CHAIRMAN: The meeting is resumed. I call upon Mr Jean-Claude Piot, Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland, to address the Conference.
J.-C. PIOT (Suisse): La faim a été l'accompagnatrice fidèle de l'homme dès ses origines. L'homme a su dominer la terre, l'eau et les airs; jamais dans son histoire il n'a su garantir la sécurité alimentaire de son espèce. Il a été par contre très ingénieux dans le développement et l'utilisation d'instruments de guerre pour soumettre d'autres hommes. Le pouvoir se fondait souvent sur la misère et la faim des pauvres, et le déficit alimentaire a été à l'origine de nombreux conflits entre individus, entre couches sociales, entre pays.
La sécurité alimentaire pour tous, tout comme la paix, doivent donc être la première préoccupation de la communauté internationale et de chacun. A la FAO a été confiée la lourde tâche de moteur et de catalyseur de notre lutte commune contre la faim et pour une meilleure alimentation paur tous.
Monsieur le Président,
Une grande responsabilité vous a été confiée, Monsieur le Président, je vous en félicite ainsi que les Vice-Présidents et je vous remercie de l'assumer. Ma reconnaissance s'exprime aussi à M. Saouma, notre Directeur général et à tous ses collaborateurs et collaboratrices du Secrétariat, pour leur excellent et considérable travail, tout au long des bienniums dont le moindre n'est pas la bonne préparation de la présente conférence.
J'aimerais au nom de mon gouvernement souhaiter la bienvenue aux quatre nouveaux pays membres de notre Organisation.
La sécurité alimentaire pour tous n'est pas un but hors de notre portée. Nous avons lu avec intérêt dans la documentation qui nous a été proposée pour la conférence, que les pays en développement pris dans leur ensemble disposent des ressources nécessaires pour nourrir leurs populations même sans changement des techniques agricoles actuellement pratiquées. Nous avons également note que bien que les ressources soient suffisantes pour 1'ensemble des pays en développement, elles ne le sont pas pour chaque pays pris individuellement. Bon nombre d'entre eux se verront dans 1’impossibilité de nourrir leurs populations, s'ils n'arrivent pas á freiner leur croissance démographique et a transformer leur agriculture de subsistance en une agriculture intensive, capable de produire des excédents au niveau des exploitants tout en ménageant l'environnement.
Nous savons tous que la sécurité alimentaire c'estd'abord la responsabilité de chaque gouvernement, qu'il s'agisse de pays industrialisés ou en développement. Cette responsabilité ne peut pas être laissée à la solidarité internationale, qui ne devrait intervenir qu'en cas de besoin urgent. Il est évident que la coopération régionale est un complément utile voire indispensable souvent. La production alimentaire intérieure reste la base la plus solide de la sécurité alimentaire nationale. La solution du déficit alimentaire ne viendra ni de la bureaucratie nationale, ni de la bureaucratie internationale, mais seulement du paysan. Notre souci et avant tout celui de chaque gou‐vernement concerné, doit être de créer le cadre qui permettra aux paysans de produire plus, de produire mieux et de contribuer ainsi au renforcement de la sécurité alimentaire nationale. Ce cadre donné par la politique agricole doit offrir des prix rémunérateurs à la production et 1 accès facilité du petit paysannat aux facteurs de production, aux crédits et aux connaissances.
Les paysans des pays en développement ne peuvent pas produire aux prix d'un marché mondial qui accuse trop souvent des prix de liquidation des excédents des pays industrialisés.
Bien qu'il puisse être tentant, à courte vue, pour un gouvernement d'approvisionner ses villes aux prix attractifs du marché mondial, une telle politique serait dangereuse á la longue.
Le conflit entre les intérêts des consommateurs qui veulent pouvoir se nourrir à bas prix et ceux des producteurs qui ont besoin de prix suffisamment élevés pour stimuler la production n'est pas nouveau, et ne facilite pas le choix des politiques appropriées.
En fin de compte, la protection du consommateur conduit à une protection des secteurs industrie et services - donc des cités si je puis m'exprimer ainsi - au détriment de l'agriculture.
Des aliments bon marché peuvent provenir soit d'une agriculture de subsistance, avec des excédents occasionnels que le paysan doit céder à bas prix en raison de sa situation difficile, soit ils peuvent être le fruit d'une amélioration de la productivité, qui demande un cadre favorable à la production ainsi que, je le répète, l'accès des paysans aux facteurs de production, aux crédits et aux connaissances.
Les conditions de production dans l'agriculture de nombreux pays ne sont pas satisfaisantes. Et de mauvaises conditions de production sont aussi de mauvaises conditions de travail. Elles se traduisent par l'exode rural de ceux que nous pouvons appeler des réfugias économiques. Si les autres secteurs de l'économie ne peuvent pas leur offrir du travail, le chômage et l'instabilité politique s'installent. Et pourtant, une agriculture plus intensive offre un potentiel immense d'occupation productive qu'il faut soigner et développer surtout pour que les jeunes puissent y trouver un avenir attractif. C'est aux politiques agraires nationales de tirer parti de ce potentiel. Aujourd'hui, le niveau des prix offerts à la production dans de nombreux pays et l'exiguïté des marchés n'incitent guère à l'emploi de facteurs de production extérieurs en plus de la terre et des prestations fournies par le paysan lui-même. Pourtant nous savons que le chemin conduisant a la sécurité alimentaire passe par l'augmentation des rendements à l'hectare à l'aide d'intrants que les cultivateurs, en règle générale, doivent acheter.
Une agriculture plus productive, plus intensive ne fait pas seulement appel à des intrants extérieurs, mais également a la main-d'oeuvre. Si elle est soutenue par un marché rémunérateur, elle peut offrir du travail non seulement à elle-même, mais aussi à l'industrie, aux transports, tant en amont qu'en aval. Une bonne agriculture est donc la base d'un sain développement.
Il faut bien constater qu'en ce moment, seule une minorité de paysans des pays en développement oriente leur production selon les prix. Les paysans dits de subsistance sont encore à l'écart des politiques et marchés agricoles de leurs pays. Pour les convaincre de s'engager dans une production accrue a l'aide d'intrants achetés, il faut leur offrir une formation adéquate et gagner leur confiance, leur enthousiasme, en leur proposant une politique agraire convaincante, claire et stable, qui leur garantisse des prix suffisants dans le cadre d'une sorte de contrat social.
L'accès du petit paysannat aux crédits à la production et aux intrants est une condition préalable pour que les fruits d'une politique de soutien puissent leur revenir. A cet effet, des systèmes bancaires et de crédit agricole plus performants sont nécessaires. Cependant, la capacité de remboursement d'un crédit dépend en premier lieu du résultat de la production et de la vente future, et moins de la situation actuelle. Il me paraît dès lors essentiel que les critères d'attribution de crédits tiennent mieux compte de l'aspect dynamique de la production. A cet effet, il est indispensable que les institutions de crédit agricole disposent d'une connaissance approfondie des conditions de production et des marchés agricoles locaux, connaissance qu'ils ont intérêt à faire partager aux paysans afin de renforcer leur capacité de remboursement. Il est plus que regrettable qu'aujourd'hui de nombreuses possibilités d'investissement à haute rentabilité par le petit paysannat ne soient pas mieux utilisées, tandis qu'un apport relativement abondant de fonds dans des secteurs apparemment plus attractifs se solde par un endettement dont les conséquences dramatiques touchent surtout les pauvres et les paysans.
Après ces considérations générales, j'aimerais me tourner vers les préoccupations plus directes de notre Organisation.
J'ai pris bonne note des activités proposées par la FAO dans son programme de travail. L'accent mis sur l'amélioration des politiques agricoles dans les pays en développement nous réjouit. Celles-ci devraient cependant encore mieux tenir compte du maintien de la fertilité des sols et de la conservation des ressources forestières et halieutiques.
En ce qui concerne le budget ordinaire, il fait preuve de réalisme. Nous soutenons particulièrement l'effort de limitation des coûts administratifs en faveur des activités techniques. Nous en remercions le Directeur général.
Nous appuyons le Programme de coopération technique qui cependant devrait être limité dans son expansion. Nous estimons en effet que les activités de terrain devraient être principalement financées par des ressources extra-budgétaires.Nous soutenons également les efforts visant à une transparence encore meilleure du PCT et de ses réalisations.
Nous avons toujours attaché beaucoup d'importance au renforcement de l'évaluation des activités de la FAO et nous souhaitons que la restructuration du Service d'évaluation porte de bons fruits et s'avère un utile instrument de gestion.
Mon pays, malgré ses difficultés budgétaires, n'a cessé d'augmenter son budget d'aide au développement. Nous avons fait de gros efforts pour concentrer encore davantage notre aide sur les pays les moins avancés et les populations les plus démunies. La première priorité est régulièrement accordée à l'agriculture et au développement rural.
Une part substantielle de notre budget d'aide au développement est attribuée à la coopération multilatérale. Nos contributions en matière d'aide financière sont destinées aux banques régionales et au FIDA. Quant à notre coopération technique avec les institutions du système des Nations Unies, elle est principalement canalisée par le PNUD.
Hier, la Suisse a annoncé à New York une nouvelle augmentation de 10 pour cent de sa contribution au PNUD pour 1984. En outre, nous continuerons notre soutien actif aux programmes de terrain de la FAO par des contributions volontaires substantielles.
Pour ce qui est des activités de la FAO en Europe, elles ont également notre plein soutien. Rappelons qu'il y a quelques semaines nous avons organisé en commun avec la FAO un symposium sur la pluriactivité agricole en Europe. Il s'agit là d'un aspect de la mobilisation du travail dans les zones rurales qui pourrait également intéresser les pays en développement.
Enfin, la situation alimentaire alarmante qui nous a été décrite concernant les populations de nombreux pays africains nous incite à considérer leurs besoins accrus avec une bienveillance toute particulière et nous nous réjouissons de participer à la réunion qui aura lieu demain après-midi.
Il me paraît que les problèmes qui nous préoccupent peuvent trouver une solution , La sécurité alimentaire pour tous est donc à notre portée, efforçons-nous de la rechercher avec la détermination, la compétence et la solidarité nécessaires.
T. RAISON (United Kingdom): This is my first visit to FAO, and I am very glad to have the opportunity to address the Conference on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.and to reaffirm the United Kingdom's support for the Organization.
I would like also to welcome the new members of our Organization to our growing family - Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Christopher and Nevis, whose Independence ceremonies I attended only a few weeks ago, and Vanuatu. My welcome is all the warmer, of course, because they are Commonwealth countries.
The aim of the FAO is essentially to help humanity in its struggle to free itself from hunger. It has achieved much since its foundation nearly 40 years ago. But if there have been some notable successes in a number of areas of the world in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, there have also been severe setbacks.
The latest cause for concern must be the particularly difficult situation in Southern Africa and in the Sahel, where the prolonged drought has already added to already severe problems. We have on a bilateral basis already given considerably to the countries most severely affected.
FAO has moved swiftly to alert the international community - most recently at the important meeting held on 19 October here in Rome immediately prior to the meeting of the Committee on Food Aid. Mr Saouma's introductory remarks to that meeting and at the Conference set the problem out with stark clarity, and at the same time gave heartening evidence of the extent of FAO's concentration - some 40 percent of the regular budget - on sub-Saharan Africa.
We in the United Kingdom understand the need for immediate help and have recently provided some £1/2 million of drought relief assistance to Ethiopia, donated trucks for Botswana, contributed towards an emergency air lift of food to Chad, and provided transport for relief supplies in Mauritania. We have also helped in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
This is only the disaster relief element in our programme. We naturally have projects in many countries designed to make it less likely that these problems will recur. For example, we are involved in water supply programmes in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland and in the Western Savannah area of the Sudan. We are assisting with irrigation in Zambia, and evaluating underground water resources in Botswana. In short, we continue to regard Africa as a prime area in need of our assistance, and we attempt to relate our aid closely to the countries' needs and to be responsive to their requests.
Natural disasters, droughts and diseases which slowly but surely stifle production, floods and whirlwinds which destroy in a few minutes the patient work of years, are all the more cruel because they most frequently strike those least able to resist them. And to the number of these familiar demons stalking abroad has been added another - economic recession.
Natural disasters have, at least usually, the characteristic that they do not strike everywhere and everyone at once. The drought in the Sahel does not affect the rice growers of India or the sugar-cane crop in the Caribbean. But the economic crisis has hit us all, including those of us who are normally spared the worst of the natural disasters. As a result of the recession, governments everywhere have had to try to find ways of saving money. They have looked as far as possible for savings on the inessentials, both in their domestic and overseas spending, so that they can keep the essentials of their programmes unaffected. The British Government has been no exception. We have had to look, both at home and abroad, for the most effective and economical use of limited funds.
It is against this background that the British Government and a number of other governments have been obliged to approach the problem of the budgets of international organizations of which they are members. We must now, of all times, get value for money, ensure that it is well spent on the things that matter most and ensure that none of it is wasted.
It is right, therefore, that the Director-General has been able to submit proposals for only modest real growth in his Programme of Work and Budget. I appreciate in particular his proposals for effecting a major shift in resources to substantive programmes and a reduction in administrative expenditure. I am happy to say that we will be able to give our support to this Budget, even if there are a few points which my delegation will wish to discuss further during the Conference. It goes a long way towards the aim of greater effectiveness in the field, which is in all our interests.
There are, of course, encouraging signs that economic activity is picking up, at least in certain areas. But this recovery is still fragile. We cannot afford to take it for granted. Even if the signs of recovery were more encouraging, it would continue to make sense for developmental organizations to aim at the greatest possible cost effectiveness.
This is why we attach so much importance to the Director-General's proposals for ordering his strategies and priorities for 1984-85. In general, we agree with them. It must be right for the Organization to concentrate on the poorest countries, because that is where the need is greatest and that is why we approve his concentration on Africa. We appreciate fully the problems posed by the present limitation on resources. The promotion of local activities in rural development is particularly welcome, so is the increase in technical and economic programmes designed to develop greater self-reliance in food supply and to encourage technical and economic cooperation between developing countries themselves - very much in line with the Lagos Plan of Action in Africa.
It is in this light that we ourselves look at the question of food aid. Apart from its use in famine relief and emergencies - when, of course, we strongly support its use - we do not really regard it as the best way of countering the problem of world hunger. We therefore prefer to support a policy aimed at the adoption of national food strategies by developing countries, under which all activities directed towards food availability are integrated within the development plans for the country as a whole. This is in line with FAO’s own policies. In looking at one or two of the points in the Director-General' s proposals, I have found it useful to relate them to the function of the FAO as given in the Constitution. The first is to "collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture". It has a duty therefore to keep the world informed about progress in agriculture, about new developments and new agricultural techniques; to warn the world of impending problems; to provide suggestions for improvement and solving problems as they arise; and to assist the course of development generally. Examples of their work in the field which are particularly valuable to us are the early warning system, the review of the state of food and agriculture, and the numerous technical meetings to deal with specific problems.
FAO has fulfilled this information function admirably. Without its efforts, many problems would have been more serious, and much helpful knowledge would not have been diffused. We fully agree, in this context, with the priority given by the Director-General to the development of research and technology, and to the proposal for allocating additional resources to the programme for food and agricultural information and analysis. We also regard the FAO specialist panels, which are a vital link in getting the right level of know-how through to the end-user, as a particularly valuable and active part of FAO's function.
As part of the information function, many Member States, ourselves included, have found great value in the technical consultations which take place, both informally and in the three major Committees dealing with Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. I should like to make a plea to all Member States that, wherever possible, they should ensure that delegations to these important meetings should be fully technically qualified and able to make a creative and informed part in the proceedings. This is necessary because of the pace of development in all these fields, because of the complexity and intractable nature of many of the problems, and because of the need for the world to be aware of the investment risks and opportunities in the development of agriculture. I know that representation at meetings poses difficulties for some countries; but it is generally true that time spent on discussing technical problems is time well spent.
The other functions of the FAO, as listed in the Constitution, can perhaps be conveniently described under the heading of technical work. The range and quality of this work is well-known. Some of those which I would like to pick out are its help, in cooperation with other donors, in crop production work and the attack on trypanosomiasis. But what I find especially impressive is the range of work undertaken by the Organization, from, for example, advising on a single irrigation project in one country, perhaps for one village, to the formulation of overall schemes for rural development; from the development of new seed for a particular area to the establishment of whole forests; from advice to the single fisherman on improving his techniques to advice to governments on the development of fisheries in their Exclusive Economic Zones.
The sheer scope of the work tackled compels our admiration. But because there is so much and because of its complexity it is all the more difficult to follow and to ensure that there is a proper ordering of priorities. This is why we are particularly glad to see the Director-General's reports on both the Regular and the Field Programmes which have been presented to this Conference. The reports offer an essential overview of FAO's past activities on which we can. base our attitude to future programmes.
I note, too, the welcomed emphasis he has given to programme monitoring in his introduction to the Programme of Work and Budget. This prompts me to recall the importance attached by the UK to programme evaluation. It is essential to ensure that we have the best possible analysis of the success of a project once it is completed.
We are glad, too, that the Director-General' s reports bring out the importance placed on extension services. We believe these are vital to ensure that the benefits of research training in agriculture do actually reach those in need.
In the last decade, FAO has seen an enormous extension of its technical work. It has ceased to be solely the agent for other organizations for technical cooperation in the field. It has for some time now had its own technical cooperation programme. We accept this development although we believe that it is important to preserve UNDP's central role in the UN system. We also welcome the priority given to the concepts of technical cooperation and economic cooperation among developing countries.
It is clear from what I have said that we regard FAO as being at the very centre of the fight against hunger. It is not, however, for very good reasons, the only body in the United Nations system concerned with food and agriculture. For example, this year we are celebrating the Twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the World Food Programme; and the Conference will no doubt record its justifiable appreciation of the vital work carried out in the name of the World Food Programme since 1963. But WFP is only one of a number of agencies with an interest in one aspect or another of food and agriculture and we must perhaps look briefly at the question of collaboration between them.
Resources for development are now under heavy strain, and the aim of all concerned must be to avoid waste. We are confident that FAO share these views, and that their staff in post will be more than willing to collaborate with all United Nations and bilateral agencies, ensuring the maximum benefit to developing countries.
I have covered in my speech a number of detailed points about the FAO. They are all important. They cannot be neglected because attention to detail, rigorous planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects are essential to any well-run organization. In particular, they allow that dedication to a cause which should be, and is, a hallmark of those working in the FAO to be applied to the greatest possible effect.
