Food and Agriculture Organization

1955 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-164

CouncilThe 20th session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization was held in Rome from September 27 through October 8, 1954, under the chairmanship of Mr. G. Ugo Papi (Italy). The Council considered various aspects of the world food situation and heard an oral report by the Director-General (Cardon) on the 1953–1954 crop year and prospects for 1954–1955. Mr. Cardon reported that, while agricultural production in the world as a whole had increased at a pace faster than the rate of population increase, the increase had been uneven, both in terms of geographical distribution and in terms of crops and commodities produced. The situation had now been reached, Mr. Cardon observed, where the need to expand agriculture existed in one part of the world while serious surpluses existed elsewhere. Another disturbing feature, Mr. Cardon noted, was that the somewhat eased problem of surpluses of some commodities had resulted from decreased production rather than increased consumption. The over-all stability of the price of agricultural products had been a striking feature of the past year, Mr. Cardon added, resulting mainly from the fact that the main surplus stocks were under government control and had not been unloaded in an uncoordinated way on the world market. One serious problem which Mr. Cardon pointed out was that, while the wholesale price had followed the international price closely, retail prices had been rigid. Mr. Cardon emphasized that in order for the benefits of programs for agricultural efficiency to be realized, marketing and processing would also have to be rationalized.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1445-1464
Author(s):  
R.R. Mukhametzyanov ◽  
◽  
E.V. Britik ◽  

Horticulture is an important branch of agriculture with particular importance in some countries of the world. The production of fruits, berries and nuts is an important part of forming a high-grade food supply for the population in many countries, including the developing ones. Basing on the statistical data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN), the authors examined the change in the production volume of these products in the world as a whole for 1961-2018, as well as for the period 1992-2018 in some countries - twenty largest producers in 2018; and a number of trends were identified. In particular, it was noted that in 2018 the global gross harvest of fruits and berries increased by 4.34 times compared to 1961, while that of nuts - by 7.04 times. A deeper analysis in the context of states, which are the main producers of fruits, berries and nuts, carried out for 1922-2018, indicates that there is a change in the positions of these countries in the corresponding world ranking. The quantitative and qualitative changes we observe inevitably have a significant impact both on the volume of the world market in terms of production, and, consequently, the supply of fruit and berry products, and on the parameters of international trade in fruits, berries and nuts. Due to the fact that the Russian Federation is not among the countries - largest producers of fruit and berry products (in 2018 it was the 31st in the global rating for fruits and berries, and the 52nd for nuts), it occupies a very significant position in the world on its imports, especially on some of them. In connection with the policy of import substitution, deployed in response to sanctions from a number of Western states, some positive changes are also observed in the Russian gardening industry. However, imports in the resources of fruits and berries still amounted to 53.6% in 2018. Naturally, many types of fruit and berry products are economically inexpedient to cultivate on an industrial scale in the natural and climatic conditions of our country, but it is necessary to carry out scientifically grounded and systematic work to increase the production of relatively traditional for Russia fruit and berry plants in the large-scale commodity sector.


Author(s):  
Rafail R. Mukhametzyanov ◽  
◽  
Ana Isabel Fedorchuk Mac-Eachen ◽  
Gulnara K. Dzhancharova ◽  
Nikolay G. Platonovskiy ◽  
...  

The orientation of a part of the population of economically developed countries to a healthy diet, the spread of ideas of vegetarianism, concern for the environment, and relatively higher incomes contributed to an increase in demand for fruits, berries and nuts of tropical and subtropical origin. Some of them, in particular bananas, oranges, tangerines, lemons, have become common food products and practically everyday consumption for the majority of the population of developed countries in the last quarter of the 20th century. In the future, some other types of fresh fruit and berry products from the tropics and subtropics (for example, pineapple, kiwi, avocado) gradually, due to increased production and international trade, also became more economically available to the ordinary consumer. Based on the analysis of statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for 1961-2019, the article shows a number of trends in international trade (for exports) of major tropical fruits are reflected, with a deeper look at the participation of Latin American countries in this process. It was revealed that some states of this region, such as Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Brazil, Chile, occupy significant positions in the supply of bananas, pineapple, avocado, mango, papaya to the world market. Currently, Russia is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of imports of fruit and berry products, therefore, the issue of its participation as a subject of demand in the world tropical fruit market is raised.


