Food aid has been declining

GENEVA (AP)--Possible World Trade Organization controls on donations of food must permit enough to get through to hungry people around the world, the head of the U.N. World Food Program said May 6.

Food aid should be controlled so that it does not distort global trade by affecting local production or imports, but rich countries should make a commitment to give a minimum 11 million metric tons (12 million tons) every year, regardless of market prices, said WFP head James Morris.

"The simple truth is that food aid commitments and deliveries are nose-diving, while WTO is discussing their discipline," Morris told representatives of developing countries at the WTO's Geneva headquarters. "Why discuss such small amounts here at WTO?"

The amount of food donated plummeted by almost a third last year, to just 7.5 million metric tons (8.3 million tons), according to WFP.

The issue of food aid is part of WTO negotiations on liberalizing global farm trade, which has proven to be one of the main stumbling blocks to efforts to agree a new global accord.

The European Union has previously questioned whether U.S. food aid programs for poor countries was used as a way of getting rid of excess agricultural production and prop up prices.

Date: 5/26/05

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