WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/N/AUS/71 
14 November 2008 
 (08-5564)  
Committee on Agriculture Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
  
 The following submission, dated 11 November 2008,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Australia .  The notification concerns actions ta ken within the framework of the 
Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negativ e Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-
Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries ( Table NF:1 ) for the financial year 
2006/2007 .  G/AG/N/AUS/71 
Page 2  
 
   
Table NF:1 
 
Notification under Article 16:2 of the Agreement: 
Monitoring of the Follow-Up to the Decision on 
Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of  
the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net  
Food-Importing Developing Countries: Australia 
 
REPORTING PERIOD: Financial Year 2006/2007  
 
 
(1) Quantity of food aid provided to least developed and net food-importing developing 
countries:  
 Australia provided 95,080  tonnes (121,416 tonnes wheat equivalent) of food aid worth 
A$24.6 million in 2006/07.  This included:  emergency food aid totalling 22,375 tonnes (32,111  wheat 
equivalent) worth A$7.7 million (see Attachment A) ;  and food aid to Least-Developed Countries 
(LDCs)
1 and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs)2 totalling 56,186 tonnes 
(80,730 tonnes wheat equivalent) wo rth A$20.1 million. (Attachment B). 
 
(2) Indication of the proportions in fully gr ant form or appropriate concessional terms: 
  All Australian food aid is provided on fully grant terms. 
 
(3) Technical and financial assistance under paragraph 3 (iii) of the Decision: 
 
 The agency primarily responsible for deliveri ng Australia's aid programme is the Australian 
Agency for International Development (AusAID) .  AusAID aims to reduce poverty and achieve 
sustainable development in developing countri es not just by improving agriculture and rural 
development, but also by directing its efforts across a variety of sectors.  The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) also assists developing countries  through both bilateral 
and multilateral projects focusing on delivering mo re productive and sustainable agriculture to 
increase food security and rural incomes.  ACIA R delivers agricultural research programmes in 
collaboration with Australian institutions and their counterparts in developing countries. 
  In the financial year 2006/07, Australia pr ovided a total of A$224.9 million for programmes 
within the ambit of the Decision related to count ries developing their food security.  Of this, over 
A$57.8 million was directed to LDCs/NFIDCs.  Th e expenditure was channelled through a number of 
programming windows including multilateral, regiona l and bilateral, humanitarian/emergency 
assistance, non-government organisations (NGOs ), ACIAR and a small amount through other 
government departments (OGDs).   
 
 
                                                     
 
1 Based on least-developed countries as recognised by the Economic and Social Council of the United 
Nations. 
2 LDCs plus Barbados, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Gabon, 
Honduras, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia , Morocco, Namibia, Pakist an, Peru, Saint Kitts and 
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and 
Venezuela.  G/AG/N/AUS/71 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Direct aid flows for food secu rity, by programme, 2006-07 
   
Programme Sub Programme 2006/07 (A$) 
Bilateral & Regional Programmes Bilateral Programmes 
Regional Programmes 40,327,606 
24,856,300 
Global Programmes Humanitarian 106,862,105 
 Other International 2,191,081 
Non-AusAID Programmes ACIAR 32,034,565 
 Other Government Departments 18,584,150 
Total  224,855,806 
Source : AusAID statistical datamart   
 
 
Direct aid flows for food security, by  programme, LDCs and NFIDCs, 2006-07 
   
Programme Sub Programme 2006/07 (A$) 
Bilateral Programmes 11,531,862 Bilateral & Regional Programmes 
Regional Programmes 17,107,270 
Humanitarian 27,735,971 Global Programmes 
Other International 0 
Non-AusAID Programmes ACIAR 1,278,432 
 Other Government Departments 171,358 
Total  57,824,893 
Source : AusAID statistical datamart 
 
 All financial assistance provided through AusAID  and ACIAR is in fully grant form.  Some 
further information follows.  (i) Australian Agency for Intern ational Development (AusAID) 
 
