Entire agricultural areas and production sectors have been devastated, resulting in loss of jobs and production capacity in the flood and commodities sectors.

Regarding commodities, some ministers expressed concern about the declining terms of trade for commodity exporters, noting that this was especially serious in Africa, where most people were dependent on the production of commodities for their livelihood.

Food security went beyond the problem of production, since it involved access and distribution, including international trade in food and other commodities.

Food commodities, 1996 Food commodities, 1997

(b) Support for the productive sector, with the aim of developing supply capabilities and promoting diversification of production in the developing countries, and particularly output of commodities.

Commodities

Commodities

This situation may be attributed to the increased demand for imported commodities by the increasing number of persons returning to Liberia relative to the supply from domestic production.

Declining importance of primary commodities

Precious commodities

(d) Commodities

and Commodities

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(c) Commodities

(c) Commodities

(c) Commodities

(c) Commodities

These investments can also benefit producers of other commodities by reducing their transportation costs and bringing them closer to markets, thus making possible the establishment of new forestry or agricultural production.

Long term sustained growth in Africa will depend largely upon the capacity of Africa to diversify exports and to achieve export led growth in manufactures alongside the production of primary commodities.

33. Among the perennial problems facing producers of commodities is the excessive instability of the prices of many commodities.

While food security remains a national problem, the production of food commodities has increased. This has reduced the need for food aid which was previously provided to the general population.

Work had thus been concentrated on environmental effects specific to production and processing of agricultural commodities, and on the development of a methodology for the measurement of trade effects associated with environmental problems.

55 183. Commodities

57 236. Commodities

58 204. Commodities

59 224. Commodities

61 190. Commodities

(d) Commodities (continued)

(d) COMMODITIES (continued)

51 169. Commodities

SERVICES, AND COMMODITIES

Secondly, there had been a shift from bulk commodities to high value commodities.

(vii) continue efforts to make effective international commodities agreements concluded under the guidance of the United Nations intended to promote and improve production and trade of primary products of vital interest to developing countries.

There were encouraging signs regarding Asia Africa partnership, including FDI flows from Asia to Africa, in the production of some primary commodities and manufactures, destined for local as well as external markets.

(b) International procurement of strategic food commodities

Commodities on the Rise

and Services, and Commodities

Macroeconomic policy questions commodities

World trade in commodities

Macroeconomic policy questions commodities

3. The representative of the Republic of Korea said that the world economy was undergoing rapid transformation whereby not only commodities but also services, intellectual property rights and production inputs moved around freely among countries.

FAO apos s ten Intergovernmental Groups on Commodities were currently looking into these issues for a wide range of agricultural commodities.

The prospect of falling prices reflects the collapse of industrial production, the resulting high level of unemployment, and the dramatic decline in commodity prices. Industrial production is falling at double digit rates in the negative inflation countries, and the price index for all commodities is down more than 30 over the past year.

In defining policies and programmes, the specifics of each commodity need to be taken into account, since the dynamics of production and trade flows vary considerably among different subgroups of commodities, and among subsets within each group.

Rural women firmly underpin the national economy, absorbing the surplus of some agricultural commodities by using them in preference to imported commodities.