But of course the success or failure of the FAO does not depend only on the permanent staff and experts. They depend on the efforts of us all especially at this time when the problems of Africa are so pressing. We are all partners in what FAO has achieved, and we share the responsibility for needs still not met. I can assure the Conference that my Government will continue to play its part to ensure that the FAO is as efficient and as effective as it must be if we are to win the battle to wipe hunger from the face of the earth.
L. BEN OSMAN (Tunisie):(langue originale arabe): En tout premier lieu, j'aimerais exprimer toute ma fierté de participer aux travaux de cette session, qui sont considérés véritablement comme un sommet agricole international et comme une précieuse occasion offerte aux responsables du développement agricole venus des quatre coins du monde pour dialoguer et pour discuter d'un des sujets les plus importants de l'époque contemporaine, je veux parler du développement de la production agricole et alimentaire, problème qui en plus de son importance économique et sociale, commence à avoir des répercussions sur le plan politique et sur le plan de la sécurité.
La Tunisie est tout à fait convaincue du rôle de tout premier plan qui revient à la FAO dans le domaine du développement agricole dans les pays membres et elle est d'ailleurs toujours le membre actif que vous avez connu et qui sera soucieux d'assumer ses responsabilités et d'oeuvrer pour la réalisation des objectifs de la FAO et pour servir la cause de la paix, de la sécurité et du progrès de l'humanité tout entière.
Personne ne peut nier l'apport de la FAO aux divers pays membres et le soutien qu'accorde l'Organisation dans les divers domaines de l'activité agricole et ce par le truchement d'échanges fructueux sur le plan technique et scientifique par les précieuses études élaborées par les divers départements et par la contribution efficace à la lutte contre le phénomène de la faim, de la sous-alimentation et pour la réalisation du progrès et du bien-être pour tous les peuples du monde.
C'est là que réside l'importance du rôle que doit jouer la FAO dans la situation alimentaire internationale qui ne cesse de se détériorer et ce, malgré le fait que des succès éblouissants ont été réalisés par les êtres humains dans les domaines scientifique et technique. C'est pour cela qu'il faut absolument founir à l'Organisation les moyens financiers nécessaires susceptibles de lui permettre d'assumer pleinement ses responsabilités croissantes. D'ailleurs, la Tunisie appuie pleinement l'orientation saine définie par le Directeur général dans le but de renforcer les moyens financiers consacrés aux activités techniques en réduisant les dépenses administratives d'organisation.
La situation alimentaire ne cesse de se détériorer depuis plusieurs années et en est venue aujourd'hui à menacer la vie de centaines de millions d'êtres humains et à empêcher sérieusement leur marche vers le développement. Cette situation s'aggrave surtout que les résultats obtenus jusqu'ici sur le plan de la production restent tout à fait en deçà du niveau souhaité, ce qui provoque l'inquiétude de larges couches de la population mondiale et plus particulièrement en Afrique.
Vu la détérioration de cet état de choses, la volonté de conserver les intérêts nationaux s'est renforcée et les pays développés ont fait preuve d'une certaine réticence à accorder l'aide en faveur des pays en développement dont les économies ont le plus souffert.
Nul doute que la persistance de cette crise alimentaire, voire son aggravation au moment d'une terrible crise économique mondiale, n'aide aucunement à l'instauration de la sécurité, de la stabilité et de la paix dans le monde.
Il va de soi que des politiques de récession, d'ostracisme et de protection commerciale n'aident nullement les objectifs d'interdépendance économique et de progrès globalement souhaités.
Dans ce contexte, je suis tout à fait heureux d'exprimer le soutien de la Tunisie à la vision courageuse et positive dont a fait preuve le Directeur général en définissant la sécurité alimentaire dans son sens le plus large et ce, dans le but de résoudre le problème avec le maximum d'efficacité. Nous espérons que le Directeur général pourra obtenir tous les moyens nécessaires à la réalisation de ce plan.
Les peuples des pays en développement sont devenus de plus en plus conscients du problème de la sécurité alimentaire et d'ailleurs les responsables des divers pays en développement ont bien reflété cette prise de conscience de leur peuple dans les plans de développement et dans la mobilisation de toutes les ressources disponibles pour accorder la priorité absolue à l'agriculture, car le développement du secteur agricole et la promotion de sa productivité s'inscrivent dans le cadre des responsabilités des peuples eux-mêmes. Il est possible de réaliser ces objectifs en comptant sur un effort national réel et continu, qui repose en tout premier lieu sur la capacité nationale et sur l'exploitation des ressources humaine et matérielle disponibles.
Toutefois, Monsieur le Président, il est impossible à notre avis d'emporter la bataille du développement économique et social et d'éliminer la pauvreté et la sous-alimentation sans la promotion d'une coopération fructueuse et l'intensification des échanges entre les peuples et sans le développement de l'agriculture, d'une manière qui tirerait profit des progrès scientifiques et technolo‐giques, et sans l'ouverture des marchés des produits agricoles des pays en développement.
Dans ce cadre, Monsieur le Président, j'aimerais vous affirmer la nécessité de la coopération agricole entre pays développés et en développement, ce qui nous incite à rechercher tous les moyens susceptibles de renforcer la coopération agricole horizontale entre pays en développement, en raison de la similitude des données qui permettent de tirer profit des possibilités de la coopération technique tout en réduisant leur coût et ce, dans le but de promouvoir et de renforcer l'intégration économique et régionale. La Tunisie veille toujours à ce que la coopération se traduise dans les faits dans tous les domaines et surtout dans le secteur agricole.
Mesdames et Messieurs, la Tunisie a oeuvré, dans son Sixième Plan de développement économique et social, à concrétiser sa conviction, c'est-à-dire à donner la priorité absolue à la promotion de l'agriculture en la transformant en véritable pilier de l'économie nationale.
C'est dans cet esprit que 13,9 pour cent des investissements globaux ont été consacrés à cet effort. Cette augmentation vise trois objectifs.
Premièrement, le renforcement des infrastructures dans le domaine de l'eau et de l'irrigation, dans le but de faciliter l'accès des agriculteurs à ce genre d'activités.
Deuxièmement, le renforcement des principaux secteurs tels que viande, céréales, beurre et lait dans le but de réaliser 1'autosuffisance.
Troisièmement l'encouragement de l'exploitation agricole intensive et moderne et intégrée et ce, pour augmenter la productivité.
A plus long terme, nos plans visent à 1'exploration et à l'exploitation de toutes les ressources naturelles disponibles au bénéfice de la réalisation de nos objectifs économiques et sociaux et pour la modernisation des moyens de production pour mieux exploiter nos ressources.
Toutefois, ces grands investissements ne suffisent pas à faire réussir le plan et à atteindre les objectifs définis car il faut en même temps encourager les agriculteurs pour les inciter à travailler avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme et de volonté.
Dans ce même contexte, un journal d'investissement agricole a été publié. Ce journal contient tous les encouragements et tous les avantages accordés aux agriculteurs. Il donne aussi la liste des enterprises et des individúes qui jouent un rôle actif dans le secteur agricole. Il vise à organiser ce secteur, à trouver un grand nombre de promoteurs agricoles, à renforcer la crédibilité de l'agriculture aux yeux des investisseurs. Il vise à dépasser le stade de l'agriculture individuelle isolée pour créer une jeune génération de promoteurs agricoles à l'instar des promoteurs industriels et touristiques dans le but d'assurer cette évolution sur le plan législatif pour le soutien et pour le renforcement de cet effort et pour en profiter dans les faits, une agence de promotion des investissements agricoles appelée APIA et une Banque nationale pour le développement agricole ont été créées pour encadrer ces promoteurs agricoles, les orienter, les aider choisir les projects fiables et leur fournir les investissements nécessaires à ces projets.
Nous sommes convaincus par ailleurs de la nécessité de changer les structures d'exportation dans le but de faire participer les grandes entreprises et institutions à la revalorisation et à l'exploitation des terres agricoles surtout dans les zones insuffisamment exploitées et qui nécessitent la consécration de ressources matérielles, techniques et humaines importantes et impossibles à trouver chez un seul exploitant.
Notre vision du travail agricole et des exploitants agricoles est une vision globale qui vise à offrir leur chance à des producteurs, qu'ils soient petits ou grands, pour les inciter à produire, à créer et à participer au développement à leur façon propre.
Parallèlement à ces efforts et compte tenu de la situation agricole qui prévaut en Tunisie et qui se caractérise par un grand nombre de petits et moyens agriculteurs, 1'Etat ne cesse d'accorder ce genre d'aide à cette majorité de professionnels de l'activité agricole.
A ce sujet, j'aimerais saluer le PAM qui accorde une aide efficace et positive à tous ces petits et moyens agriculteurs et ce, dans le cadre de projets bien définis et très fiables, ce qui nous incite en Tunisie à penser que les projets du PAM sont un véritable instrument de développement de grande valeur et de ce fait, qu'ils s'inscrivent dans le plan de développement économique et social du pays.
La Tunisie, dans ce même cadre, a pris un certain nombre de mesures visant à faciliter l'obtention des prêts et à renforcer l'encadrement technique des agriculteurs et ce, par l'orientation et la généralisation des services tels que la fourniture des instruments de la production, par l'analyse de l'eau et de la terre, par l'aide à l'écoulement et à la commercialisation des récoltes en soutenant des coopératives de service disponibles et en encourageant et en en créant d'autres dans les zones où les structures d'approvisionnement et de commercialisation sont inexistantes.
Par ailleurs, un Fonds de Solidarité et de Coopération a été créé dans le but d'apporter un soutien réel aux entreprises nationales et aux coopératives de service qui ont besoin de financer leurs investissements. L'Etat oeuvre aussi, en même temps, à trouver un équilibre entre le producteur et le consommateur dans le but de protéger l'harmonie sociale. C’est pour cela qu'il a protégé la création d'un Fonds de subvention des légumes et des fruits, ce qui aide à inspirer confiance aux agriculteurs tout en fournissant les produits de première nécessité au marché à des prix abordables.
Le but de tout cet.effort est d'intégrer rapidement cette catégorie d'agriculteurs dans le cycle économique national et ce en les incitant matériellement et techniquement à créer des projets intégrés qui soient de véritables unités économiques comprenant diverses activités connexes permettant de promouvoir l'exploitation de la terre et de varier les récoltes.
Autant nous sommes soucieux d'aider et de soutenir les agriculteurs et de leur créer des conditions propices susceptibles de leur permettre de bien travailler, autant nous sommes encore plus soucieux de changer leur mentalité pour leur permettre d'assimiler les derniers progrès réalisés en matière agricole car la modernisation et la prospérité agricoles dépendent du degré d'assimilation des techniques et sciences modernes par des professionnels des différents secteurs.
C'est la raison pour laquelle nous avons déployé autant d'efforts que possible pour renforcer la recherche agricole et réaliser la décentralisation par la création de véritables relais, d'antennes régionales de recherches sectorielles - oliviers, betteraves à sucre, dattiers - dans le but de
rapprocher les chercheurs du centre de production et de lui permettre d'être au courant des préoccupations des agriculteurs. On aura ainsi créé una relation étroite entre les chercheurs et l'agriculteur, ceci pour les sensibiliser aux recherches et à leurs effets bénéfiques sur la modernisation de l'agriculture.
On pourra lors d'une étape ultérieure faire participer les agriculteurs aux expériences et aux recherches pour leur permettre de s'intéresser au développement des moyens de production et pour créer une base scientifique permettant la revalorisation de l'agriculture tunisienne afin qu'elle soit au niveau de celle des pays développés et pour qu'elle repose sur la science et la technologie comme les pays développés.
Ces réalisations qui ont vu le jour en un court laps de temps et ont été accompagnées de nos encouragements visent à assurer le succès du Sixième Plan pour la création d'un environnement économique et social susceptible de promouvoir le secteur agricole et de lui donner une nouvelle dynamique pour qu'il puisse réaliser son décollage et pour qu'il contribue à renforcer l'économie nationale. Ces efforts déployés par le Gouvernement tunisien sous l'égide du Président Bourguiba constituent la meilleure preuve de la volonté qui anime notre Gouvernement et notre peuple de remporter une victoire dans la bataille du développement agricole et de réaliser 1'autosuffisance alimentaire; convaincus que nous aurons ainsi réduit le déficit et les insuffisances alimentaires régionales, nous aurons par là créé un climat de prospérité et de bien-être dans une des régions du monde.
E. F. WHELAN (Canada): Mr Chairman, I should first like to congratulate Secretary Block on his election as Chairman of this Conference, and also to congratulate you, as Vice-chairman. Your wise counsel and leadership will be valuable assets at this Twenty-second Biennial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
I should also like to welcome new members. I am sure they will bring fresh ideas to an Organization which is now forty years old. I say "forty years" because the first organizational meeting took place in 1943 in Hot Springs, Virginia, United States of America. It is interesting to recall that it was an Australian, Frank McDougall, who spoke to Eleanor Roosevelt about the need to establish a world agricultural organization. It was Mrs. Roosevelt who persuaded President Roosevelt to pursue that idea. Two years later the FAO came into force at the meeting in my country, in Quebec City, Canada.
We are meeting here on the heels of the annual harvest across the northern hemisphere - a harvest which was reduced by poor weather conditions in many countries including Canada, the United States, the USSR and parts of Europe. Despite that situation, international grain stocks should once again be adequate to meet world requirements. However, hunger and malnutrition are still with us, and will be for quite a while, it appears. The plight of many developing countries, particularly certain African nations, has not improved. With grain prices rising this year, some countries will be even more hard-pressed to find sufficient resources to buy food.
It is a paradox that people are dying of hunger while grain stocks are adequate for world needs. This just proves that food stocks cannot be used as a true measure of food security. It underlines the need for food-importing countries to develop their own production capability and resources in order to become self-sufficient in food.
Canada's concern about food disparities throughout the world has not declined. If anything, we are more alarmed than ever about the cause of the disparities which I have just mentioned. I am talking about things like trade wars, reductions in crop acreage, lack of support for the United Nations system, and a general lack of discipline in food production supports.
While millions of people in some parts of the world do not have enough to eat, farmers elsewhere have cut production because of low returns from the marketplace. Farmers must realize a profit or they will not continue to produce food. Some people think farmers are a super race of people. When you look at a big part of our developed world you will find that everyone is looked after pretty well, and you will find even in the United States that everyone is looked after pretty well in a pretty secure fashion, but the farmers who produce food in most of the world are not looked after anywhere near as well. Even in my own civil service in Canada you do not have the same sort of security in the agricultural production area. It is one of our big problems that you do not have that kind of security. So, in some countries, they have been paid artificial prices, or subsidies, to continue producing. All this is pointing dangerously towards a trade war and a situation of unstable food production.
Obviously, the world is capable of producing enough food for all of its people. Every one of us knows that. That is not our prime concern. Our challenge, as I stated here in 1981, is to see that the food production and distribution systems develop in a rational way in all areas of the world. When I say "food" I also mean fish because we in Canada are a large fish-producing country.
I mean fish as well as all other agricultural products. The fisheries are largely an untapped resource in many parts of the world. This highly nutritious food is an excellent source of protein that can be a valuable resource for the hungry world. Although Canada is the largest exporter of fish in the world, I know that our fishing industry is thirty years behind agriculture in terms of its harvesting and marketing methods. Preparing this very nutritious food, from the time it is caught until it is put on your table, if it is handled in a proper fashion, can be one of the most delightful, delicious, nutritious foods that there are in the world. Unfortunately, many fishermen in Canada today are caught in a serious cost price squeeze to keep the fishing industries alive. Thus, the fishery shares many of the problems as well as the opportunities of the agricultural sectors in other parts of the world.
In Canada last year we harvested a record crop of cereal grains and oil seeds. This year's wheat crop is high in quality but is expected to be down in volume by 2 per cent from 1982. That is not because we have cut the acreage but we have actually increased our acreage by 12 per cent. It is due to adverse weather conditions: some areas had too much rain, some areas had drought with excessive heat unknown in Canada before. A second consecutive bad weather could lead us dangerously close to a shortage situation such as we faced ten years ago. If we have bad weather again next year we could be in for a catastrophe that we never forecast.
We had a programme in Canada one year where we paid people not to produce grain. It was called "LIFT", that is Lower Inventory for Tomorrow. I was not a minister at that time, but as a backbench member I sent to all my cabinet colleagues a letter - I get it out every now and then and read it just to remind myself - saying "Please don't put this programme in. Pay the farmers more to produce; pay them to build storage; advance them so much an acre to produce grain to cover the day when they do not have grain to deliver". It was not two years before we did not have grain to deliver because of the crop conditions that existed not only in our part of the world but in other parts of the world also.
When we are talking about products and controlling production, let us not forget that there is a difference between grain and other products. Meat products and dairy products degenerate and go down in value; they degenerate so that after six months a lot is not fit for human consumption. When we are talking about grain, if it is stored in good conditions it will keep for years and years. I know an old farmer in Canada who has had grain in his bin fourteen years old and he calls it his experimental bin. Naturally, when grain gets drier it gets higher in protein. He says "this is fourteen years old. Mr Minister" - he writes me a letter every year - "it is better than it ever was". Its protein content is higher, so it will keep, and the grain in the bin is better than gold in the vault. Do not forget that. Which would you rather be with? Would you rather be locked up for a week or two with grain or with gold? Which could you live the longest with? You would quickly die with the gold, but you could live for some time on grain.
We see some of these problems that we are talking about as ways to solve the market problem. In Canada, we have formed a new organization, the Canadian Agricultural Export Corporation. It is to deal directly with nations in agricultural trade products, to assist our farmers and the farmers in other parts of the world to trade with us. It is a crown corporation; it is not a huge thing, but it is for those areas which want to deal at government to government level. We are now in the throes of appointing a board of highly qualified people in Canada to run that, and I must say when we hired a private firm to do the headhunting, as we call it, for this organization we had some real surprise in the highly qualified people who wanted to head Canagrex, who wanted to accept this challenge to work with other parts of Canada. We have agricultural controls in Canada and protection. Some of the controls I have talked about are in poultry and dairy production. We have no unmanageable amounts of surplus of those products because they deteriorate too rapidly, and we do not pay any money to our farmers in most of those production entities. Our dairy industry has never received an increase in subsidy for eight years. Our poultry industry has never received a subsidy since I have been Minister of Agriculture. The average industrial wage in Canada is very high. Some people do not make that much in a month, or two months in some of the developing countries. The average industrial wage in Canada is $ 12 Canadian an hour, but that will buy twelve dozen eggs. The average Canadian eats twelve dozen eggs a year, so the average Canadian's whole year's supply of eggs can be bought for one hour's wages. It used to take nearly an hour's wages to buy a dozen eggs in Canada, so you can see how efficient we have become through our marketing systems and the board. People condemn them in some parts of the world saying they are terrible things. We call them supply managements, and we let our farmers run them. You have to let the farmers participate in the management of the whole structure. Some people think they are just good for producing food and then the smart business managers will come in and market a product for them. We know better. There are better ways of doing it: let the farmer have some say, because if farmers are to be good farmers they have to be educated too. Never were our farmers better educated than they are today in Canada.
