The output will not begin to meet the overwhelming demand for 1945, and the proper organisation to meet the coming World Food Crisis beforehand is a question of life and death for millions.

It was deemed wise by the Opposition, however, to insist on the first day being devoted exclusively to the World Food Crisis.

That ex-Minister of Food unfortunately allowed himself to fall into error the other day, by charging the World Food Crisis to the presence of a Socialist Government in this country.

Because of the immediate problems of food production arising from the World Food Crisis, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries was unable, on the first day of this Debate, to deal as fully as he would have wished with the long-term aspect of agricultural policy.

Mr. E. P. Smith asked the Minister of Agriculture what emergency steps he is taking to increase the home production of honey in view of the World Food Crisis.

It is expected that the organisation will shortly summon a special conference in order to mobilise world resources to deal with the World Food Crisis, but I would emphasise that the Food and Agriculture Organisation will not be concerned with the allocation of food stuffs, which is a function of the Combined Food Board.

British and American officials announced jointly today that they had reached agreement on guiding principles which their two Governments should adopt in their common effort to solve the many immediate and longer range problems arising in connection with the World Food Crisis.

So much publicity was given to the Immediate World Food Crisis that it was thought it was a 90 day crisis and that it would finish as soon as the 1946 harvest was gathered.

In addition to the breakdown in industry, which means lack of fertilisers, lack of coal for the production of processing machinery for other agricultural purposes, the right hon. Gentleman may remember that there was a World Food Crisis, which broke on us a little while ago.

I believe that the World Food Crisis can be tackled only if we adopt something like the Boyd Orr plan.

[That this House, believing that, in view of the seriousness of the World Food Crisis, the response of Her Majesty's Government to the proposals presented for consideration at the forthcoming World Food Conference is disappointing, calls on Her Majesty's Government to make a more positive response to this important world conference.

Will my right hon. Friend carefully consider the need for this House to debate the World Food Crisis?

While welcoming the constructive contribution which the right hon. Lady made to the Rome conference, may I ask her whether she agrees that what is urgently required to meet a growing World Food Crisis is firm commitment by Government, and that while Britain, as a food-importing nation, cannot give direct food aid, we are in an exceptionally strong position to provide technical expertise for the improvement of agriculture in developing countries?

I have always believed that a World Food Crisis was in the offing and that this country might experience in the near future quite acute food shortages.

Mr. Ashley asked the Prime Minister if he will discuss the World Food Crisis at his meeting next April with the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

asked the Prime Minister if he will discuss the World Food Crisis at his meeting next April with the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

World Food Crisis, 622, 623.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall the promise the Prime Minister made to me a fortnight ago, that he would consider sympathetically the making of an early ministerial statement before Christmas on the subject of the World Food Crisis?

The communiquà does not appear to make any reference to one of the gravest problems facing the Community in its relations with the outside world, namely, the continuing World Food Crisis and the absolute fact that 30 million to 40 million people will die of starvation somewhere in the world in the next 12 months.

I do not want the Leader of the House to take this personally, but it is not good enough, week after week, for sympathetic answers to be given to requests for debates on the World Food Crisis and upon the British Government's strategy on aid and development and then for the Government not to provide time for such important matters to be debated.

Will he say whether in general the reappraisal of our aid programme is being made in the light of the World Food Crisis?

Does my hon. Friend agree that Britain's response to the World Food Crisis is a matter not only for our right hon. Friend the Minister of Overseas Development and our right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food but for many other Ministers and Departments?

It is said that one Bangladesh farmer commented to another "There is a World Food Crisis because the British are short of icing sugar for their Christmas cakes".

Bearing in mind the sheer gravity of the World Food Crisis, is the right hon. Lady aware that many of us share her disappointment at the inadequate response to the United Nations emergency programme not only from the EEC but from other countries far richer than ours?

It was irrelevant to the World Food Crisis.

Mr. Spearing asked the Minister for Overseas Development when he expects to respond to the Report of the Select Committee on Overseas Aid relating to the "World Food Crisis and Third World Development: Implications for United Kingdom Policy".

191 of Session 1975-76 - devoted to the subject of the World Food Crisis and Third World development and the implications for United Kingdom policy.

recorded in the 'World Food Crisis' of 1973–74 and way below the 18 per cent.

Does the Secretary of State accept that the encouragement of home production is a legitimate part of the response to the World Food Crisis?

His predecessor, Kofi Annan, also recently remarked that the World Food Crisis threatens to destroy years of economic progress and may push millions back into abject poverty.

Before we rose for the Recess, on3 July I initiated a debate in your Lordships' House on the effects of the World Food Crisis.

As the Committee reported, Robert Zoellick went on to say that the World Food Crisis - this is perhaps the most shocking thing in the entire report - "could push 100 million people into poverty, reversing the gains made in poverty reduction over the last seven years".

To ask Her Majesty's Government what importance they attach to the consequences of large-scale commercial land acquisitions in the developing world in their policies relating to the developing world and the prevention of a World Food Crisis.