada por el señor Ministro de Pakistán damos por terminadas las exposiciones de esta mañana. Quisiera decir señores delegados, que las declaraciones que hemos escuchado esta mañana marcan una iniciación de nuestro debate general sumamente auspiciosa. Sintetizaré algunos comentarios relevantes, aun a riesgo de omitir alguna contribución importante o dejar de lado algunas matizaciones interesantes.

Los logros de China en su política hacia la autosuficiencia, y lo que significa alimentar a una población que representa el 22 por ciento de la humanidad, constituye un estímulo alentador para todos los países en desarrollo. También son alentadores los aumentos significativos en la producción agrícola en varios países en desarrollo en los cuales la asistencia externa ha contribuido a poner en marcha un proceso sostenido de desarrollo agrícola.

Por eso debo subrayar las expresiones mencionadas aquí por algunos países industrializados y grupos de países en el sentido de que están dispuestos a ampliar esta ayuda al desarrollo y su ayuda alimentaria en particular, y hacerla más eficaz y compatible con las propias necesidades de desarrollo autónomo del Tercer Mundo.

También hemos escuchado expresiones ya conocidas sobre que la ayuda alimentaria no debe desalentar el propio desarrollo nacional ni distorsionar las corrientes de comercio mundial.

Esperamos que esas expresiones confirmadas por recomendaciones ya adoptadas vean una aplicación cada vez más extendida y efectiva y se dejen de lado las imposiciones o recomendaciones o interferencias que desnaturalizan las ayudas.

Varios países en desarrollo pusieron especial énfasis en aumentar, o al menos no reducir, en términos reales el presupuesto de la Organización que es un instrumento fundamental para los países en desarrollo en su vía hacia la autosuficiencia.

Asimismo se exhortó a que se apruebe el programa y presupuesto que se ha sometido a consideración.

Se ha dicho también que la asistencia no es suficiente para poner en explotación la totalidad de los recursos de los países en desarrollo al nivel necesario para asegurar la alimentación de sus poblaciones y financiar sus importaciones recientes.

Es preciso al mismo tiempo que el contexto internacional permita la evolución de todas las economías nacionales hacia la suficiencia alimentaria y mayor participación en el comercio mundial.

Se ha expresado también preocupación por el descenso de los ingresos por exportaciones de productos agrícolas que afectan especialmente a los países en desarrollo, pero también, finalmente, a los países industrializados y los efectos perniciosos de las restricciones de acceso a los mercados.

En este sentido me parece importante destacar la declaración de un gran país reafirmando su intención de continuar su participación activa y responsable como abastecedor de alimentos, pero al mismo tiempo reveladora de la conciencia de ser un mercado importante para las exportaciones de productos agrícolas y su condena a las barreras arancelarias que complican y entorpecen los esfuerzos emprendidos hacia el progreso económico mundial.

The meeting rose at 12.55 h
La séance est levée à 12 h 55
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.55 horas