The next Minister of Agriculture who comes to address you at an FAO Conference whenever that might be - I mean when another Minister should take my place - he or she will be a very intelligent young person, probably with a couple of degrees, but their practical agricultural experience will be farming. Today I have with me at this Conference the President of the Canadian Federatiosn of
Agriculture, who is a poultry farmer, and a swine producer, a grain farmer in Saskatchewan, the province which produces over 80 percent of our wheat. I have with me also the President of the National Farmers' Union, not such a large group but an important group in Canada, and he is from the smallest province in eastern Canada, Prince Edward Island. His name is Wayne Easter. The President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is Glen Flaten from Saskatchewan. They are here to watch what you are doing, to listen to what you are saying, to talk to you, to learn and to tell you some of the things they are doing in Canada. They are attending some of your meetings, and are sitting in the audience at the present time. They are here because they think it important that farmers know what their Minister of Agriculture is telling you. They are here because we think they can make a contribution to some of the things you may be asking questions about.
We believe in a free and open trading system. Trade is a two-way street; you just cannot go one way. We are one of the largest trading nations in the world - our farmers depend on 50 per cent of their income for trade, and we are one of the freest trading nations in the world. I can give you a comparison: if you want to send cheese into the European Community the duty is over 2.46 dollars per kilo. If you want to send it into Canada it is 6 cents, - in the U.S. it is 50 cents, so you see who is the freest trading nation. We are. Tropical products can come into Canada duty free, practically every one of them.
In that land of ice and snow called Canada we cannot produce a lot of those so why put a tariff on them Some countries still do that. Fifty-five percent of our farming in Canada is further north than any other country in the world so we have to farm under very severe conditions. Agriculture in our country has been one of the most important things; this made us so proficient in agriculture. Agriculture is an important priority in Canada. We provide farmers with technological and research support so that they can be efficient and productive, compete in the market place. We have a budget of just slightly over a billion dollars in Canada, that is about 1.4 percent of the Federal Budget. We give more than that to foreign aid than we give to Agriculture in Canada's operation. Ninety-five percent of my farmers in Canada own their own farms and operate them. Pride of ownership is an important thing in agricultural production. There are very many hired people on family farms, husband, wife, young people on the farms are the ones who do the production When I was first Minister of Agriculture, if you shook hands with me you would have thought it was a bear's paw you were shaking hands with because my hands work hard. These hands have done everything you can think of on a farm from delivering a calf to slaughtering an animal, to plant seeds of every kind, to harvest every crop, fix every kind of mechanized equipment on our mechanized farm. My hands have done that. The farmers' hands today on our farms in Canada do that same kind of thins. We need more people in FAO who have played in dirt with their hands and understand the feeling of earth. I have been checking how many of our officials in FAO really know that much about agriculture, really have done those kinds of things and I am amazed how few of you have had that experience. It is most important that more and more of us have that experience if we are to tell somebody elso how in the hell to do so. It is important that we have that experience, some of that practical knowledge ourselves. We have not lessened our contribution, go ahead and clap, I am a politician too. I have been elected since I was 21 years of age and I am 59 this year so you can see how long I have been in public life.
Applause
Applaudissements
Aplausos
I was listening this morning - if I am not in the audience I am up in the World Food Council office listening - and someone said, "There shouldn't be speeches made at FAO." How are we going to tell anybody what we think should be done when the only opportunity we have is here. The Commissions are full of bureaucrats. We are ministers, we are responsible for tax papers' money. We have to question, we have to tell, we have to know what is going on. So when they suggested we should not make speeches - I heard an FAO person say this the other day, "What do we have all those speeches for, "It acts like it is an exercise in futility every two years, that we should come here and deter them away from their work and occupation or whatever it may be for one week in this chamber that we should be making speeches, etc., this type of thing.
Our aid, as I said, has not been cut back even though Canada is a net exporter of food and agricul‐tural products. We have made agriculture the top priority of development assistance in this decade. We have planted about 45 percent of all Canadian official development assistance to activities in the agriculture and food sector in 1985-1986. This includes food aid, bilateral development projects and indirect contributions through other institutions and organizations.
One of the things I find as Minister of Agriculture and also as President of the World Food Council, the thing we take for granted in Canada, right from the beginning of our country our people have had free elementary education. It was in a crude fashion in one-room schools in the middle of bush
country, rough muddy roads, etc. but that was something that the fathers of confederation in our country saw from the beginning when they created it, that education was the most important thing. Some countries when I go to them, I can understand part of their food problem: illiteracy rate 95 percent, only 5 percent of the people can read or write. What a challenge it is to have and to see these people trying to have those things we take for granted in my country. Secondary education is free in Canada, university education is free to anyone who has initiative in Canada. When I was first in politics we only gave $36 million to the higher schools of learning, from the Federal Government. Last year we gave nearly $5 billion to schools of learning, technical schools, univer‐sities, all the higher schools of learning that you could think of. They told Mr Pearson, who is Prime Minister and who was at that founding meeting of FAO, when he said that every young Canadian whether they come from a ‘have province’ or a 'have not province' are entitled to education, because some of the provinces were richer than others. They said to him, " Mr Prime Minister" - I can remember it like yesterday - "you are interfering in provincial jurisdiction, it will be a dangerous thing for you to do that." He said, "I don't care." And we interfered in provincial jurisdiction according to the Constitution. Now we have probably one of the highest educated group of people in the world- and I say in the world. Canadians come from all over the world, you know. In my own city, in my own county that I represent there are 72 different ethnic groups in that area, people from all over the world who have come to Canada in a free democratic society to make a way for themselves, and they have, and we have built a country called Canada. We are willing to share that. We are willing to share in IFAD and other organizations, but we also want to make sure that what we are doing is on the right track, that we are doing it in the right fashion, that we are doing these things that are so important to share with the rest of the world, because, you see, that is how Canada was built. At one time the King of France when we were a colony of France was told "You are abandoning France, new France, what are you going to do with those people?" He said, "Who wants that land of ice and snow anyway, let them survive the best way they know how." And we did. Some people are amazed at me, probably would hope that I didn't survive because of the problems that I create and the suggestions that I make about democracy working and participation by people, but you see that is the way I was raised. I was raised very poor. My dad died in 1931 during the Great Depression and left my mother with 9 children and we were raised on welfare. Do not tell me that I do not know anything about a hard life, a poor life, because I lived all those things, and went to work at 16 years of age in a factory during the Great War. And if some of you are wondering what this little badge I am wearing is, that is what we wear in Canada on Remembrance Day for the great contribution Canadians made in two World Wars when we lost more people per capita than any other country in the world fighting for democracy, fighting for freedom, and we will continue to do that whether it is at home in Canada or whether it is at Rome, FAO, or any other place in the world.
A.C. BUNDU (Sierra Leone): On behalf of my delegation, and on my own behalf, I extend to you, Mr Chairman, hearty congratulations and felicitations on your election to the high office of Chairman of this Twenty-second FAO Biennial Conference.
Allow me also to extend a special welcome to the four new members of the Organization: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize,.Saint Chistopher and Nevis and Vanuatu. We are confident that they deserve Such admission and will play a meaningful role in pursuit of the goals of this Organization.
Mr, Chairman, during the past two years, the world economy continued to impose severe economic difficulties everywhere. And, as events unravelled themselves, a deepening crisis characterized by a somewhat seamless web of political and financial constraints revealed itself even more clearly. Instead of strengthening our collective commitment in overcoming these difficulties, we rather persist in encouraging our several instincts for self-preservation as if prosperity is divisible, a retreat from the internationalism that has sustained the world throughout the post-war period, rekindling the prospect of a return to the bunkers and barricades which in the 1930s brought not separate salvation but global depression. And thus the world economy remains deeply troubled. There is no point in pretending otherwise. Prospects of recovery do appear to exist for some, but no one is out of danger, and most see little, if any, light at the end of the tunnel. And the FAO has not been singular in alerting us to the danger. But most important of all, the peoples we represent know only too well that times are bad - whether they live in a developed or developing country, whether they are categorized as rich or poor. How many of us can say with real confidence that things are better this November than they were this time last year, or that the prospects for next year are better.
The tendency towards strong monetarist policies with accompanying snow-balling interest rates has brought about traumatic rises in unemployment and a growing adherence to protectionist policies which ensure the benefit of neither developed nor developing countries.
Far from abating, the situation has progressively grown harsher for developing countries particularly low-income food-deficit countries and in recent times this situation has deteriorated even more alarmingly involving unprecedented levels of food imports against worsening foreign exchange profiles. Should this state of affairs be tolerated? The more it persists, the greater the threat it poses
to the political and social stability of the world community as a whole. We cannot allow starvation and human suffering to continue unabated. Food must be made more widely available and better distributed if the plight of the.world’s hungry is to be ameliorated.
Available data indicate that globally the 1982 harvests were excellent. We are told that global food production increased by 2.5 percent. Yet we cannot ignore how uneven is the record around the world, both in terms of potential and fulfilment. With increased production in 1982 in the industrialized world, there has been some improvement in the short-term outlook for world food security. But the situation in most developing countries, particularly in Africa, continues to deteriorate as their aggregate cereal production fell below 1981 levels and per capita food production increased in only 15 out of 65 low-income food-deficit countries.
There is thus no room for complacency and it is important at this critical juncture that consensus be secured on a viable and self-sustaining basis.
In the context of International Agricultural Adjustment, it is the fervent hope of my delegation that the revised and updated guidelines will be found acceptable and I trust that the Conference would, for the first time, issue an authoritative statement on them, bearing in mind that the first review and appraisal of the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade will be undertaken in 1984.
That there is an urgent need for adjustment in national and international policies embracing these guidelines I know is a matter acknowledged by all. But that acknowledgement is reaffirmed when we look at developments in the international agricultural scene since the adoption of the International Agricultural Adjustment guidelines by the FAO Conference in 1975. From that time to 1980 there was a noticeable improvement in agriculture in developing countries as a whole with consequent improvement in international trade also. Export crops enjoyed higher prices up to the close of the 1970s and the real price of food decreased. Food aid also recovered and increasing use was made of international financial markets to meet shortfalls in the balance of payments.
So up to 1980 there was some apparent progress. Since then, however, certain weaknesses have manifested themselves. Export prices for primary products have fallen sharply as oil prices have continued to escalate. Cereal prices rose as rapidly as food aid levelled off. We are now witnessing a sharper reaction from developed countries than they did in 1974 when oil prices quadrupled, and the recession in world trade has been further compounded by policies to restrict effective demand.
Today widespread unemployment has fostered protectionist measures and budget deficits have led to further cutbacks in aid. Moreover, monetarist responses to inflation have brought higher interest rates and the running down of inventories. Yet, of all those affected, the developing countries have been the hardest hit. They suffer not only dramatic falls in their terms of trade but also a soaring increase in indebtedness and stagnation in the volume of their exports, while food imports have continued to rise and the share covered by food aid has fallen rather dramatically. Attempts to negotiate new commodity arrangements have brought no relief either; at the same time progress in the arrangements for world food security has been rather lamentably sluggish.
This is the grim reality of our time. Against this background it is imperative that some positive measures must be taken to improve the agricultural performance of the developing world, considering that agriculture is the mainstay of their economy. That the developed world should help in this regard is not an invitation to charity but rather a recognition of a mutuality of interests which binds the developed and developing worlds alike. For to develop this sector is to improve the living standards of the rural population in developing countries and thus enhance their capacity to buy. Such enhanced capacity would in turn induce and stimulate external trade with the industrialized countries who on their part depend on the expansion of their industries to overcome the persistent problems of inflation and recession. This is the light in which my delegation perceives the International Agricultural Adjustment guidelines and would therefore urge speedy agreement on them for the betterment of all.
We observe with deep regret the dimunition by the FAO of its own capacity to deliver its programmes to recipient countries by a significant reduction in its administrative and support services by 6.6 percent of the total budget and the net elimination of 40 posts. Those of us who value the benefit of FAO programmes know only too well what this cut means for our development programmes. At the same time, we are realistic enough to appreciate that the Director-General has undertaken this painful exercise in response to the dwindling resources of the Organization, a dwindling which is itself dictated by the world economic situation. The Director-General has consequently proposed an overall budgetary increase of no more than 0.5 percent for the next biennium. How this would respond to the pressing demands of developing countries and the African region in particular must remain problematic; yet the African agricultural situation, as we have all acknowledged, will continue to feature among the highest priority concerns of the Organization.
In the face of this situation, if there are countries which would like to see further cuts in the budget, and we understand that there are some who would even advocate the application of a zero-growth budget for the Organization irrespective of the relevance of its programmes for developing countries, then we are entitled to ask what real alternatives are there for the fulfilment of our development aspirations. If this is what they want, let me say to them that we do understand their position and the reasons for it. It is the natural human response to a world economy whose recovery is still eluding human ingenuity.
However, in consonance with their desire to see developing countries improve their economic performance with the consequent beneficial impact on the economies of both developed and developing countries alike, we can only appeal for their understanding and tolerance. None desires more than the developing countries themselves to move rapidly from the grip of underdevelopment; none suffers more than the developing countries themselves from the anguish which has flowed from underdevelopment in the agricultural sector; and none can understand better what unfulfilled demands of their masses can mean for political and social stability in their part of the world. We therefore crave the indulgence of the developed countries to understand our plight and the reasons why we must prevail on them to approach the budgetary issues of the Organization with understanding and indulgence.
Given these severe budgetary constraints it is reasonable that the Organization should tailor its programmes accordingly. The significant shift of resources from the administrative services to the technical and economic programmes such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry confirm our conviction that the Organization is fully responsive to the changing needs of developing countries. In this context we note with satisfaction the plans of the Organization to give renewed emphasis to programmes aimed at alleviating the problems of low-income food-deficit countries.
There is another area of concern to my delegation - global action in the field of plant genetics. Undoubtedly the real benefits of plant genetic resources will be fully realised if they are freely available. Such accessibility certainly demands careful selection and conservation in pursuit of the concept of the common heritage of mankind. We therefore not only welcome the attention given to this subject by the FAO Committee on Agriculture but we also subscribe to the recommendations before this Conference including the draft International Understanding which has been submitted by the Organization.
We would therefore urge all delegations to consider this draft favourably.
There can be no doubt that we have set ourselves important tasks in the years ahead. We should not by any means underestimate these tasks. Facing up to the reality of our times is not always easy, but it is unavoidable. Using epithets and rhetoric alone will not suffice nor will accepting the benefits of change while rejecting its cost. We must cojointly, rich and poor alike, generate a new international agricultural order. Nor is it the case that structural changes in food production and distribution can be postponed for what are sometimes called "better times". History has one clear lesson: change does not issue from good times. As necessity breeds invention, so change is born of crisis. To shut out this reality, to persuade ourselves that change must wait until good times are with us again, is in truth an alibi for inaction ad infinitum.
Those who would postpone change for better days speak not of change but of welfare; speak not of a less unequal world but of palliatives for chronic inequality. The time to make changes in food production is now. All the evidence is that such changes are essential to an even more prosperous future for the industrialized and developing countries alike. To the acknowledgement of interdependence born out of our singular oneness, therefore, we must add not only motivation and opportunity for responding to its mandate but hard empirical evidence of a mutuality of interests between the developed and developing countries, between rich and poor, in the evolution of a new agricultural development order.
The challenge before us therefore is as serious as it is wide in scope. It is one for the world's decision-makers at the highest levels. We must listen to each other more and learn from each other; for we may not know all the answers. And indeed the answers are to be found not in conferences or resolutions but in the vineyard of agriculture where the peasant farmers toil. What we can do to help is to provide them with the basic tools and inputs they need and the proper incentives that give them a just reward for their labour.
I thank you.
O. TEKINEL (Turkey): It is indeed a pleasure and honour for me to address the Twenty-second session of the FAO Conference, which takes place at a time when peoples of the developing world are increasingly expecting solutions to their urgent problems from its deliberations. Allow me to express my distinct pleasure to have, as the Chairman of this Session and to extend my
whole-hearted congratulations on his unanimous election. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Vice-Chairmen and to extend my warmest felicitations to the new members to this great Organization.
At this point, I should like to praise the tremendous efforts by the Food and Agriculture Organization under the outstanding leadership of the Director-General, Mr Edouard Saouma, to assist the developing countries and thus to increase food production and to prevent hunger.
The beginning of the 1980’s and particularly the year 1983 has witnessed an apparent change in the character of the world food and agricultural situation compared to that which confronted the world community during the 1970's.
This change has brought about a new set of problems to the efforts to develop the agricultural sector in developing countries. These changes in the causes of the world food and agricultural difficulties. However, have not alleviated the long lasting, painful experience, involving millions of peoples in the developing world, who go hungry and live in unnecessary misery.
While food-related problems in the 1970's were attributed to the low level of food and agricultural production and high international prices of raw materials and inputs, difficulties of the present seem to rise from just the reverse situation with respect to production and price levels. Global food and agricultural production, in fact, is currently at satisfactory levels and prices of major agricultural .commodities and foodstuffs are in real terms at a minimum in comparison with recent decades.
A closer look at the above situation however, makes it clear that most of the increase achieved in production is attributable only to the food exporting developed countries and to a few middle-income developing countries, while the situation of the target countries seems to have further deteriorated due to drops in their per capita food production, as well as to decreases in their foreign exchange earnings.
In the face of the resulting weak demand of developing countries for food commodities, large stocks have accumulated in the major food producing countries, causing additional concern for the attainment of aims set forth for greater food security in the world.
We are pleased to note that the committee on world food security during its Eighth session in April of this year has approved as a whole the wider concept of food security as proposed by the Director-General of FAO, aimed at ensuring material and economic access of all people at all times to the staple food they need.
We agree with the Director-General that in order to reach this target, large scale action will be necessary, involving all the factors that affect the capacity of countries and persons to produce or to buy food.
The new concept for world food security aptly takes into account the problems of recent origin and incorporates measures to resolve them. It is in this spirit that my delegation fully endorses the new definition of world food security and expresses its eagerness to actively take part in the search for identifying and implementing the corresponding new programmes and measures. I will attempt to highlight some of the aspects which I believe deserve priority.
