SERIOUS WORLD SHORTAGE IN CEREAL CROPS

Evening Star, Issue 26149, 10 July 1947, Page 7

SERIOUS WORLD SHORTAGE IN CEREAL CROPS

(Rec. 9 a.m.) 'PARIS, July 9. The Secretary-General of the International Emergency Food ; . Council, Mr Dennis Fitzgerald, told the World Cereals Conference . that of cereals in 1947-48 . from producing countries would fall 18,000;000: tons short of the 50,000,000 tons which importers told the Food Council they, needed. He said the conference must consider the extent to which livestock feeding must be curtailed, to provide minimum levels of grain for human consumption. , ; The United 'States Secretary ;of Agriculture, Mr Clinton; Anderson, said the, world could not bridge the gap between heeds and, supplies by increasing production in. exporting countries, and the world grain emergency would continue until deficit countries were, able to restore their production. America in 1947-48 might be able to export more .wheat, but the oiitlook for other fpod grains was less favourable. There' probably would not be enough for export, and it would he dangerous to repeat the mistake oi last year in assuming that there would be enough. Mr Fitzgerald said that, whereas the United States would be able to export more wheat, inhere was no assurance that she would be able to export such large quantities of, other cereals as she did in 1946. Present indications were, that the total American export cereals in . the year ahead would be lower thari ; in the year ju6t ended He,said thatCtlie severe winter particularly rhad affected crop production in France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany, and factors such as drought and rust damage. had contributed in areas outside Europe to a dwindling of world grain supplies. The primary, reasons.for the present adverse world. food situation were: First, the 10 per cent, rise in the world population since 1939; secondly, the poor crop productionin many countries due to the winter lack of fertilisers, machinery, and labour; thirdlv, many countries short of cereals were also short of meats, fats, oils, pulses, rice, 5 and dairy produce. Mr Fitzgerald said the Cereals Conference had been called because of the seriousness of the: situation. One of the major tasks of the conference would be to decide the allocation of supplies while taking into consideration the utilisation of indigenous harvests.