Author(s):  
David Pimentel ◽  
Michael Burgess

A rapidly growing world population and an even more rapidly growing consumption of fossil fuels are increasing demand for both food and biofuels, which will exaggerate both the food and fuel shortages around the world. Producing biofuels requires huge amounts of both fossil energy and food resources, which will intensify conflicts over these resources. Using food crops to produce ethanol raises major nutritional and ethical concerns. More than 66% of the world human population is currently malnourished, so the need for grains and other basic foods is critical. Growing crops for fuel squanders land, water, and energy resources vital for the production of food for people. Using food and feed crops for ethanol production has brought increases in the prices of US beef, chicken, pork, eggs, breads, cereals, and milk of 10% to 20%. In addition, Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that using food grains to produce biofuels is already causing food shortages for the poor of the world. Growing crops for biofuel ignores the need to reduce natural resource consumption and exacerbates the problem of malnourishment worldwide by turning food grain into biofuel.


1949 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-706

The sixth session of the Council met in Paris from June 13 to 24, 1949. The Council heard a report by the Director-General (Dodd) on his visits to Europe and the Far East, and examined the world food situation and the problems which appeared to lie ahead. Available information indicated that although more than two-thirds of the world's population was still chronically undernourished, there had been several important changes in the world food situation in the past few months, particularly the emergence of surpluses in certain countries. Food consumption in 1948–49 in western and central Europe was ten per cent higher than in 1947–48, in terms of calories; this was due to the excellent 1948 harvest and the continuation of imports at a high level. In the Far East and parts of Africa and Latin America output remained at a low level, apart from improvement in a few crops and areas — such as rice in Thailand and oilseeds in West Africa. In the underdeveloped regions lack of capital and equipment, inadequate technical assistance and continued internal disturbances constituted major obstacles to expansion of production. World grain exports in 1948 were the highest since 1930–31, although increased consumption in exporting countries kept world exports of fats and oils still 33 per cent below prewar levels. Less than ten per cent of the world's food production was exchanged between countries, representing only three-quarters of the volume exchanged before the war. Standards of nutrition in the ill-fed areas of the world could be raised only by increasing production in those areas or by transferring to them supplies from countries producing more than they themselves needed and which were capable of still further increased output.


1954 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 558-560

In the foreword to the annual report on the state of food and agriculture, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (Cardon) noted that 1953 had marked a turning point in the postwar food and agriculture situation. The growth of world production had caught up with the world growth of population, and during 1953/54 production had oontinued to expand. No essential change in this line of development was predicted for the crop year 1954/55. Two major problems, Dr. Cardon stated, confronted FAO: 1) how to reduce existing agricultural surpluses without imbalancing world trade in agricultural commodities, and 2) how to ensure continued agricultural expansion in selected products and countries so as to raise the level of world nutrition as a whole.


1966 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-649 ◽  

Marking the twentieth anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the annual report on the state of food and agriculture reviewed the progress achieved during the second postwar decade, 1954/1955–1964/1965. In his foreword Director-General B. R. Sen noted three distinct phases of FAO's history. In the first, covering the postwar decade, FAO played a role in the task of reconstruction. The second phase, coinciding with the second postwar decade, had been marked by a number of significant developments in science and communications, in demography, and in national aspirations which influenced the outlook and work of FAO. Calling attention to the unprecedented rate of population growth and lagging food supply, FAO had warned that this trend implied a grave peril for the future peace and security of the world. The Freedom from Hunger Campaign launched by FAO in 1960 had represented a response to this new awareness of the dimensions of hunger and malnutrition in the world and of the responsibility of the world community to face the problem. The third phase of FAO's work, opening with the third postwar decade, would be a critical period. Mr. Sen referred to FAO studies, contained in the report, which indicated that the total food supplies of the developing countries would have to be increased fourfold in the next 35 years to give their rapidly expanding populations an adequate diet. The task of FAO, which would depend on the willingness of the leaders of the nations to devote a large share of the world's resources to meet the crisis, would be to assist in laying the foundation for this increase.