With regard to the new policies required to adjust agricultural development programmes in line with this change in the situation in food and agriculture, we believe that greater emphasis should be given to increasing production in the countries which fall in the category of low-income, food-deficit countries.
The implementation of such a policy requires concentration of national efforts in the direction of shifting more resources to agricultural activities. It is equally imperative to place sufficient emphasis on the focusing of international assistance in support of these national efforts. In particular I wish to underline the importance of providing assistance through the multilateral channels to such undertakings.
International efforts should also take into account and benefit from the experiences gained by a number of middle-income developing countries, like Turkey, which have attained the target of food self-sufficiency in recent years. These experiences may be made available to the countries that wish to benefit from them, and my country is perhaps a positive example and is ready to do its utmost in this venue.
However, I should emphasize that technical cooperation among developing countries can not be truly achieved by simply stressing the important role it can play in furthering agricultural development in the Third World. Technical cooperation among these countries should be supported, assisted materially and financially by the International Organizations which were instituted for that purpose.
We propose that FAO's role in this particular area be strengthened. It should undertake programmes in the promotion and implementation, monitoring and coordination of such technical cooperation programmes among developing countries.
Better food security is also related to the extent to which world food reserves are stocked in centres as near as possible to the demand. This is also an area in which economic cooperation among developing countries can assist by setting up regional stocks. Past experience has made clear the benefits that could be derived from establishing collective food stocks, I am pleased to bring to the attention of this forum that economic cooperation among the Islamic Countries on food security is a promising new development towards self-sufficiency in food within the Islamic Countries
Our experience indicates that unless an expanding market is assured to the excess produce obtained in the food and agricultural sector, it is extremely difficult to undertake programmes aiming at increasing production. Following the achievement of self-sufficiency in Turkey with respect to many agricultural products, the production is still increasing and the surplus needs to be sold in foreign markets. In the face of sluggish demand in international markets for agricultural products and subsequent low prices, it has become rather difficult to continue with policies promoting production.
This bring me once again to the subject of economic cooperation among developing countries, taking into consideration that demand exists in developing countries for foodstuff and agricultural products. We commend FAO for according priority to programmes aiming at increasing agricultural trade among developing countries during the coming biennium.
The prevailing state of the world economy underlines the need for adjustments in the agricultural policies of the developed countries. We know that the economies of developed countries suffer from stagnation in demands for their exportable products which is unfortunate, but it would be even more counter-productive if we were to impose restrictions on the agricultural exports of developing coun‐tries, which would result in the deterioration of their purchasing power. Developing countries should also be accorded more financial aid for their investments in agriculture through bilateral and multilateral channels. We wish at this moment to appeal to the major donors for the realization of their pledged commitments to IFAD and support for its second replenishment.
Please allow me now to elaborate on a few aspects of agriculture, which are of special concern to my country.
For increased production in Turkey emphasis was placed on the use of high-yielding seeds and hybrids, reduction of the acreage of fallow land, rational use of fertilizers and production of a second crop during the agricultural year.
The decrease in fallow land which contributed one million extra hectares in 1982-83, resulted in an additional 280 million dollars of income. Similarly, the cultivation of second crops in a pilot area of 61.000 hectares contributed 48 million dollars to the national economy in one year.
A big part of the progress which we have achieved is also due to the improvements within our agricultural education, research and extension system.
On the basis of such experience, Turkey is willing to offer technical cooperation to the less fortunate countries which have a shortage of food supply.
Hence, we are planning at the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the Food and Agriculture Organization, which will take place in 1985, an international seminar under the theme "Turkish experience in reaching self-sufficiency in food production" for the benefit of. all developing countries.
Although the relevant commission will take up the examination of FAO's programme of work, I wish to briefly point out some areas and aspects that we consider to be of particular importance. We are interested in seeing long-term programmes initiated to reach food sufficiency and we support mainly programmes on agricultural research and technological improvement.
Therefore, the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization to many countries, including Turkey, in the field of remote sensing research is appreciated. Research work is being carried out with the support of FAO in Turkey to facilitate the improvement of a new method for the early estimation of cultivated land acreage and yield to furnish the Turkish agriculture with statistical data to be used for the preparation of agricultural production programmes and for planning project developments.
The technical cooperation programme, in general, gives FAO some flexibility for the implementation of its programmes and provides possibilities to intervene in situations in which urgent assistance is required.
We are grateful to the Director-General that in response to our request in September 1982 an FAO representation was established in Turkey. Undoubtedly this representation has already had a significant and most welcome impact on agricultural development in our country. We therefore welcome and support the proposed consolidation and strengthening of the existing FAO representations during the biennium 1984-1985.
In closing, I should like to reaffirm Turkey's support of the general objectives of the Conference, and express our belief that in our day the world community is more aware of the responsibility for food-deficit countries. The modest level of FAO's 1984-85 budget should be fully supported in the light of the contribution that FAO is promising to expand the world economy, for the benefit of both developed and developing countries. And in this respect we express our congratulations to FAO for its work, and we are confident it will definitely continue to stimulate the spirit of solidarity that necessarily ought to exist among nations in order to make the world a better place to live in for all
John R. Block, Chairman of the Conference, took the chair John R. Block, Président de la Conférence,assume la présidence John R. Block, Presidente de la Conferencia ocupa la presidenciaCHAIRMAN: I want to express special appreciation to Vice-Chairman Christodoulou for his assistance from time to time. It is a great help to have a Vice-Chairman.
J.P. ARANGUIZ (Chile): Señor Presidente, en nombre del pueblo y del Gobierno de Chile, agradezco la oportunidad de dirigirme a esta importante Asamblea que agrupa en su seno a quienes les une como objetivo común buscar los medios de darle al mundo una mejor y más justa alimentación.
Quiero manifestar mis felicitaciones al Presidente de la Conferencia, Sr, Block, a los Vicepresidentes y, en forma muy particular, al Sr. Director General y al personal permanente de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación, cuya lucha diaria contra el hambre en el mundo reconocemos y apreciamos.
Deseo expresar también la más cordial bienvenida a los nuevos Estados que se incorporan a la Organización en esta oportunidad.
Es nuestro deber, además, reiterar desde esta alta tribuna la trascendencia que mi país asigna a la función de la FAO y su respaldo a los programas técnicos de desarrollo. Ellos permiten avanzar hacia una calidad de vida rural compatible con la dignidad del ser humano.
En este plano, Chile tiene muchos motivos de agradecimiento para la FAO y para su Oficina Regional ubicada en nuestra capital. Su presencia en el país se ha traducido en una intensa actividad en todo cuanto dice relación con el desarrollo forestal, agrario y pecuario, y en un provechoso intercambio de experiencias entre expertos que ha significado un mutuo beneficio.
Nada fácil han sido los últimos diez años para nuestro quehacer agrícola, forestal y pecuario, pues hubo mucho que reconstruir luego de los efectos de la reforma agraria que destruyó activos, inventarios, capital de trabajo y hasta la tierra misma.
Al asumir este Gobierno, el país se encontraba absolutamente desabastecido de los elementos más indispensables de nuestra dieta alimentaria.
Superada esa situación anterior, un más acelerado desarrollo del sector se ha visto frenado por las recesiones de los años 1975 y 1981 cuyo efecto todavía se hace sentir.
Por otra parte, un gran escollo lo constituyen las medidas proteccionistas de algunos países, que han distorsionado los mercados internacionales, reflejándose todo ello en caídas de precios y competencia desleal, lo que se traduce en inseguridad para nuestros productores.
Nuestro país para superar el daño inmenso ocasionado por la reforma agraria y la secuela de violencia que le fue connatural, a la que ya me he referido, ha puesto en práctica una política agraria, coherente y coordinada, la que se ha ido cumpliendo paso a paso.
En primer término se restauró el derecho de propiedad porque el hombre del campo, para hacer producir la tierra necesita sentirla suya y consecuentemente se otorgó títulos definitivos de dominio a
los campesinos que habían recibido las tierras en concesión política; en segundo término se elaboro un código de aguas con el objeto de regularizar la propiedad y el aprovechamiento de este limitado recurso.
El Estado adoptó firmemente el rol subsidiario que le corresponde apoyando la iniciativa privada o emprendiendo obras cuya capacidad escapa a los particulares como son entre otras, el Plan de fomento forestal, la creación de parques nacionales, la protección de áreas silvestres, la investigación y transferencia de tecnología.
En este último orden de materias se han puesto en práctica dos programas de transferencia tecnológica, de acuerdo con las características socioeconómicas de nuestros productores agrarios. El Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario atiende a los usuarios de cabidas inferiores a 12 hectáreas y proporciona, a través de empresas privadas, asistencia integral que comprende: apoyo técnico con visitas a los predios, enseñanza sobre administración, información y orientación en la comercialización y, lo que es fundamental asistencia crediticia para desarrollar explotaciones y cultivos de acuerdo con la zona agroecológica donde el predio se encuentra situado.
El programa busca convertir a este productor agrario en un ser capaz de valerse por sí mismo y actuar libremente en la economía de mercado abierto.
En dicho programa se pueden distinguir tres niveles: transferencia tecnológica integral, básica e información técnica. Con el apoyo financiero del Banco Mundial asistiremos a cien mil productores en un lapso de ocho años, convirtiéndose éste en un instrumento efectivo de coordinación de la investigación con la extensión y el crédito, el que estará administrado por un solo organismo. Este año ya se ha iniciado el Plan con la atención de 30 000 familias.
El Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias ha puesto en práctica un programa de grupos de transferencia tecnológica, para atender a los productores que poseen más de 12 hectáreas. La meta que nos habíamos propuesto a esta fecha ha sido sobrepasada largamente.
Respecto a las áreas cuya especial situación de atraso no hace factible la aplicación del programa de transferencia, el INDAP, actuando como entidad coordinadora de los entes públicos que actúan en el medio rural, declarará determinadas comunas en calidad de "áreas de proyecto específico de desarrollo rural" con una especial participación de la comunidad local organizada,
Buscando la mejor asignación de los recursos y teniendo en cuenta las ventajas comparativas que nuestro país tiene en algunos rubros, estimamos de la mayor relevancia apoyar el desarrollo de nuestro mercado exterior, labor en que estamos comprometidos con decisión, tanto el Gobierno como el sector privado para coordinar esfuerzos a fin de acceder a dichos mercados.
Con el objeto de perfeccionar las condiciones del mercado interno, el Gobierno impulsó la organización de poderes compradores privados de granos y leguminosas, lo que significó para los productores precios sustancialmente más altos.
En lo que a protección y conservación de recursos naturales renovables se refiere, el Gobierno consciente de la importancia que ello tiene para las generaciones futuras, está perfeccionando todo un ordenamiento jurídico, que permitirá un tratamiento integral para la consecución de estos fines.
Otro rubro alimenticio de importancia es el pesquero, que aporta divisas al país por más de 400 millones de dólares y que da empleo a más de 55 000 personas.
En este sector las exportaciones han crecido en un 1 750 por ciento con respecto al año 1973, y en materia de empleo el crecimiento ha sido de un 87 por ciento en el área industrial, y de un 627 por ciento en el área artesanal. Con orgullo podemos señalar que nuestro país es el cuarto productor pesquero del mundo.
Somos partidarios de una economía abierta y nuestro ideal es que los aranceles sean bajos y parejos; pero, las prácticas de dumping de algunos países y la bonificación que ellos otorgan a determinados productos exportables, nos ha forzado a establecer derechos específicos y lo haremos en caso de ser necesario para cualquier producto que sea objeto de competencia desleal, bajo el amparo de las normas del acuerdo "GATT".
La política puesta en práctica por el Gobierno de mi país, a pesar de la recesión internacional, ha logrado resultados que estimamos satisfactorios:
- La balanza comercial del sector agrícola, forestal y pecuario, siempre deficitaria hasta 1978, pasó a mostrar un saldo favorable desde entonces, llegando a 147 millones en 1982; esperándose un saldo de 210 millones para el presente año.
- Nuestras exportaciones sectoriales han aumentado de 62,5 millones de dólares en 1973, a 711 millones en 1983.
- El rubro que más sufrió el deterioro propio de las épocas de ajustes fue el que dice relación con los 14 cultivos anuales. Sin embargo, hemos entrado en una acelerada recuperación. Nuestras estimaciones de siembra superan en 22,1% las del año pasado y llegan aun millón 58 mil hectáreas, cantidad superior a la de los últimos cuatro años.
- En materia de bosques artificiales, en Chile había 230 mil hectáreas en 1973; actualmente esa superficie llega a un millón de hectáreas.
- Nuestra masa ganadera ha aumentado en 600 000 cabezas, siendo la existencia actual de 3 millones 800 mil.
Especial énfasis ha tenido la redistribución de ingresos desplegados por el Supremo Gobierno en beneficio de los sectores más pobres de nuestro país, reorientando sustancialmente el gasto público en una acción subsidiaria real. La política social ha determinado un crecimiento constante del gasto público en programas de viviendas, escuelas rurales, salud e infraestructura comunitaria, entre otros. Notables y apreciados mundialmente, han sido los avances logrados en materia de nutrición y mortalidad infantil.
Especial importancia han tenido los programas de capacitación al sector rural y los esfuerzos de promoción a la mujer a través de centros de madres, hogares de la madre campesina, donde se actúa en las áreas de capacitación y la salud.
El gasto fiscal en programas sociales para 1982, fue de alrededor de 2 800 millones de dólares, lo que equivale a un 59,5 por ciento del presupuesto nacional.
Lo aseverado anteriormente no quiere decir que no tengamos problemas, los tenemos y muchos; y no podemos pensar en solucionarlos exclusivamente nosotros.
Especialmente grave es el problema que significa el endeudamiento de nuestros productores, afectados por el alza en las tasas de interés y la caída en los precios internacionales. Esperamos que se logre una solución global a tan delicada situación, que afecta a muchos sectores productivos y a muchos países, dando la posibilidad que estos compromisos puedan ser pagados en términos razonables y posibles.
Señor Presidente: con el propósito de lograr una acción mancomunada que ayude a la solución de nuestros problemas, Chile desea dejar.expresa constancia de su adhesión, en líneas generales, a los planteamientos y directrices presentados por el señor Director General, en su Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para el bienio 1984-1985.
Consideramos que dicho documento contiene un diagnóstico acertado de la situación mundial del sector, y una priorización adecuada de los objetivos de la institución. Especial interés reviste para nuestro país las actividades relacionadas con la investigación, tecnología, comercialización, crédito y educación agrícola.
Deseo dejar establecido mi reconocimiento respecto de la asistencia que en estas materias nos ha entregado la FAO, a través de los fondos provenientes del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, y del Programa de Cooperación Técnica.
En lo concerniente al plan de acción propuesto para América Latina y el Caribe, estimamos fundamental el reforzamiento del sistema de redes de cooperación técnica que han demostrado eficiencia en el intercambio do experiencias entre países en desarrollo.
Señor Presidente: después de estas consideraciones, deseo plantear cinco puntos que estimo de la mayor importancia:
- Se deben mejorar las condiciones de intercambio comercial entre los países en desarrollo y los desarrollados a través de mecanismos eficientes.
- La asistencia técnica y financiera proveniente de los países desarrollados debe considerar prioritariamente las áreas que interesen y las necesidades reales de los países de menor desarrollo.
- Se debe mejorar la accesibilidad de los países en desarrollo a las tecnologías.
- Deben eliminarse las políticas de subsidios a los precios agrícolas que practican algunos países, en especial de aquellos productos considerados como sensibles, que crean distorsiones en el mercado mundial y perjudican las producciones en los países de menor crecimiento relativo. Asimismo, una rebaja general y estable de los aranceles en los países desarrollados redundaría en una notable expansión de nuestras producciones silvoagropecuarias.
- Debe alentarse la plena participación de todos los países dentro del Comité de Comercio Agropecuario que ha sido activado en el seno del acuerdo general sobre aranceles y comercio (GATT), para que éste se constituya en un mecanismo válido de solución de controversias del comercio agrícola mundial.
Señores: tengo la más absoluta certeza que cuanto aquí se decida redundará en beneficio del bien común, en una mejor calidad de vida y en un esfuerzo por erradicar la deficiencia nutricional y el subdesarrollo. Chile, como siempre lo ha hecho, está dispuesto a colaborar con decisión en estas trascendentes tareas.
A.T. IBRAHIM (Niger): La délégation nigérienne que j'ai l'honneur de conduire, est heureuse de prendre la parole à l’occasion de cette vingt-deuxième session de la Conférence de notre Organisation.
Aussi, en son nom, je voudrais saisir cet instant privilégié pour vous féliciter de votre élection, Monsieur le Président et pour la manière dont vous conduisez nos travaux.
Qu'il me soit aussi permis d'exprimer au Gouvernement et au peuple italiens, tous nos remerciements pour l'accueil plein de cordialité que nous avons reçu.
Je voudrais enfin féliciter très sincèrement et saluer l'admission des nouveaux membres de notre Organisation.
Ceci témoigne de la noblesse de ses objectifs, de son dynamisme et de sa vitalité.
Nous pouvons nous réjouir que notre Organisation gagne ainsi en universalité.
C'est là le lieu de rendre hommage à son premier serviteur et grand combattant de cette lutte, j'ai nommé Monsieur le Docteur Edouard Saouma.
Nos assises se tiennent au lendemain de deux événements fort importants chez nous, au Niger, la fin de la Campagne Agro-pastorale 1983 et la célébration de la Troisième Journée mondiale de 1'alimentation. C'est pour nous plus qu'un concours de circonstances.
Une fois de plus, l'austérité de l'environnement agroclimatique de notre pays situé au coeur du Sahel a engendré un bilan pastoral très alarmant, menaçant la vie de plus de 1 200 000 bovins et 600 000 ovins et la survie de plus de 400 000 éleveurs, ce qui, lié à l'état des stocks, nous imposera un appel de produits vivriers à hauteur de 5 000 tonnes de céréales, riz, sorgho, blé et produits laitiers pour être intégrés dans les plans de développement, notamment en les recyclant dans les achats locaux pour reconstituer le stock pour le financement des opérations de développement et les secours aux groupes vulnérables.
Des mesures exceptionnelles de lutte contre ce sinistre doivent être prises en vue d'assurer la sauvegarde du potentiel reproducteur du cheptel, notamment: le déstockage impératif, généralisé et précoce du troupeau pour ramener l'effectif de ce dernier à un niveau compatible avec le peu de ressources fourragères naturelles disponibles et les aliments de bétail pouvant être acquis; c'est une question de survie pour notre capital-cheptel. En deuxième lieu, une transhumance prudente et rationnelle vers les zones pourvues de pâturage et les pays limitrophes, et enfin, un programme d'approvisionnement en aliments de bétail. Les besoins sont fort importants et ne peuvent être couverts à partir des ressources locales.
