Stocks Alimentaires, Réserves Stratégiques Et Gestion De L Offre

Food stocks, strategic reserves and supply management: Which tools for agricultural policy to manage price volatility?

A side event in the context of the 67th session of the FAO Committee on Commodity Problems (Rome, 20-22 April 2009)

Monday 20 April 2009, from 12:30 h to 14:30 h Rome, FAO, Head Office, Iran Room (Building B, Entry Hall, first floor)

Context

A few months after the outbreak of a food crisis of exceptional scope due to the sudden rise of world agricultural commodity prices, and as the worsening world economic crisis creates new threats to the poorest people’s access to food, the international community is wondering what to do. Discussions on the need to reform the global governance of agriculture and food continue almost non-stop at various levels, but governments are still not taking decisions.

The crisis throws into question recent policy decisions, such as those that abolished the agricultural policy tools and programs that established floor prices for producers and food stocks.

Overall, the crisis has impoverished farmers rather than increased their incomes. The increasing volatility of commodity prices (and volatile prices for farm inputs) on international and regional markets is pushing many policy-makers to consider tools that could stabilize the situation as much for producers as consumers. The crisis is also leading some decision-makers to wonder whether the direction of the Doha negotiations is appropriate given the emerging new understanding of how agriculture and food should be supported in the global economy.

Objectives of the seminar

ROPPA, EAFF, PROPAC, CSA, Canadian Supply Management 5 and IATP invite the participants at the FAO Committee on Commodity Problems (including member states, producer organisations, NGOs, and others) to discuss what is required for the possible establishment of food reserves, supply management and other measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of food prices volatility.

In particular, the following questions will be addressed:

 At which level is it useful to implement stocking measures? At the local, national, regional and/or international level?  What are the objectives of these tools? To guarantee food security? To regulate and manage supply? How can these multifunctional tools best be managed?  What is the cost of maintaining food stocks? Is it prohibitive? How can costs be shared?  What international support do countries / regions that move in this direction need? Is there a contradiction between these initiatives and some rules (written or not) that currently govern world food markets?  How can this international support be developed? What role for the FAO? What role for the « task force » on the world food crisis? What role for the G8, the G20, the WTO, the World Bank and others?

Moderator and approached speakers

Mamadou Cissokho, Honour President ROPPA (Western African Regional Farmers Network), moderator

Onya Akonopeesa Georges Edward – UNFFE (Eastern African Regional Farmers Network), Uganda

Canadian Dairy Poulty and Eggs Sectors (SM-5)

Daryll Ray – Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, The University of Tennessee

Maria del Carmen Squeff – Argentinean Permanent Representative to the FAO

Contacts Daniel Van Der Steen (CSA) : tél : +32 2 412 06 63, e-mail : [email protected] Alex Danau (CSA) : tél : +32 2 412 06 62, e-mail : [email protected] Charles Akande (SM-5) +41 79 753 4103, e-mail: [email protected] Anne Laure Constantin (IATP): +41 22 789 07 24, e-mail: [email protected] Mamadou Cissokho (ROPPA), e-mail: [email protected] Philip Kiriro (EAFF), e-mail: [email protected]

Interpretation Interpretation will happen in English and French. It will be possible to intervene is Spanish.

The event is organized with the financial support of the European Union and of the DGCD (Belgium)