1954 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-133

In a general introduction to a survey of agricultural development in Latin America published recently by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Director-General (Dodd) stressed the importance of the problem for the future development of the region. He pointed out that if the current rate of population increase continued, the population of the region would increase by 25 percent in the next ten years; in order to maintain even present standards of food consumption, therefore, agricultural output would have to be increased. Infact, he continued, per capita consumption had been rising, largely through decreased exports of food and increased imports of food; the implications of this policy were, however, undesirable in terms of the region's long-range development. Mr. Dodd emphasized that Latin America depended almost solely on the export of raw materials, largely agricultural products, for earning foreign exchange; a reduction in its earnings of foreign exchange resulting from fewer exports, coupled with the expenditure of a larger proportion of available foreign exchange for food imports, he pointed out, would delay general economic development which required large imports of industrial material. In order, therefore, to maintain the rate of economic development and at the same time to improve levels of food consumption, it was extremely important to increase greatly food and agricultural production.


1954 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-260

From November 18 to 20, 1953, the eighteenth session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization was held in Rome under the chairmanship of Josue de Castro. At this session a final survey was made of arrangements for the seventh session of the FAO Conference, which was scheduled to open in Rome on November 23. Having decided at its seventeenth session to report to the Conference on the most recent developments in the world agricultural situation and outlook highlighting issues for the special attention of the Conference, the Council drafted a statement which supplemented the report of the Director-General (Dodd) entitled The State of Food and Agriculture, 1953. The Council reported that since the sixth session of the Conference in 1951 when continuing food shortages were the main concern, the situation had changed considerably; supplies of many commodities were now pressing hard against effective demand. While stocks of some agricultural commodities had accumulated and nations were finding their disposal difficult, supplies were still insufficient to provide adequate standards of nutrition in large parts of the world. The improvement in supplies in the last few years had not been matched by an in-crease in consumption levels, and one or two bad harvests could wipe out much of the increase in annual production which had been achieved and reduce substantially present levels of stocks, the Council stated. The following points were commended to the attention of the Conference: 1) problems involved in the selective expansion of production, especially in the less developed regions, 2) methods of maintaining the level of farm incomes, especially by increased efficiency, and 3) methods of increasing per caput consumption levels.


1954 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-385

The seventh session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization was held in Rome from November 23 to December 11, 1253. The membership of FAO was increased to 71 at the seventh session by the admission of Libya, Iran, and Yemen. Dr. Philip V. Cardon (United States) was appointed Director-General of FAO for the following four years, to succeed Mr. Norris E. Dodd. The Conference appointed three commisions to deal, respectively, with agenda items pertaining to 1) the world situation and outlook in food and agriculture; 2) activites of the orgainzations; and 3) constitutional, legal, administrative, and financial questions.


Author(s):  
Sriwena Saleerut ◽  
Chalermpon Jatuporn ◽  
Vasu Suvanvihok ◽  
Apinya Wanaset

The objectives of this study are to analyze: (1) the effects from the change of palm oil price in the world market to the prices of oil palm and palm oil in Thailand, and (2) the adjustment of oil palm and palm oil prices in Thailand to the change of the price of palm oil in the world market using monthly time series from January 2008 to September 2019. The statistics consist of the stationary test using the ADF unit root, the long-run equilibrium test using the cointegration, and the short-run adjustment to the equilibrium using the error correction model, respectively. The empirical findings show that farm-gate price is the most affected by the change of palm oil price in the world market, followed by wholesale, export, and retail prices, respectively. In line with the adjustment of the prices of oil palm and palm oil in Thailand to the change in the world palm oil price, it is found that farm-gate price has adjusted in the short-term to return the equilibrium with the highest speed at 27.883%, followed by wholesale price 22.710%, exporting price 18.792%, and retail price 15.658%, respectively.


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