C'est vous dire combien est grave la situation qui prévaut en ce moment au Niger quand on sait que le déstockage des animaux est une opération fort complexe qui doit intégrer la prospection des marchés extérieurs rémunérateurs, l'utilisation d'infrastructures d'accueil et de transformation du bétail et de la viande, la mobilisation de ressources financières importantes et l'application des mesures sanitaires et réglementaires hardies.
Vous le voyez, il y va de la sécurité alimentaire de nos populations.
Ce défi, nous l'avons magnifié à travers les manifestations commémoratives de la Troisième Journée mondiale de l'alimentation par des conférences-débats sur des thèmes aussi fondamentaux que la désertification, la dynamique des structures d'exploitation et le phénomène de population, les stratégies alimentaires, etc.
Une exposition intitulée "Energie et Ecologie, Technologie et Production agricoles" s'est déroulée une semaine durant et se voulait une des faces de la vitrine des contraintes technologiques de notre système de production agricole et des solutions possibles.
C’est donc dans un contexte précaire que nous menons ce combat dont la finalité est d'assurer à tous, et en tout temps, l'accès matériel et économique aux aliments de base indispensables pour reprendre la nouvelle conception de la sécurité alimentaire qui nous est proposée par le Directeur
général et que nous n'avons aucune difficulté à adopter, En effet, le Président du Conseil militaire suprême, Chef de l'Etat, le Général de Brigade Seyni Kountché, était, un des précurseurs de cette approche avec son serment historique de 1974, quand il déclarait "Aucun Nigérien ne mourra plus de faim, même s'il faut engager la totalité du budget de l'Etat, ce qui ne s'est jamais démentie
Ainsi, au Niger, la sécurité alimentaire est définie comme un processus à long terme de mise en place d'une capacité de production et d'approvisionnement susceptibles de fournir régulièrement à toute la population une ration équilibrée et suffisante.
Elle pose la problématique de 1'autosuffisance alimentaire. Celle-ci implique une croissance continue, mais aussi une diversification de la production compatible avec l'évolution qualitative et quantitative des besoins.
Notre souci permanent demeure la façon dont nous pouvons mettre en oeuvre notre capacité propre d'autosuffisance alimentaire, afin d'optimiser notre potentiel de production, avant même d'aborder toute question d'avantages comparatifs, pouvant déboucher sur une nouvelle extraversion de nos habitudes alimentaires et une dépendance plus grave. Il s'agit pour nous, d'améliorer nos systèmes de production agro-sylvo-pastorale dominée actuellement par une activité de subsistance et une pression très prononcée des aléas climatiques et des déprédateurs. La solution se trouve avant tout au niveau national et dans la dynamique des structures socio-économiques de ces systèmes.
Nous ne doutons point que le problème de la sécurité alimentaire, en général, dépasse la dimension de nos frontières et de nos ressources. C'est une des raisons de notre participation active aux organismes régionaux et internationaux de coopération pour cette lutte, la CBLT, la CEBV, la CEAO, l'OCLALAV, le CILSS, la CEDEAO, l'OUA et la FAO.
Néanmoins, nous continuons à croire que les stratégies alimentaires ne doivent plus être une fin. Elles doivent concrétiser un double engagement du Gouvernement et de la communauté internationale à concentrer et à accroître les ressources à affecter pour leur matérialisation.
A cet effet, ce contrat doit s'adapter à nos options politiques et à nos réalités socioculturelles, afin d'éviter les effets pernicieux de certaines aides.
Ce sont ces conséquences malheureuses et en particulier les erreurs dues à l'importation des schémas de développement et de certains phénomènes culturels qui ont été au centre d'une concertation nationale, que dis-je, du rendez-vous du progrès, qu'a été le Séminaire national sur les stratégies d'intervention en milieu rural nigérien, tenu en novembre 1982 à Zinder. Je voudrais au passage saluer ici tous ceux qui ont bien voulu répondre à notre invitation et dont la contribution a enrichi et élevé le niveau de la reflexiono
Les résultats de ce débat ouvert à tous les partenaires extérieurs du Niger sont: la réhabilitation du monde rural et du développement à la base auto-entretenu et intégré, la débureaucratisation de la vulgarisation et le retour effectif des cadres sur le terrain, Ces conclusions avalisées par le Gouvernement constituent un des programmes de travail pour le département du développement rural que j'ai l'insigne honneur de diriger.
Le paysan, ce grand technicien pragmatique conscient de ses contraintes et des limites de sa capacité, doit désormais jouer un rôle à la mesure de son mérite et des défis qui lui sont lancés.
Ainsi, le développement doit-il désormais suivant l'esprit de Zinder partir de la base, correspondre à la volonté réelle des bénéficiaires et premiers acteurs, à savoir les paysans qui le mettront en oeuvre et l'entretiendront. Les projets de développement seront analysés, réévalués et initiés à l'avenir dans ce sens.
C'est ce consensus social qui est et doit demeurer la pierre angulaire, le fondement de la société de développement dont l'instance suprême, le Conseil national de développement a été installé solennellement le 3 août 1983, après quatre ans de réflexion, de concertation et de consultation.
Ce conseil de 150 membres, issus de toutes les couches socioprofessionnelles de notre pays, est composé de 50 pour cent de ruraux, représentants des coopératives agro-pastorales et des associations des jeunes dénommées SAMARIYA. "Il est investi d'une tâche, celle de l'élaboration d'une Charte nationale qui devra être le support juridique d'un programme national, complet et cohérent qui soutiendra l'action de l'Etat et du Gouvernement, et engagera le peuple par-devant la nation" déclarait le Chef de l'Etat, à l'occasion de l'installation officielle du CND.
Voici donc défini le nouveau cadre sociopolitique nigérien. Mais les embuches sur la voie du développement sont multiples s'agissant de notre pays, elles ont aussi pour nom: l'eau, la désertification et les échanges économiques.
L'importance de l'eau dans un contexte saharo-sahélien est plus qu'évidente, tant pour l'homme, le bétail que pour l'économie en général.
Je voudrais simplement, sur ce point, exprimer nos sentiments de gratitude à tous ceux qui ont concouru au démarrage de notre programme national d'hydraulique villageoise et pastorale, et à la réalisation des aménagements hydro-agricoles, élément de sécurisation de la production alimentaire
S'agissant de la désertification, les obstacles sont fort nombreux: les conditions écologiques, l'incompréhension du problème par les populations et l'insuffisance de leurs moyens devant son ampleur, les coûts des plantations, le surpâturage, les feux de brousse, les coûts des investissements de base pour les énergies de substitution.
N'a-t-on pas coutume de dire que la crise du pauvre ne tient pas du pétrole mais du bois? Cette crise nous conforte dans notre bataille pour le reboisement national; ainsi, le 3 août, fête nationale est devenue "Fête de l'arbre’’ et 1984 est décrétée au Niger "Année de reboisement".
Enfin, mon pays n'a pas échappé aux perturbations d'ordre structurel qui continuent d'affecter les économies des PMA écrasées par le poids des dettes extérieures, mais surtout érodées par la dépréciation des prix de nos produits primaires. C'est ce deuxième aspect qui détériore davantage notre balance des paiements. Tout ceci renforce notre conviction, de la justesse de la lutte à mener pour une rémunération équitable du travail de nos paysans et de nos mineurs, et milite en faveur d'une nouvelle forme de partage des risques avec les institutions financières multilatérales, d'un transfert plus important des ressources financières et de notre foi dans les vertus de la négociation, même si les intérêts immédiats sont très souvent divergents.
Notre confiance en l'avenir est grande malgré les multiples échecs des négociations Nord-Sud, du fait des lois assez rudes des égoïsmes nationaux. Les sacrifices et le courage de notre peuple face à l'adversité en constituent la motivation. En attendant, le Niger, mon pays, a pris des mesures d'assainissement des agrégats économiques, de compression des charges de fonctionnement, et de planification des dépenses publiques et des investissements en conformité avec un plan de redressement économique et financiero Je ne voudrais pas terminer, sans réaffirmer notre détermination et notre volonté de coopération franche afin de gagner la bataille la plus exaltante, celle de 1'autosuffisance alimentaire, dont la concrétisation appelle également un peu plus d'intérêt et de compréhension pour le grand projet de campagne panafricaine de lutte contre la peste et la péripneumonie contagieuse des bovidés, ces affections fort redoutables qui continuent à hypothéquer lourdement la productivité de notre cheptel et aujourd'hui avec les déficits en pâturage menacent de disparition le capital bétail du Sahel. Pour conclure, nous appuyons sans réserve le programme de travail et le budget 1984-85, véritable chef-d'oeuvre qui honore notre Directeur général et fait croître la crédibilité de notre Organisation. Les priorités défendues sont justes ce qui permettra le développement des programmes de coopération technique, la mise en place de l'aide alimentaire affectée à des actions productives.
Avant de terminer, je voudrais rendre ici un hommage à l'Italie pour son geste très honorable à l'intention des Etats Membres du CILSS.
Ce sont de telles actions de bonne volonté déployées par le biais de nos organisations régionales et internationales, telles que la FAO, qui confirment notre foi dans les possibilités qu'offrent le dialogue et la concertation&ldquour;
Il importe cependant de prémunir nos agences nationales et internationales de coopération de toute duplication superflue afin que les ressources allouées au développement rural déjà limitées puissent être orientées vers les véritables bénéficiaires, les ruraux, pour des actions concrètes sur le terrain.
L. PAPOCSI (Hungary) (original language Hungarian): Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Government of the Hungarian People's Republic I would like to greet cordially the Twenty-second session of the FAO Conference and also to wish to the distinguished delegates every success to their great and highly responsible work. In particular I would like to congratulate you, Mr Chairman, on your election and to express our appreciation to the Director-General and to his colleagues for the excellent preparation of this Conference.I would also like to congratulate the representatives of those countries which have been admitted as new members at the present Conference.
There are many important issues on the agenda of this Conference. Here and now I would like to deal with the most important problems in the world's food and agriculture situation.
The Conference documents offer a thorough analysis of the food problems and the causes of slow progress in developing countries drawing a number of conclusions concerning the major tasks in the food and agricultural production in the world and particularly in the developing countries. The food problems of the world are still unsolved. In the countries threatened by
starvation the rate in increase of the population exceeds that of agricultural production. Per capita production in the world increased by 6 percent between 1970 and 1982 but behind this average there is an extremely great dispersion. While the increase in per capita production in the developed countries was remarkable, the per capita production in several African countries fell to a great extent.
For this reason, we consider at present inevitable the support of needy people by providing food aid. Although Hungary is a small country, within the reach of our possibilities we also take part in food aid programs both on bilateral basis and through the World Food Programme. We continue to maintain the level of our pledges in the World Food Programme inspite of the fact that this year my country was stricken with one of the most severe droughts of the century.
As we constantly emphasised in the past it is evident however that although food aids mitigate the problems of the hungry people they do not offer real solution at all. Development assistance in the food and agricultural sector and the increase of scientific and technical cooperation with developing countries is much more effective. My country strives to play an active role in these kinds of efforts.
Hungary has always collaborated with the developing countries in order to share production and other experiences. In this endeavour we have taken advantage of the experiences gained in our rural development, agrarian reform and cooperative movement. We worked out a cooperative development program with the intention of helping to promote the increase of the agricultural production in developing countries. Following the programme organized in recent years we also held courses in cooperation with FAO in 1983 for experts from developing countries in the subject of increased agricultural production through small and large-scale cooperative farming. In this connection, I would like to mention that we consider the integrated participation of the small producers in the production and marketing of agricultural products very important. The cooperation between large-scale farms and small producers in our country is a well proven method. Besides large state farms and cooperatives small-scale production has a great role to play in the domestic supply as well in enlarging the commodity stocks to be exported.
In addition to the above-mentioned training courses, in 1983 other courses and consultations were also organized in Hungary for the experts from the developing countries. In this year for example the participants were able to enrich their knowledge - among others - in the methods of inland fisheries and utilization of renewable energy resources.
In recent years more and more Hungarian experts have been working in developing countries with FAO. On a bilateral basis we have sent nearly one thousand experts to these countries to take part in management and organization of food and agricultural production. In the same period more than a hundred FAO fellows were received in my country.
We have attached great importance also to the international trade in food and agricultural commodities. Hungary has developed intensive contacts in trade without discrimination or protectionism.
We also kept in view first of all the interests of the developing countries when the Hungarian Government invited the Club of Rome to hold its 1983 Conference in Hungary. Through its main topic "Food for Six Billion" this conference has provided another forum for focusing attention to the food problems of the developing countries. FAO also contributed to the success of the conference by valuable background documents.
The World Food Day’s observance of which was proposed by the Hungarian delegation at the Twentieth session of the FAO Conference in 1979 also received great publicity in my country. Besides the publicity given by the TV, Radio and the Press the World Food Day's observance was widespread also in educational institutions.
The Hungarian delegation considers European cooperation within the framework of FAO very important. This cooperation extends for beyond regional boundaries and its results are of profound significance also for the developing countries. This is demonstrated by the fact that more and more developing countries are participating in the activities of the European research cooperative network of FAO.
Hungary has always actively supported the cooperation in technical scientific-research in the UN system. The results so far achieved give an impetus for our further, even more active participation also in the global scientific research programmes of FAO including the programme for the use of new and renewable sources of energy as well as the development of new processes in agriculture and biotechnology.
In connection with the European cooperation my Government was satisfied with the fact that the Final Document of the Madrid Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe laid particular stress on the importance of the development of the scientific cooperation in the field of agriculture at
bilateral, multilateral and subregional level with the aim - among other things - to improve livestock and plant breeding and to ensure optimal use and conservation of water resources. To this end the cooperation among research institutions should be further promoted. My Government fully agrees with this.
The facts clearly illustrate that cooperation between FAO and Hungary is very fruitful. Promoting the purposes set by FAO and personally by its distinguished Director-General, Dr Edouard Saouma we shall strive also in the future to play an active role in the complex solution of the world food problems. This intention of ours is justified by the increasing strategic importance of food in our time. This fact also adds to the significance of avoiding by all possible means the use of food as political or economic weapons.
We are pleased and satisfied with the Programme of Work and Budget of FAO presented by the Director-General for 1984-1985. My delegation supports the priorities set and dealing with the global problems among them the primary attention paid to the urgent alleviation of problems of countries at present in the most desperate situation. We agree with the view expressed by several delegates at this Conference that the means at our disposal should be concentrated at the most critical points and should be used with the highest possible efficiency.
With this in mind Hungary will be glad also in the future to share her experiences, to send her experts and cooperate in every possible way. It should be emphasised that only international economic, technical and scientific cooperation and international solidarity can bring the result desired by all the nations of the world.
I do hope that there is general agreement on one thing. Namely, that the containment of the armaments race is a prerequisite for the increase of food production and for the elimination of hunger and malnutrition. The billions of dollars wasted for armaments should be chanelled through the development of food production, infrastructure and of the whole economy. The Hungarian Government supports all genuine effort which promotes the use of the resources at the disposal of humankind for peaceful, creative work. We do hope that the achievements of world food security and the containment of the arms-race will contribute to the strengthening of peace and international security.
In this spirit I call upon all the participants of the Twenty-second session of FAO Conference to promote the achievement of these noble goals at this place, in the respective countries and at any other fora.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
F.T. ISAKSEN (Norway): Mr Chairman, Mr Director-General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. In the International Development Strategy for the UN Third Development Decade adopted in 1980, great importance was given to food production and nutrition. It was emphasized that agriculture and rural development must be given high priority in the coming decades. I would like to point out that only through increased agricultural production and improved utilization of fish resources can developing countries achieve a satisfactory degree of national and local self-sufficiency in food, as well as improved nutritional standards.
In other international fora there is also consensus on the importance of giving priority to agriculture, forestry and fisheries, both for each individual country and for the international community.
However, increased efforts within the agricultural sector are important not only for improving the degree of self-sufficiency and the nutritional standard, but will also have a profound effect on the general economic development. The majority of the people in the developing countries live in rural areas. Generally, these people are connected with agriculture. If income and production for these groups are improved through higher producer prices, this will in turn create increased demand for goods and services. This means that other sectors in the economy are given the opportunity to expand and thus provide job opportunities for more people.
In the formulation of general policies on the development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the international organizations should play a central role. In my Government’ view, FAO must continue to play the leading role in the food and agricultural development and the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
Earlier this year my country got a new coalition Government following a reshuffle. It was at the same time decided to create a new Ministry which will be responsible for the overall bilateral and multilateral development assistance effort, with a view to achieving a more effective development policy.
The Norwegian Government has for the year 1984 proposed that 1,15 per cent of the Gross National Product should be appropriated for official development assistance. Because of the significance of agriculture for the economy of the developing countries, Norway is prepared in the years ahead to make a more conscious effort in the food and agricultural sector in our development cooperation. The conclusion drawn from a number of international meetings and conferences is that it will be necessary to increase food production in both the developing and developed countries. In Norway the aim is furthermore to examine the exisiting trade pattern with developing countries with a view to increasing imports from developing countries in respect of the traditional imported products.
In order to carry out a sound, effective and goal-oriented development policy, it is necessary to have a long-term planning perspective showing the connection between objectives and means available. Through the study "AT 2000” FAO has made a valuable analysis of the need and consequences of increased global agricultural production.
It is important that this work be continued and given higher priority in the future. The analysis should be expanded from a sector study to a study comprising several sectors and the economy as a whole, thus providing a basis for assessing the interrelationships and relative importance of the various sectors of the economy. The international economic crisis makes it imperative to give priority to questions of agricultural policies in the context of general economic development by UN Agencies and governments alike. Such a broadened scope for these endeavours should therefore be of interest to other UN Agencies, such as UNIDO ILO etc.
The WCARRD principles and the programme of action also provide a good basis for, and illustrate the complexity of, an effective and goal-oriented development policy. The programme emphasizes the fundamental interrelationship between food production, distribution and consumption. The WCARRD programme of action emphasizes that in order to have adequate supplies of food, it is necessary to take into account the underlying connection between social conditions, distribution of resources and population growth. The principles and the Programme of Action point out that a solution to the problem of hunger and malnutrition is a political issue. The political will must therefore be present.
A basic element of Norwegian development assistance policy has been to help the very poorest groups of the population. Experience shows that this is difficult to achieve. I am therefore pleased to note that the Conference is devoting special attention to the WCARRD programme. It is important that this part of FAO's work be given high priority in the years to come.
