FEEDING THE WORLD

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1947, Page 6

FEEDING THE WORLD

HEALTH OF PEOPLE BEFORE ABILITY TO PAY That if all the peoples of the world were properly fecl there would he no fear of food surpluses for very many years, was a statement hy Professor W. Riddet, president of the New Zealand Dairy Science Association, in his address at the opening6 of the association' s eighteenth conference at Massey Agricultural Oollege yesterday afternoon. He added that in the pasx governments had taken account only oi ability to pay rather than of the health of the people; and it was within the province of scientific hodies such as the association, which sought to increase the quality and quantity oi the world 's footstufls, to point out that there were aspects of the human probleni more important than cash. There was a desperate need for large increases in agricultural production, partieularlv in fruit and vegetables and milk. On tlie basis of the world 's nutrition needs as drawn up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation oi United Xations, the following percentage increases in production of these three connnodities by 1930 wouid^ be necessary in the case of even the United States of Anierica and Britain: — United States: Fruit and vegetables -18.6, milk (excludiug butter) 55.6. Great Britain: Fruit and vegetables 70.5 and milk 57.5. In the cases of c6untries on a lowei plane of nutrition the necessary in creases in availability of foods l>y 196o were : — China: Fruit and vegetables 327 per cent., milk or its equivalent 5650 per

cent. India: Fruit and vegetables 330 and milk 60. Boutheastern Europe: Fruit and vege tables: 78 and milk 77. Bouth America: Fruit and vegetables 73 and milk 181. Witth the world properly fed its food needs, assuming a 23 per cent. in crease in population by 1960, would necessitate the following percentage increases in production over pre-wai supplies: Cereals 21, roots and tubers 27, sugar 12, fats 34, pulses 80, frui: and vegetables 163, meat 46, milk 100. The world food prol)lem had not lesseued to any exteut in the last yeat and was even worse in those eountries which sought to lielp others less fortunate. Fvcn though it was difficult vO l'orecast at wliat stage the world 's food needs would be niet, tliere was already auxietv iu some quarters over possible .mrpluses in from three to live years time. The fear that producers might uot (ind markets for tlieir producis wlieu the movemcnt ior greater production had taken ei'fect was founded on

the exjHH'ieiice in tiie early tlnrtie^ when restrictive measures on produciion were applied at a time when mil lions were badly in want of food. Liltle atteniion liad tlion been paid to social problenis such-as ascertaining the real needs of the peoples of the world. Buch a survev had now beeu carried out by tln: Foml and Agriculture Organisation, umler ti.e leadersliip o c Sir John Orr; and it had been foun'd that. there was not enough food in the world for all its people even takiiig into eonsideration the supposed sur- ' pluses of the last depression. ' The world had a beavy tusk aliead in arranging to feed its peoples Imt it could be done with the exercise of goo-t will among nations. There were social \ and economic problems to be tackled. Planuing and organisation was essential to overcome local surpluses and short-terjn shortages of food, efficiency in production of whicn could be im proved by niodern scientilic methods and the lietter utiiisation of machinery, imjiroved licld husbaudiw, and a ledm tion in animal diseases. If modern

methods were adopted and properly linanctd, lndia's grain production could be im reased by •>() per cent. m 10 years. PeUsant farming in the baekward eountries, to which obsolete land tenure systems cont ributed, musi go and a lug'her staudard of purchasing power be brought aoout through the absorption of the surplus labour into secondary industries. Capital must be made available for developmeiit and in t his L-onnection a recommendation had been made by the Food and Agriculture Organisation that an uiteinatiomil bank should be called upon lo linance primary and secondary mdus tries, and especially so in China anu India. The haphazard production of cornmodities would have to give place to some forin of intemational understanding. to reinforce which an information service to deal with surpluses ano tomporary shortages was necessary. Fundamental to all this was the necessity ior the larnnng commumty oi tne world to nave price stabiiity which took into account the cost of production of food.