Food and Agriculture Organization

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.