The Norwegian authorities are particularly satisfied with the initiative taken by FAO to strengthen its activities with regard to analytical studies on the effect of pricing policies on increased food production. An important pre-requisite in this respect, together with the more technical aspects of the production process, for increased food production is that the farmers are given the necessary incentives to increased production. For example, this may be done by higher and stable producer prices as well as by improved marketing systems. At the same time due regard must be paid to the possibilities for low-income groups to buy food.
In FAO's constitution it is laid down that one of the major goals of the organization is to improve nutrition. I would like to emphasize the importance of the nutritional aspects in the development of rural communities being given systematic consideration in all FAO programmes.
The Norwegian authorities support the view that food aid, as well as other forms of assistance, ! should be directed towards supporting the national agricultural and food policy in each individual country. The aim must be to ensure that the individual is secured a satisfactory food supply, proper nutrition and general welfare. We therefore welcome the enlarged concept of world food security adopted by the FAO Council and ECOSOC.
In this connection it is important to have in mind that most of the poor farm population in developing countries are women. In Africa for example, women undertake 60 per cent of the work in agriculture. It is also women who are primarily responsible for the family diet. The situation of women should be improved through training and changes in the agricultural production. Furthermore, it is important, as adopted in the UN Convention on Women, that women themselves participate in the formulation and implementation of development plans and programmes at all levels.
Statistical information on world food production shows that there is much to be done before the objectives on increased food and agricultural production in AT 2000 are fulfilled. The considerable increase in food production in 1981 compared to previous years is positive. However, what gives reason for anxiety is the large variations between countries and regions, and in particular the alarming situation in Africa. It is therefore important that assistance even to a greater degree be concentrated on this part of the world.
Research within forestry, agriculture and fisheries is and will also in the future be of great importance for increased food production and for a better use of resources in the world. In this
connection, the Norwegian authorities would like to underline the importance of examining the possibilities of expanding the research capacity in the developing countries themselves, based on existing research cooperation.
Finally I should like to make a few comments on developments in the fisheries and forestry sectors. At present Norway's Trust Fund activities in this field are mainly channelled to FAO?s programme for "Exclusive Economic Zones". Norway will also in future give its support to this programme. Furthermore, Norway has stressed the importance of giving greater weight to fish in nutrition. As part of the preparations for The World Fisheries Conference in 1984, an expert seminar was arranged in Norway on this subject.
Several reports give today an alarming picture with regard to forestry. This applies in particular to the fuel-wood situation and to the deforestation problem in developing countries. We also have this problem in Europe, due to pollution - as pointed out by my colleague from Sweden this morning. I would like to suggest that the future situation for industrial wood should be analyzed so that possible measures to correct the situation could be taken in time and that projects be re-oriented towards the deforestation problem.
In conclusion, given today's international economic situation with reduced growth in the world economy, it is important that all countries follow up the international recommendations concerning development assistance. At the same time, it is important to encourage the optimum use of available economic resources. My delegation would like to support the budget level proposed by the Director-General.
I should like to stress the importance of a better cooperation between international organizations in the food and agriculture sector. Both at the national and international level, we must in the years ahead work together towards the world's problems of hunger and malnutrition.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
S. TRAORE (Haute-Volta): Monsieur le President, Messieurs les Ministres, Monsieur le Directeur général, Honorables Délégués, Mesdames, Messieurs.
Au nom du Peuple Révolutionnaire de Haute-Volta, au nom du Conseil National de la Révolution, notre délégation s'associe à toutes celles qui l'ont précédée à cette tribune pour exprimer nos félicitations à Monsieur le Président pour son éclatante élection à la Présidence de cette vingt-deuxième session de la Conférence Générale de la FAO.
Nous sommes convaincus que sous votre clairvoyante Direction, la Conférence se déroulera dans d'excellentes conditions à la grande satisfaction des nombreuses délégations.
Monsieur le Président, notre délégation participera de la façon la plus active aux travaux avec la ferme volonté de faire de cette conférence quelque chose d'utile pour les populations du tiers monde qui vivent dans la misère, la souffrance et l'ignorance.
La délégation de Haute-Volta saisit l'occasion qui lui est donnée pour adresser ses félicitations au Directeur général de la FAO, le Docteur Edouard Saouma, pour ses activités, ses prises de positions courageuses en faveur des pays en voie de développement et plus particulièrement les pays les moins avancés.
C'est avec satisfaction que nous avons suivi les travaux des différentes commissions qui ont eu à tenir leurs réunions depuis la dernière conférence générale en 1980 et la dernière conférence Régionale tenue à Alger en 1981.
Nous félicitons tous les membres de ces commissions pour les efforts accomplis afin de rendre les résultats de leurs travaux plus performants et plus opérationnels pour nos pays. Avec votre permission je mentionnerai les points qui ont retenu le plus notre attention:
- La Sécurité Alimentaire: c'est un sujet brûlant d'actualité et notre délégation apporte son ferme soutien au nouveau concept de la sécurité alimentaire qui est une initiative personnelle du Directeur général. Cette vision qui prend en compte les problèmes de production, de commercialisation, d'approvisionnement, de stockage, vise l'indépendance et la dignité de nos peuples; nous marquons un vif intérêt pour le principe qui veut que toute sécurité alimentaire repose sur des productions nationales suffisantes.Il n'y aura pas de sécurité alimentaire tant que les productions vivrières des pays en voie de développement resteront très faibles. Il n'y aura pas non plus de sécurité alimentaire tant que les stocks mondiaux de céréales se trouveront dans les pays développés, donc loin des populations néces-
siteuses. Nous condamnons toute politique qui consisterait à maintenir le statu quo dans ce domaine. Nous sommes favorables à des échanges régionaux, intrarégionaux en matière d'approvisionnement et à toute aide tendant à faire acquérir à chaque pays une capacité de production pour assurer sa propre sécurité alimentaire.
- Le programme technique: en dépit d'une croissance zéro et des difficultés financières, assez ardues,le programme technique sera exécuté avec une légère augmentation des activités.
C'est surtout les pays en voie de développement qui vont bénéficier le plus de ce programme en particulier les nations les moins avancées.
- Les programmes de coopération technique: il s'agit de programmes ponctuels très adaptés et très efficaces. La Haute-Volta porte un intérêt particulier à ce type d'intervention et approuve l'augmentation du budget qui a été faite pour renforcer ces programmes. Nous pensons d'ailleurs qu'il est souhaitable d'accorder une importance toute spéciale à cette aide d'urgence.
- L'utilisation de l'expertise des pays en voie de développement et la place qu'occupent les femmes à la FAO : la délégation de Haute-Volta exprime sa satisfaction pour une telle disposition à condition que cela soit une réalité car c'est la seule façon pour nos pays d'acquérir leur indépendance en matière d'expertise qui jusque là est le domaine exclusif des pays nantis.
Or le fait que les programmes de développement soient conçus à partir de documents élaborés par les experts, il est tout indiqué que nos experts qui connaissent mieux nos réalités socio-économiques, socio-culturelles puissent prendre la relève des experts des pays développés.
A propos du recrutement de femmes ressortissantes des pays en voie de développement, notre délégation apporte un ferme soutien à la promotion de la Femme. La femme qui a pendant longtemps souffert de la domination et de l'injustice de l'homme, occupe une place privilégiée en Haute-Volta. En effet, dans le discours d'orientation rendu public par le Président du Conseil National de la Révolution, le 2 octobre 1983, le Camarade Thomas Sankara disait, je cite: "Notre Révolution intéresse tous les opprimés par conséquent les femmes. La Révolution en changeant l'ordre social qui opprime la femme, crée les conditions pour son émancipation véritable.
Elle sera associée à tous les combats que nous aurons à entreprendre contre les diverses entraves de la société néo-coloniale et pour l'édification d'une société nouvelle. Elle sera associée à tous les niveaux de conception, de décision et d'exécution dans l'organisation de la vie de la Nation entière" fin de citation.
- Les problèmes de développement : notre délégation apprécie les nouvelles priorités faites aux productions vivrières pendant longtemps délaissées au profit des cultures dites de rente destinées à alimenter les économies des pays développés, au détriment des pays en voie de développement, qui croupissent dans la misère, la pauvreté absolue, parce que victimes de la détérioration des termes de l'échange, du pillage orchestré par l'impérialisme international avec la complicité de ses valets locaux.Nous soutenons les efforts fort justes qui sont faits pour l'intégration de la femme dans le processus du développement et des mesures envisagées pour l'élevage, la pêche, la foresterie, la recherche dans tous les domaines par un renforcement entre la recherche et le développement.
Nous appuyons les démarches pour la mise en pratique des résolutions de la conférence mondiale sur la Réforme agraire et le développement rural. Ce processus dans son ensemble vise une meilleure justice dans la répartition des ressources nationales, dans le développement global des populations. Il vise également l'intégration des femmes, des petits agriculteurs en vue d'une promotion réelle. Notre soutien ne fera jamais défaut dès qu'il s'agit de la défense des intérêts des couches les plus déshéritées.
Monsieur le Président, voilà les quelques points les plus marquants parmi tant d'autres sur lesquels nous avons voulu donner un avis.
Monsieur le Président, avec votre autorisation et avec l'indulgence de notre auguste Assemblée, nous voudrions vous donner un aperçu succinct de la situation socio-économique politique de notre pays.
La Haute-Volta était une néo-colonie jusqu'à l'avènement de la Révolution populaire du 4 août dernier. La proclamation de la Révolution en Haute-Volta vise à mettre fin à 23 années d'injustice, de marasme économique, d'exploitation perpétrée par l'impérialisme international avec la complicité de ses valets nationaux.
Le discours d'orientation publié le 2 octobre 1983 met cruellement à nu les défauts de notre économie: économie arriérée, dominée par les intérêts de l'impérialisme international et de la bourgeoisie locale.
La Révolution voltaïque reçoit donc un lourd héritage de 23 années de stagnation, de tâtonnement et de gabegie.
Le Conseil national de la Révolution et les Comités de défense de la Révolution et des coopératives agricoles s'attelleront sans délais à redonner au peuple sa dignité, à reconstruire son économie. Il s'agira de construire, nous citons le leader de la Révolution voltaïque, le Capitaine Thomas Sankara: "une économie nationale indépendante, autosuffisance et planifiée au service d'une société démocratique et populaire qui passe par la transformation radicale de la société actuelle; transformation qui, elle-même, suppose les grandes réformes suivantes: la réforme agraire, la réforme de l'administration, la réforme scolaire, la réforme des structures de production et de distribution dans le secteur moderne" - fin de citation.
Pour réaliser ce programme gigantesque,le peuple voltaïque compte tout d'abord sur ses propres moyens qui, nous en sommes convaincus, sont loin de faire défaut. Les aides bilatérales et multilatérales ne comportant pas des aspects de domination et d'exploitation impérialistes, viendraient en complément à l'effort national.
Je profite de l'occasion pour remercier tous les pays, l'Italie, le Canada, les Etats-Unis et tous ceux que je ne peux citer, qui interviennent pour permettre à la Haute-Volta de lutter contre les adversités de la nature qui nous préoccupent en ce moment.
C'est avec regret que nous informons l'opinion internationale que la Haute-Volta pour une fois encore a été durement frappée par une sécheresse qui a réduit dans les proportions inquiétantes son cheptel et le volume de ses productions vivrières et d'exportation. En effet, la saison agricole a connu les caractéristiques suivantes: 1) retards dans les semis; 2) sécheresses et déficit pluviométrique; 3) arrêt prématuré de la saison pluvieuse.
Les effets cumulés des facteurs défavorables ci-dessus mentionnés ont conduit inéluctablement à un déficit céréalier estimé à 300 000 tonnes. Ce chiffre paraît élevé mais il correspond cependant à la réalité car des régions entières représentant plus de la moitié du pays auront très peu ou pratiquement pas de récoltes.
Ceci a été surtout plus grave dans l'ouest du pays où en année normale il se dégageait des excédents céréaliers qui venaient réduire le déficit national. Au niveau national, un grand effet de mobilisation est mis en marche pour limiter les effets de cette calamité par la création d'infrastructures de collecte, de stockage et de distribution au niveau local.
Cette situation catastrophique de la campagne agricole ne se limite malheureusement pas à la seule Haute-Volta, c'est pourquoi le soutien de mon pays, la Haute-Volta, ne fera jamais défaut aux efforts inlassables que la FAO déploie en faveur de l'Afrique et tout particulièrement du Sahel, pour faire prendre conscience à l'humanité entière des réalités cruelles que vivent quotidiennement des centaines de millions de personnes.
Notre délégation apporte son soutien au budget pour le biennium 1984-1985 qui se caractérise par un grand souci de rigueur de gestion.
Pour conclure, nous adressons nos vives félicitations aux nouveaux pays membres de notre organisation, laquelle a besoin de toute l'humanité pour mener le combat contre la faim, la malnutrition et la misère.
Unis nous vaincrons, la patrie ou la mort nous vaincrons
Javier Gazzo F.D.,Vice-Chairman of the Conference, took the chair
Javier Gazzo F.P.,Vice-Président de la Conférence, assume la présidence
Javier Gazzo F.D., Vicepresidente de la Conferencia ocupa la presidencia
P, BRODERICK (Jamaica) : On behalf of my delegation, I would like to extend to you, Mr Chairman, congratulations on your election as Chairman of this Conference. We are confident that you will guide our proceedings towards a meaningful conclusion. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the Director-General for the dynamic way in which he has directed the Food and Agriculture Organization.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome the four new members to FAO. Indeed, on behalf of my government, I would like to extend a very special welcome to our CARICOM partners. We are confident that all of them will make a positive contribution to the work of the Organization.
It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to address the Twenty-second session of the FAO Conference. This session is being convened at a time when more than ever before, developed and developing countries need to recommit themselves to the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty wherever they exist.
These goals can, however, only be achieved within the ambit of international cooperation and unity. While both rich and poor countries alike have been seriously affected by the current economic recession, the developed countries have been able to weather this crisis much better than those of us in the developing world.
It is well known, that most of us are greatly dependent on the agricultural sectors in our countries, not only to provide food for our people, but also to earn foreign exchange to import necessary commodities which we cannot produce.
While there has been a relatively modest increase in the price of some agricultural commodities recently, it is a fact that there has been a general erosion in the terms of trade to the detriment of the developing countries.
Against this background, FAO and other international organizations have continued to provide technical assistance and policy guidance on a level which can only be described as commendable -and this in spite of a growing scarcity of development funds.
Notwithstanding this, many developing countries find themselves in the situation of getting into deeper financial debt and with falling levels of agricultural production, which retarded their economic growth.
Mr Chairman, countries with a limited agricultural resource base in many instances cannot produce on a scale which would make it possible for them to become suppliers of large markets, even when such markets exist. There is need, therefore, for developing countries which can produce the same commodity to continue the dialogue in a serious way on how they can cooperatively organize the marketing of these crops so that any short-fall in supply from one country could be met by a cooperating country in such a way that all participating countries benefit.
I sincerely believe, that there will be no lasting benefits to any country rich or poor, large or small if the pattern of economic trade continues in a way to allow one country to benefit at the expense of the other.
I am not for a moment suggesting that economic competition should not exist. This is both healthy and necessary to stimulate production and to reward initiative, but it must exist within a framework of cooperation and support if the whole system of world economic trade is not to collapse.
Another major area in need in many developing countries is for a much more careful selection of crops to be developed, based on the principle of comparative advantage. But while this sounds relatively simple in-concept, it is most difficult to implement.
How do you, for example, get a farmer who has been producing bananas all his life, but for which he receives little economic return, to shift to a crop for which the potential economic return is greater but of which he knows very little or nothing? This is a serious challenge we face and it is one to which FAO should turn increasing attention in designing more programmes for effectively attending to this problem.
Turning to the activities of FAO, first let me say that in the review of the Organization's Regular Programme for 1982-83, it is clear that this Organization is cognisant of the major problems involved in agricultural development in the fight against hunger and poverty.
In FAO’s major programme on agriculture, it is encouraging to know that renewed emphasis has been given and will continue to be given to the poorer countries and the disadvantaged groups, in spite of the difficulties faced by current world economic recession and the inability to mobilize extra-budgetary resources.
Also, the possible improvements to field inter-disciplinary missions rather than separate visits by individual specialists to review the work plans of larger multi-disciplinary projects is welcomed.FAO’s interest and involvement in effective information and training activities is also commendable.
In fisheries' development,FAO's regional network activities must lead to positive improvement in this vital protein resource for feeding the poor. The development of small-scale fishing in island economies like Jamaica and other Caribbean nations is considered to be of primary importance towards food security.
Turning to rural development programmes, the focus on forestry and its activities for improving the life and economic welfare of the rural people who depend on this resource is welcome.
The progress made in improving the productivity on upland or hillside farming has not been very rewarding owing to constraints of capital cost. But the fact that FAO is determined to tackle the problem is indeed reassuring.
In technical cooperation and development support, it is considered a major step in emphasizing the streamlining of the organization's procedures for processing Trust Fund proposals in order to shorten the time involved.
In 1982, the Director-General visited a number of CARICOM countries including my own. During his visit it was agreed that the establishment of technical networks among our countries would lead to an increased transfer of skills and know-how. These networks would be similar to those already existing in other countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The following areas were identified: food legumes, bio-energy, artisanal fisheries, rural agro-industry, small stock development and watershed management. Jamaica indeed hosted two of the activities, namely bio-energy and rural agro-industry. During the course of this month a number of workshops are being conducted to complete the preliminary work leading to the establishment of this system of networks.
I, for one, see great value in this project and look forward to the integration of the CARICOM network into the networks already established elsewhere in Latin America, starting in January 1984.
In the Latin America and Caribbean region it is recognized that the past efforts to expand the agricultural frontier both horizontally and vertically have been enormous, both in terms of capital and human resources. Such efforts have not shown the desired results of increasing agricultural production. In fact, agricultural production in the Caribbean has fallen progressively over the last decade and can now be considered to be in an alarming state.
In Jamaica we are deeply concerned about this situation and we are consequently committed to the orderly development of the agricultural sector with an intended strategy designed to tackle rural development and to create an improved quality of life for the small rural farming family. The strategies which date back to 1949 started with land settlement programmes and from then recognized the need to create services, education, as well as improved facilities for health, electricity, transport and communication. We are cognisant of the fact that such commitment will necessitate a more integrated approach to rural development which should result in the creation of a climate that would enable the agricultural sector to expand output and indeed increase productivity, while taking into full consideration inter-relationships between agriculture and other sectors of the economy, particularly industry and tourism.
Based on our commitment to integrated rural development, a set of basic policies for the development of the agricultural sector have been formulated.
The agricultural sector must provide as much of the food and raw material as is feasible to meet the needs for an adequate food and nutrition level of the population, agro-industrial needs and the requirements of the export markets. To attain this objective, we are committed to provide all the necessary incentives such as credit, availability of land, inputs on a timely basis, market intelligence and a stable political climate to that incentive and will to produce will not be lost.
The production of the sector should be so structured so as to reduce the reliance on imports, hence an objective towards self-sufficiency and increased food security in areas where the sector can produce best.
In committing ourselves to ensure that all agricultural lands are used to the fullest potential, which will result in optimum economic and social benefits to the country as a whole, the farmers have been given the assurance that agricultural lands will be protected as far as possible from misuse and speculation, and we believe that this is most desirable in a country which can only expand its agricultural frontier vertically and not horizontally because of the relatively small amount of good arable lands available.
An assurance to assist small rural farming communities to increase their farming income is also given. It is interesting to note that at present the average rural income is approximately J$ 3 000 (US$ 1 040) per annum and the target of Government is now set at J$ 6 000 (US$ 2 080) per annum. An objective to improve rural amenities and social infrastructure as a basis for raising the standard of living of the rural family is also a primary goal.
We must set ourselves the task of creating more employment opportunities so as to reduce unemployment and under-employment, and arrest the rural urban drift of the small rural farming family.
On this point it has to be understood that poverty and hunger will never be substantially reduced if job creation is not seen as the focal trust of all the policies and the strategies in the development of our agriculture globally.
The Caribbean Region and the United States of America recently entered into one of the most important initiatives which will focus on the development of the agricultural and agro-industry sector.
The Caribbean Basin Initiative is seen as a positive step towards expanding production and marketing of Caribbean nations' produce. In addition my Government, in seeking to fulfill the aims and aspirations of the Jamaican people, has embarked upon a programme in agriculture to bring into production approximately 50 000 hectares of land and to improve productivity on approximately 40 000 hectares within the next five years. This programme Agriculture 21 is designed to complement the efforts within the C.B.I, and assist Jamaica in the fight against poverty among its people.
We recognize, Mr Chairman, that all these initiatives will require supreme effort and we will certainly not achieve our objectives without the goodwill and support of the international community. In this regard we believe that FAO will continue to play a vital role. We therefore take this opportunity of approving the budgetary proposals for the biennium 1984-85 and in endorsing the proposed programme of work and medium-term objectives.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
D. NORMAN (Zimbabwe): Mr Chairman of the Council, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by congratulating the Chairman of this Conference, Mr John Block, and his three Vice-Chairmen, not only on their election to office, but on the impeccable manner in which they have handled the business of the Conference so far.
Mr Chairman, I am well aware of the pre-Conference instructions where we were advised to omit detailed references to our own country, but I hope that you will forgive me if I break slightly with the instructions as I feel that the experiences of Zimbabwe in recent times could be useful for two reasons: firstly, it appears that one of the main focuses of this Conference is on the food situation in Africa; and secondly, we in Zimbabwe depend very heavily in our total economic life upon farming and agriculture.
Since our independence in April 1980, we have experienced three extremely diverse agricultural seasons. In the first one the weather pattern was almost perfect. We produced record yields and harvests. We took in a crop of maize, the staple diet of our people, in excess of 2 million tons, of which the small-scale farming sector contributed 363 000 tons compared to a previous high of a mere 86 000 tons. Likewise, cotton produced a similar crop. Out of a total of 200 000 tons delivered, 39 000 tons came from the small-scale sector. Peak yields were obtained by producers of both soybeans and sorghums. Finally, we saw the beginning of a revival of a cattle industry which had been severely ravaged by war. In all, this was a satisfactory start to a new independent state. With peace restored we found that every sector in agriculture responded in a positive manner.
The following season, 1981-82, showed a clear indication that farmers intended to maintain this momentum but, unfortunately, the weather was far from ideal. The effect of the dry season was greater on the livestock industry than on the cropping programmes, but nevertheless all crops were reduced. But we managed to take in a surplus of maize to the local demand. It is interesting to note that the deliveries from the small-scale sector advanced even further to a new record of 370 000 tons or, to put it another way, 27 percent of the total. I feel that this indicates the ability of the peasant sector to respond to production incentives. And I was interested to note and to read that incentives were emphasized in the report of the Committee on Commodity Problems which was presented to the Council last week.
We try to promote our production on four main fronts: firstly, better price. We feel that a fair commodity price must be paid and must be offered to our farmers. We do not expect our farmers to produce at a loss. We review the prices annually and adjust where necessary. I fail to understand why farmers of our country or any country should be expected to earn an income which is less than that of the lowest paid worker. Secondly, in the peasant sector we have increased the access to vital inputs, particularly that of cash credits to our farmers. With the cash credits they are thus enabled to purchase fertilizers, chemicals, tools, seeds and other items which are so vital to improving their productivity. Thirdly, the Government is giving greater assistance to research and extension, particularly in the field of appropriate technology and plant breeding of improved varieties of traditional grains. While in extension our major thrust is to teach the farmers how to farm, to increase their productivity per unit, and this I believe is one of the keys to solving the present problem of food shortages.
Fourthly, as most of the commodities produced in Zimbabwe are government controlled, we now have a policy of taking the market place to the farmers. In the last three years we have established and constructed many intake depots in the production areas, thus giving encouragement to small-scale farmers to exceed the subsistence level of production and have a market for their surpluses.
Mr Chairman, let me assure you that these measures do work. In the past three years production for all sectors of agriculture has risen both in mass and in value. But I think the most significant growth can be seen in the small-scale farming sector where we have so far recorded a growth in value
of 420 percent. This is an achievement for which we are justly proud, and I believe that when the figures for the 1983 season are audited we fill find a further improvement on that growth factor. I think this follows the point raised yesterday by M. Pisani who pointed out that farmers need security in order to farm.
I contend that we in Zimbabwe are attempting to give them that security. I am also a firm believer in the philosophy that if you look after your farmers they will indeed reward you with the food that you need. However, we have just completed our third season, the one of 1982-83, when low rainfall, the lowest ever recorded temperatures, have combined to give us the worst drought we have experienced in the history of our land. Regrettably, once again the main sufferers have been the livestock producers, and despite government relief measures and intervention I am afraid that many cattle will eventually die.
However, turning to the crop situation, and crops were also badly affected, we have had the lowest intake of maize - just to remind you, that is has been our staple die for the last 15 years - and that has to be measured against the highest offtake by domestic demand of 1.3 million tons, a figure that has doubled in the last five years. However, thanks to a policy of stock holding, we have sufficient food to meet our demands. In fact, we have sufficient food in stock in Zimbabwe until next year's crops are harvested. We have stocks of maize, oil, seed, beef and milk products sufficient for all of our internal requirements.
That brings me to the topic of food security. I am a great believer in regional projects. In many instances I believe that more can be achieved in combined efforts than in a policy of going it alone. Since April 1980 Zimbabwe has had the responsibility of formulating and administrating the food security programme for the SADCC region of countries. Despite adverse weather conditions in this region significant advances have been made, advances in the identification of resources both natural and agricultural, the assessment of post-harvest losses and programmes to try and reduce them. Much has been said at this Conference about post-harvest losses, and I do see this as one area which, if tackled correctly and courageously, would go a long way in meeting the present food deficit that has been experienced in Africa. The ability to increase this processing of food grown in the region is another area under vigilant investigation at the moment. There, again, I believe there is scope for vast improvement. To all intents and purposes this is a virgin area for us to explore. Investigation into improved marketing structures to meet both the needs of the producers and the consumers is under constant review at this moment. Here I must support the views advanced by the Minister of Agriculture for Canada earlier today when he spoke of controlled marketing. I think there is a danger that if we lose control of marketing it can only be replaced with black marketing. The establishment of regional food stocks is an area which I see as of immediate assistance, because we do have small pockets of surpluses grown in the area, but unfortunately, because of inadequate and insufficient stockholding capacity, these have not been utilized to the full.
In order to coordinate all these programmes and other programmes we have recently established a small agricultural unit within the Ministry of Agriculture in Harare.
At this point, I should like to acknowledge the help and assistance that we and the SADCC countries have received from the international community and the international agencies, not least the FAO and the agencies within that body. Without that assistance and without that help no programmes would have been possible, but we have received assistance not only for development programmes but we have also had generous help by the injection of counterpart funds from many countries.
In conclusion, I should like to give a brief view on the situation in Africa as I see it. The situation is serious. For many it is even desperate, but I do not believe that the situation is impossible. As has been pointed out by previous speakers, we have resources which are adequate to meet the current demands in Africa. It is the utilization of what we have that is important. These resources need to be exploited and developed, particularly water storage for irrigation purposes. I realize that these involves vast capital costs but nevertheless I view them not so much as an investment - although an investment they could well be - but more as an insurance. That is a premium that will have to be paid now in the next decade to ensure that we do indeed overcome this problem of food deficit in Africa.
However, these are the exciting, challenging prospects for the future. In the meantime, I should like to issue a small warning: that it take more than land, water and people to have an agricultural industry. One must have within one's own country adequate structures and adequate services, structures such as organized marketing, financial institutions and transport facilities, and services such as research extension and veterinary. Farmers cannot farm without the backup services. Assistance to develop or, in some instances, to redevelop in these areas would be of enormous and immediate benefit. To rephrase what the Secretary for Agriculture of the United States, Mr John Block, said yesterday, which in turn was re-emphasized by the United Kingdom Minister, Mr Raison, today, what we need in Africa is not so much food aid as aid to grow food.
Much has been said of the African scene, but I am optimistic and I am confident that with positive approaches and dedicated attitudes we can reverse the present trends on that continent. I am convinced that the answers to Africa's problems lie in Africa.
Finally, to all members of the African group, I say we look forward to meeting you in Zimbabwe for the Regional Conference of Africa beginning on 16 July 1984.
C. MATTOS MOGLIA (Uruguay): Sr. Presidente, Sr. Director General, Señores Ministros de Agricultura, Señores Delegados, Señoras y Señores:
La delegación de la República Oriental del Uruguay, que tengo el honor de presidir, desea expresar su felicitación al Sr. Presidente por la elección de la que ha sido objeto. Sus cualidades personales y su experiencia aseguran el mejor éxito de este 22° período de sesiones de la Conferencia.
Asimismo, nuestro reconocimiento al Sr. Director General y a los funcionarios de la Secretaria de la FAO por los esfuerzos realizados en la preparación de esta Conferencia. Los documentos presentados han constituido un material de trabajo invalorable para los Estados Miembros y han permitido reflexionar sobre la situación actual de la agricultura y alimentación en el mundo.
Nuestra principal inquietud, Sr. Presidente, en el contexto de la grave situación actual, reflejada en el documento C 83/2, es el creciente deterioro que han sufrido, en los últimos años, los precios de los alimentos y materias primas agrícolas y la aplicación indiscriminada de políticas restrictivas en materia de importaciones, a las que se ha agregado la aplicación de subsidios a las exportaciones agrícolas por parte de los países desarrollados.
Estas prácticas discriminatorias han afectado seriamente a los países en desarrollo, productores y exportadores de alimentos y materias primas agrícolas.
Nuestro país, ubicado en dicha situación, ha visto agudizados los efectos de la recesión económica mundial por estas circunstancias.
Las exportaciones del Uruguay de productos cárnicos, lácteos y cereales han sufrido constantes restricciones bajo la forma de cupos, barreras arancelarias y no arancelarias, derechos compensatorios, subsidios, etc., que han limitado los esfuerzos realizados para incrementar sus volúmenes y, por ende, los ingresos provenientes del comercio exterior.
La situación del mercado internacional de productos cárnicos, en el cual se ha sufrido la agresiva competencia de países desarrollados; que, a través de fuertes subsidios, han desplazado la colocación ele nuestros saldos exportables, constituye una clara demostración de que el proteccionismo no ha disminuido y sigue siendo una grave traba a nuestro desarrollo.
El esfuerzo productivo realizado por el Uruguay en materia de producción de carnes, que lo ha llevado a límites record de faena y producción en el corriente año, no ha proporcionado los resultados aguardados por nuestro Gobierno.
Por ello, hemos abordado negociaciones bilaterales con otros países en desarrollo, materializándose convenios de intercambio comercial; y, con los países desarrollados, a través del diálogo multilateral, la posibilidad de adoptar políticas de comercialización coordinadas que permitan tonificar los precios y manejar las situaciones de excedentes coyunturales que distorsionan el mercado internacional.
También, Sr. Presidente, nos preocupa los limitados avances alcanzados en los diversos foros internacionales, convocados para la liberalización del comercio internacional. Pese a la creación del comité de productos agrícolas, en el ámbito del GATT, dichos productos han merecido escasa atención; e inclusive, en los últimos años no han existido medidas significativas en las políticas vigentes que beneficien a la agricultura.
Los limitados resultados logrados en el 60 período de sesiones de la UNCTAD, en materia de productos básicos, tampoco permiten expectativas favorables para los países en desarrollo en el futuro próximo.
La situación de hambre y desnutrición que afecta a muchos países en desarrollo y a vastos sectores de su población, merece una especial atención de nuestra Conferencia.
Las inquietudes manifestadas, reiteradamente, por el Sr. Director General, sobre esta situación expresan un justificado llamado de atención a la comunidad mundial y, debemos reconocer en forma expresa y pública, sus esfuerzos para el fortalecimiento de la seguridad alimentaria mundial.
Nuestra delegación desea reiterar, en este tema, la estrecha relación existente entre proteccionismo y seguridad alimentaria.
En efecto, la capacidad productora de alimentos de los países en desarrollo, se encuentra directamente afectada por todas las prácticas proteccionistas de los países desarrollados. Ello provoca la falata de estímulo a una mayor producción de los países con potenciales agrícolas significativos, dado la pronunciada caída de los precios agrícolas y, a la vez, aumenta la dependencia de los países deficitarios, ya que la superación de su situación exige inversiones cuantiosas en el campo de la agricultura, que no pueden ser amortizadas, dada la situación actual de los mercados. Este círculo vicioso, limita las posibilidades de un desarrollo efectivo en dichos países, ya que, en el corto plazo, deben continuar dependiendo de suministros de alimentos en condiciones de favor o con precios subsidiados.
La liberalización del comercio internacional de alimentos, estimulando el desarrollo agrícola y la integración regional y subregional de los países en desarrollo, será una herramienta básica para promover un mejoramiento de la actual situación y el fortalecimiento de la seguridad alimentaria, tanto a nivel regional como mundial.
La disponibilidad efectiva de los alimentos por parte de todos los países y todos sus habitantes como fuera planteado por el Sr. Director General en su documento sobre el concepto de seguridad alimentaria, podría de esa manera tener un comienzo de materialización.
Sr. Presidente, en relación al Programa de Labores y Presupuesto presentado a consideración de la Conferencia, nuestra delegación comparte objetivos propuestos por el
Sr. Director General en cuanto a limitar la carga financiera de los Estados Miembros, a través de una mayor eficiencia en la administración de los recursos disponibles, y el crecimiento real para el' bienio 1984-85 de un 0,5 por ciento. Asimismo, expresamos nuestra complacencia con los criterios propuestos de una ajustada y eficiente administración de los recursos disponibles.
No obstante ello, deseamos en esta oportunidad, expresar nuestro punto de vista, sobre algunos aspectos significativos:
-Nos preocupa la tendencia decreciente en la asignación de recursos a proyectos de campo en América Latina en los últimos años.
-Estimamos conveniente el fortalecimiento de los programas de cooperación técnica, que, a travésde su rápida tramitación, constituye un valioso instrumento para atender las necesidades de los países en desarrollo y han cubierto, particalmente, la disminución de recursos de otras fuentes.
-Consideramos necesario mantener la política de descentralización de funciones y decisiones a través de las oficinas regionales y las representaciones nacionales de la FAO. Para nuestro país, el apoyo recibido de la Oficina Regional de FAO para América Latina y la representación nacional ha permitido implementar programas con mayor eficiencia y óptimos beneficios para el desarrollo agropecuario y pesquero. La modificación de la situación actual aparejaría graves perjuicios para los Estados Miembros y para la organización general de la FAO, por ello nos oponemos a propuestas que tiendan a una mayor centralización de las actividades.
-Apoyamos las modalidades de cooperación técnica, en base a expertos más calificados y de corto plazo, permitiendo un uso más racional y efectivo de los limitados recursos disponibles. Ello deberá ser acompañado de una mayor participación de los países receptores, asumiendo la responsabilidad de la dirección de los proyectos.
-Expresamos nuestro apoyo al sistema latinoamericano de redes de cooperación técnica entre instituciones nacionales, como un instrumento apto para la promoción y difusión de mecanismos de cooperación horizontal entre países en desarrollo.
Sr. Presidente, la situación de endeudamiento de los países en desarrollo y la caída de los precios internacionales de los productos agrícolas agravan la crisis financiera internacional. Como lo expresara en su brillante exposición, el ex canciller de Austria Dr. Bruno Kreisky, las inversiones a largo plazo, el desarrollo de infraestructuras y los sectores agrícolas constituyen el instrumento básico para el incremento de la producción de dichos países.
El mayor ingreso por el desarrollo agrícola y un efectivo reajuste en las relaciones entre países desarrollados y países en desarrollo, será la única forma efectiva en que pueda atenuarse la fuerte carga de las deudas actuales.
Por último, deseo terminar esta exposición reiterando nuestras reflexiones sobre la grave situación del comercio internacional de productos agrícolas. No es posible mantener políticas comerciales que distorsionen, en forma tan aguda, a los países en desarrollo, exportadores de productos agropecuarios. Las graves consecuencias que ello acarreará para la seguridad y la paz en el mundo, nos exigen realizar todos los esfuerzos necesarios para lograr una mínima coordinación de políticas comerciales. De otro modo, las desigualdades económicas se irán agravando y la crisis alimentaria mundial alcanzará características catastróficas para muchas regiones del mundo.
Uno de los objetivos principales de este foro, es estimular todos los mecanismos de contacto y negociación que posibiliten avanzar en la superación de la crisis agrícola.
Por ello, nuestros votos para que, a través de las discusiones de los comités y del plenario de la Conferencia, surjan propuestas factibles de alcanzar logros significativos que permitan superar la situación actual.
R. ANGELES SUAREZ (República Dominicana): Señor Presidente de la Asamblea, señores delegados, señoras y señores.
En primer término voy a felicitar la correcta dirección que ha tenido esta Conferencia en las personas del Sr. Block, el Sr. Gazzo, y también de los distinguidos Vicepresidentes electos el sábado pasado. Vamos a dar también la bienvenida a los nuevos Miembros de la gran familia de la FAO: Antigua y Barbuda, Belice, San Cristóbal y Nieves y Vanuatu.
El Gobierno de la República Dominicana está empeñado en lograr la seguridad alimentaria a través del control de las variables más importantes para nuestras condiciones. Ellas son: el autoabastecimien-to en rubros alimenticios populares, el manejo adecuado de nuestros recursos naturales, el control de la tecnología agropecuaria y forestal y el acceso a los recursos de producción por parte de los productores agropecuarios capaces de hacer frente al desafío de producción, lo que incluye el apoyo a través de mecanismos de incentivos a las unidades comerciales de producción, tanto para consumo interno como para exportación.
Como otros países del Tercer Mundo, nuestros problemas y nuestra economía en este momento comprenden la disminución del valor de las exportaciones, que son principalmente de origen agrícola, en contraposición con los precios crecientes de nuestras importaciones de materias primas y bienes industriales, determinando un déficit creciente de nuestra balanza de pagos, acelerado a partir del alza de los precios del petróleo, que somos importadores absolutos. En ese contexto la contribución de la agricultura, lejos de aliviar la situación la ha agravado al no producir los alimentos necesarios para alimentar una población que crece a un ritmo actual del 2,6 por ciento anual en el caso de la República Dominicana.
Los esfuerzos del Gobierno de la República Dominicana, que representamos, con apenas 15 meses de establecido, ha reorientado la política agrícola del país alcanzando objetivos específicos de trascendente significado. Esta experiencia queremos compartirla y al mismo tiempo recurrimos a este foro internacional para demandar ideas y soluciones de conjunto, tanto por parte de países que están en iguales condiciones que las nuestras, como los más favorecidos, entendiendo que es responsabilidad de todos arbitrar los medios para implantar un nuevo orden económico internacional más favorable para nuestras economías. Esto permitirá cumplir con las demandas de nuestros pueblos por mejores niveles de vida y solucionar uno de los más acuciantes problemas de la humanidad: el aumento del hambre y la desnutrición debido a condiciones económicas inadecuadas y desestimulantes.
Los objetivos para la década actual en cuanto a oportunidades de empleo, abastecimiento de alimentos, diversificación de nuestros rubros de exportación, ahorro de divisas por sustitución de importaciones, están latentes y su mejoría se trata de lograr mediante la participación de todos los sectores público y privado, involucrados en el desarrollo agrícola nacional. Dentro de este esquema la participación del ciudadano Presidente de la República en el más alto organismo de toma de decisiones del sector agrícola, como lo es nuestro Consejo Nacional de Agricultura, ha generado un estado de confianza en el potencial de nuestra Nación y de sus hombres del campo, y ha determinado resultados en áreas que se juzgaban difíciles de superar.
Por ejemplo, la pretensión tradicional de lograr el autoabastecimiento en arroz y en habichuelas, rubros básicos de la canasta alimenticia popular dominicana, es hoy una realidad, y de una situación de déficit de producción que durante los últimos diez años representó más de 172 millones de dólares y más de 400 000 toneladas métricas, en importaciones en el caso del arroz, hemos pasado a ser auto-suficientes, estudiándose incluso la posibilidad de iniciar la exportación hacia otras latitudes.
Creemos, entonces, que para países como el nuestro la seguridad alimentaria estará determinada por la autosuficiencia productiva, exceptuando aquellos bienes para los cuales no hay condiciones naturales para su producción.
Nuestros países deben producir los bienes alimentarios necesarios rompiendo el esquema tradicional, pagando internamente precios más elevados si fuere necesario, en lugar de pagar importaciones de bienes alimentarios en monedas duras y de las cuales no disponemos suficientemente. Esto se puede sintetizar diciendo que la autosuficiencia alimentaria debe lograrse a cualquier precio, pero pagada en moneda local. Este es el caso de productos tales como el maíz y el sorgo, cereales fundamentales para la producción avícola y porcina, y de los cuales un país pequeño como el nuestro ha de importar la suma de 30 millones de dólares en el año de 1983, y una suma igual en lo que también se refiere a grasas comestibles.
En ambos grupos de cultivo bajo las pautas señaladas, estamos desarrollando programas para alcanzar la autosuficiencia a mediano plazo que incluyen dotación de semillas mejoradas, equipos agrícolas, asistencia técnica y credito más ágil mediante el marco adecuado de un mecanismo de coordinación operativa.
Nosotros entendemos que hay cultivos agrícolas que para que sea economica su producción deben hacerse en grandes unidades de producción utilizando grandes superficies, equipos y maquinarias, así como disponibilidad de capital de trabajo, que al tiempo que resuelvan problemas de producción locales para abastecer demanda interna o de exportación, sean capaces de sustituir las entregas que hacen este mismo tipo de explotaciones en países desarrollados, de los cuales importamos con grandes sacrificios productos alimenticios para consumo de nuestra población.
Nuestras legislaciones de orden laboral fijando salarios mínimos y porcentajes de participación en las utilidades y otras medidas de redistribución se encargarán de un mejor reparto del producto de la tierra en este tipo de explotación.
Mientras esto se produce no hay duda de que a los conflictos sociales del campo hay que buscarle solución. Los programas de reforma agraria deben ser más agresivos con una clara decisión política de los gobiernos para lograr metas atrevidas, que aun cuando en principio no solucionen problemas de producción, sienten las bases para una mejor distribución de la riqueza y el ingreso.
En este sentido, en menos de 15 meses en el actual Gobierno de nuestro país, se ha logrado más de un 70 por ciento del esfuerzo realizado en los cuatro años recién pasados, y más de un 8 por ciento de las familias asentadas durante los últimos 21 años que constituyen nuestro período de la reforma agraria.
El campo en nuestros países no es sólo para producir alimentos, sino que también debe generar materias primas para desarrollar otras actividades como la agroindustria y la artesanía, las cuales contribuyen a una mejoría en los niveles de empleo en el campo. Se contribuye así a mantener a la población en su lugar de origen, evitando los grandes cinturones de miseria en nuestras ciudades y se produce una distribución geográfica más equitativa del ingreso para que el concepto de desarrollo rural tenga mayor sentido.
Es evidente que además de la autosuficiencia alimentaria, tenemos otros problemas y también otras prioridades.
Entre los más notables nos cabe destacar la necesidad de facilitar el acceso a fuentes de trabajo para amplios sectores, de modo tal que la producción y el consumo se estimulen mutuamente. Esto nos plantea, especialmente en el campo agropecuario y forestal, la necesidad de fomentar la introducción y el desarrollo de tecnologías adaptadas a nuestro medio y a nuestras conveniencias. Estamos corrigiendo tendencias inadecuadas como la dependencia de insumos técnicos importados cada vez más costosos para producir rubros de exportación, cada vez más baratos, que cierran el círculo de la dependencia y cortan las posibilidades de crecimiento autosostenido para nuestro país. La reorganización institucional en el área de la investigación y la revisión del rol que ésta debe desempeñar en el sector agropecuario y forestal dará lugar a una franca recuperación de los objetivos nacionales de generación y transferencia de tecnología. El talento de nuestros investigadores debe estar concentrado en nuestros países en problemas que respondan a los sistemas de producción de nuestras posibilidades internas.
El esfuerzo realizado en la producción agropecuaria en el primer año de gestión del actual Gobierno, nos ha permitido mantener un nivel de precios agrícolas que apenas han aumentado en un 1,4 por ciento hasta el mes de septiembre del cursante año, provocando con esto una mejor distribución de los alimentos vía precios y por otro lado mantener el estímulo a los productores evitando alzas y bajas abruptas como forma de garantizar utilidades que permitan hacerlas fundamentalmente rentables.
Los objetivos de mejorar el nivel nutricional para los sectores menos favorecidos de nuestra sociedad deben sostenerse a través de una adecuada política de precios para los alimentos básicos y la materia prima de la industria alimentaria, a través de la diversificación y el desarrollo de la agroindustria, la creación de canales discriminados de comercialización de rubros agropecuarios y del desarrollo de un sistema de subsidios directos o indirectos, si fuera necesario, con el acceso del producto a consumidores más vulnerables, como es el caso de la provisión de leche en las escuelas a la infancia en edad escolar.
Todas estas acciones requieren del apoyo de organismos internacionales y de países amigos, entre las que merece lugar destacado el apoyo brindado por la FAO, la cual nos ha prestado su cooperación en cuatro grandes campos de interés para la República Dominicana:
- Generación y transferencia de tecnología,
- Planificación y desarrollo rural,
- Desarrollo de la base bioeconómica y recursos naturales, y
- Desarrollo del sistema de seguridad alimentaria.
Queremos finalizar esta breve intervención señalando la necesidad de nuestros países con la asistencia de la Organización para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), de redefinir para la presente década una política de apoyo al aumento de la productividad agropecuaria y a la apertura de nuevas fuentes alternativas de producción, al desarrollo de tecnologías apropiadas a cada region, así como el aprovechamiento integral de los recursos humanos y naturales, incluyendo los energéticos.
Este esfuerzo de nuevas dimensiones nos permitirá aumentar la producción de alimentos y materias primas en un mundo cada vez más hambriento con el cual estamos comprometidos a ser los ejecutores de esta política para asegurar el bienestar y la paz en nuestros pueblos.
Es necesario que, como forma de atender a la preocupación de la seguridad alimentaria en el mundo, fortalezcamos aquellos organismos de finaneiamiento que, como el FIDA, vienen apoyando programas y proyectos que realmente tocan el fondo de los problemas sociales y económicos de los países en vía de desarrollo, que al mismo tiempo significa apoyar la paz.
J.B. MACHUNDA (Tanzania): On behalf of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, my delegation and on my own behalf, I offer our congratulation to you, Mr Chairman, on being unanimously elected Chairman of this Twenty-second session of FAO Conferences.
The situation of food and agriculture in Tanzania has been, under a severe strain. The sector has not been able to fulfil its traditional functions effectively. An obvious manifestation of the weakening of the sector is the decline in the volume of production of food and export crops thus creating dependence on imported food and diminishing our ability to earn foreign exchange.
It was against this background that we were prompted to study and assess the problems of raising output in the agriculture sector. This exercise resulted in the formulation of the National Agriculture Policy and the adoption of a National Food Strategy both designed to reverse downward trend in agricultural production experienced in the last decade. The National Food Strategy aims at achieving self-sufficiency by 1990. The programme covers the period from 1982 to the year 2000. The investment required over the whole period is estimated to be about $6,000 million of which 34 per cent is foreign exchange.
The implementation of this policy and action programme has already started with the ongoing projects. New projects will be prepared by the coordination cell established through DANIDA/FAO assistance. I am taking this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to the Danish Government and FAO who have made it possible to prepare the document which has been of great assistance to the Tanzania Government in spelling out in detail the necessary investment required to obtain our objective self-.reliance. I hope other donor agencies will come up in funding the projects which have been identified under this programme.
The adopted National Policy Agriculture aims at streamlining the agriculture sector by fostering close collaboration with all agro-related services, industries and institutions. The policy is specifically directed toward self-sufficiency in food and livestock products including input distribution, collection of output, establishment and maintenance of food reserves, promoting a secure land tenure system and a responsive pricing mechanism to ensure sustained real growth in rural incomes. To this effect, under the newly introduced pricing mechanism, growers will be paid premium prices for crops which are recommended according to ecological zones in order to maximize the production in the potential areas and to discourage farmers from growing crops in unsuitable areas. In order to encourage proper land use, land for agricultural development is to be allocated on a long-term basis. The policy also lays emphasis on irrigation. Rural credit institutions will be strengthened and operated strictly on commercial principles; Cooperative Societies and Unions shall be responsible for the disbursement and recovery of credit for smallholders; farm labour has been accorded similar status as that of industrial labour. With effect from the current financial year, allocation of development fund has been raised from 15 per cent to 24 per cent of total development budget. The crop parastatals have been allowed to maintain an external account of at least 10 per cent of the total export earnings to be used for the import of inputs.
Since the success of this policy depends largely on the volume of export to earn the foreign exchange required, my Government is now preparing an export package of each of the major traditional export crops. Each export package, comprises a policy framework, physical inputs, and institutional support. Each crop package is expected to raise production and export volume over a period of three years to the levels which prevailed in the early 1970's.
With the third largest livestock population in sub-Sahara, Africa, Tanzania attaches great importance to the development of this important sector. However, there are some serious obstacles that hamper its development. About 60 per cent of the livestock graze on 10 per cent of the land causing severe soil erosion, and 60 per cent of the land area is characterized by inadequacy of surface water and tsetse fly infection. The recent foreign exchange crisis has created shortages of vaccines, drugs
and equipment resulting in high mortality particularly in the younger stock. To stem this trend and to emphasize the importance of livestock, my Government established the Ministry of Livestock Development in November 1981. The main policy objectives of livestock development is to reach a level of self-sufficiency in the national supply of animal protein including livestock products for the local industry and surplus for export. This will be achieved through improvement of the environment, improved nutrition and husbandry practices, water supply, disease control, and adoption of improved breeding programmes. The policy also lays emphasis on small-holder livestock producer.
The recent outbreak of rinderpest is now contained, but vaccination and surveillance will continue. I wish to thank FAO/UNDP and EEC for their timely financial and technical assistance.
Fisheries is an important sector in the provision of food within the National Food Strategy. Over 6 percent of the total area of Tanzania consists of Lakes and other bodies of water. Besides, it has a coast line of about 800 kilometres. For these and other reasons my Government welcomes the forthcoming World Conference on Fisheries Management and Development. I take this opportunity to reiterate our full co-operation for the preparation and holding of the Conference. My Government is grateful to NORAD, FAO and UNDP for financing the study on stocks of fish in Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. The preliminary results indicate there is a good stock in both lakes which is not effectively harvested. It is our hope that when the final report is submitted, we shall have more donors who will help to revive the industry.
Although an estimated 50 percent of the land area of Tanzania is classified as forest-land only 13 million hectares are forest reserves. The most serious threat of deforestation comes from the increasing demand for firewood, which has, in some areas, created problems of soil erosion and siltation of dams. We have embarked on a nation-wide village afforestation programme of assisting and encouraging village institutions and individuals to establish their own "wood lots" near their homes in order to meet their firewood and other forest products related needs. Related to this programme is the National Afforestation Campaign which was launched in 1981 aiming at the establishment of "fuel wood lots" to meet the firewood requirements of urban areas.
Food security means ensuring that the food requirements of the nation are available and that every member of society has access to what is considered the essential minimum calorie intake. Currently in Tanzania, we are engaged in mobilizing people to undertake both extensive and intensive farming in order to increase food production and improve the access of the masses to food. Farmers are being encouraged to improve their methods of cultivation by using draught animals and where feasible tractors instead of the traditional hand hoe. Considerable efforts are also being exerted to increase peasant agricultural output through better methods of crop and animal husbandry and the use of improved seeds, fertilizers including manure, pesticides, as well as measures to prevent post-harvest losses.
In collaboration with FAO, we are implementing the Early Warning Project which aims at providing the Government advance information and assessment on crops condition, stock and supplies. The key components of the project are the processing and analysis of metrological and agricultural data and crop purchases. The pilot project which was started in Tanzania has had positive results and if extended would bring conclusive results.
Tanzania has been infested by the Large Grain Borer (Prostephanus truncatus). This pest is spreading very fast within and beyond our boundaries and unless effective control measures against it are taken now, there is a high possibility that famine relief will become necessary for the affected areas. My Government is very grateful for the efforts of FAO to find donors to finance the foreign exchange component which has resulted in timely pledges by several donors. However, we hope that more pledges will be forthcoming in order to ensure the successful implementation of necessary control measures.
My Government has taken note of the efforts being undertaken by FAO for providing technical assistance in identifying and implementing programmes geared to the formulation of agrarian reform and rural development. To make Tanzania's rural development effort successful, one important policy measure adopted was -the decentralization of Government services intended to make practical the planning and the control of rural development matters at all levels. Regional Government Authorities have been given the responsibility to co-ordinate local planning and implementation of integrated rural development. The Central Ministries are responsible for overall development policies, mobilization and allocation of development resources. People's participation in funding their projects at local level is the main focus for improving the lot of the rural poor through their Councils.
An important component of the regional effort as outlined in the Lagos Plan of Action is sub-regional co-operation within a group of adjacent countries. In this respect, Tanzania, along with Angola, Botswana, Les otho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe is a member of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC). One of the first and most important projects undertaken by SADCC is to develop and ensure sub-regional food security. To this end SADCC has
drawn up an inventory of the region's main natural resources with regard to food production with a view to evaluating the potential of each country in the region to achieve food self-sufficiency. In short we view the situation of food and agriculture in Tanzania from three perspectives: national, sub-regional and regional.
Since agricultural development in general and food security in particular to a considerable extent depend on the availability of trained and experienced manpower, I would like to conclude my statement with a special note on the need for regular evaluation of technical assistance. It is often said that the success of a technical assistance programme or project can be measured by the time required for it to be redundant. A technical assistance programme should, at the end of its life, leave a trained and proficient cadre of nationals capable of replacing the expatriates and maintaining continuity of the programme. I therefore commend FAO, the major source of our technical assistance for upholding these objectives.
In this connection, I would like to use this opportunity to invite the attention of member governments of the FAO and non-governmental agencies represented her to Africa's efforts in developing mechanisms for sustained development of skills in the continent by the establishment of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Africa (CIRDAFRICA) which my country has been given the honour and privilege to host. This Centre, whose major role is to facilitate the sharing of resources and experiences in the continent has benefited immensely from FAO assistance. We do hope that the governments and agencies represented here will also support the Centre.
Mr Chairman, Mr Director-General of FAO and fellow delegates, I am grateful to you for providing me with this opportunity to address this Conference.
P. VANDOR (Chairman, Credentials Committee): The Credentials Committee, at its second meeting on 9 November 1983, at 15.00 hours, examined the credentials of certain delegations and found them to be in order, thus bringing the total to 138 credentials. Nine Member Nations has not registered to date. Two additional Member Nations have advised the Organization that they will not be represented. They are Guyana and the newly admitted Saint Christopher and Nevis. The credentials of the Permanent Observer of the Holy See and the Order of Malta were also examined and found to be in order.
The Committee also examined the credentials of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies and of the Inter-governmental and Non-governmental Organizations and found them to be in order.
This report and the list of Member Nations and Observer Organizations will be distributed in the document C 83/LIM/16.
EL PRESIDENTE: No habiendo observaciones, queda adoptado.
Applause
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The meeting rose at 18.55 hrs
La séance est levée á 18 h 55
Se levanta la sesión a las 18.55 horas