Bilateral and Regional Programmes 
 
  The majority of Australia's aid is deliver ed through bilateral (or country) and regional 
programmes.  Bilateral country strategies reflect recipient government priorities as well as Australia's 
capacity to assist.  Specific activities are develope d with partner countries in order to provide 
technical and financial assistance.  Australia al so supports several regional programmes which are 
often the most cost effective response to region-wide development challenges. 
  In the case of food security, the bilateral and regional technical and financial assistance 
provided to LDCs and NFIDCs was A$28.6 million in 2006-07.  Assistance focused on agricultural 
productivity and sustainability, crop storage, fore stry and fisheries, environmental management, 
management of water resources, the provision of in frastructure related to food security and to assist 
countries adjust to the new trading environment.  Humanitarian and Emergency
 
 
 In 2006/07, Australia supported a number of pr ojects valued at A$27.7 million in relation to 
humanitarian and emergency relief (in additi on to food aid) to LDCs and NFIDCs.  
 G/AG/N/AUS/71 
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  Multilateral Core Funding
 
  A proportion of Australia's core contributions to the multilateral devel opment banks and other 
relevant multilateral organisations are used for fo od security related development activities.  The 
Australian aid programme provisional expenditure  to multilateral organisations (including 
International Development Associa tion, Asian Development Fund, In ternational Fund for Agricultural 
Development and the World Food Programme) relating to food security was A$10.8 million in 2006/07 of which A$7.8 million was provided to LDCs and NFIDCs.  Other 
 
 
 There are a number of other areas where Australia's aid programme supports food security.  Australia supported scholarships students from LDCs a nd NFIDCs in the areas of agriculture, forestry 
and fisheries worth A$2.7 million in 2006/07.  A nu mber of Australian non-go vernment organisations 
receive aid programme funding that has a direct im pact on improving food security in developing 
countries.  In 2006/07 the Australian aid progr amme donated A$2.0 million to the Global Crop 
Diversity Trust.  
(ii) Australian Centre for Internatio nal Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 
 
 In 2006/07 the Australian Centre for Intern ational Agricultural Research (ACIAR) expended 
A$32.0 million, of which A$1.3 million was in suppor t of multilateral and bila teral research activities 
relating directly to agricultural pr oductivity of LDCs and NFIDCs.   
 Multilateral programmes
 
 
 In 2006/07 ACIAR contributed A$5.3 milli on to multilateral International Agricultural 
Research Centres (IARCs) whose mandate is to increase global food security.  The primary criterion 
on which ACIAR bases its allocation of Australia's f unds to the IARCs is the comparative advantage 
of a centre to deliver research applicable to Au stralia’s regional priorities and which contributes to 
sustainable food security, agricultural productivity and income generation. (See Attachment C).  
Bilateral programmes
 
  Approximately A$32 million of ACIAR's funding in 2006/07 was delivered bilaterally in the 
form of specific research activities.  Projects funded under ACIAR's bilateral programme comprise 
research targeting the following food security a nd poverty alleviation issues:  agricultural 
development policy and agricultural systems econom ics and management;  animal sciences;  crop 
sciences;  fisheries;  forestry;  land and water resources;  and post harvest technology. 
 
(4) Other relevant information with respect to actions taken within the framework of the 
Decision 
 
 Outside the aid programme a number of Fede ral and State Government agencies sponsor 
official exchanges between Australia and devel oping countries on agriculture and food security.  The 
amount of other Government Depart ment support to LDC and NFIDCs in this area was approximately 
A$171 thousand in 2006/07.  G/AG/N/AUS/71 
 Page 5 
 
 
  Attachment A  
 Humanitarian and emergency relief, by country, 2006/07  
 
COUNTRY Commodity Expenses (A$) 
  
Afghanistan 421,219 
  
Bhutan 138,383 
  Burma 274,854 
  
Democratic People's Republic of Korea 777,292   
East Timor 450,125 
  Indonesia 72,379 
  
Nepal 380,285   
Lebanon 483,234 
  Sri Lanka 1,964,016 
  
Sudan 1,227,673   
Uganda 1,052,823 
  Zimbabwe 421,396 
  
Total 7,663,679 
 G/AG/N/AUS/71 
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  Attachment B
 
 
Quantity of food aid provided to Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) and Net Food-Importing Developing 
Countries (NFIDCs) 2006-07:  Breakdow n by commodity and recipient countries 
 
Recipient Country Commodity Type Quantity 
(tonnes) FAC Wheat 
Equivalent Commodity 
Expenses (A$) 
Bilateral Development     
Laos Rice 922 1,290 329,648 
Burma Rice 398 557 270,310 
Subtotal 1,320 1,847 599,958 
Emergency / Relief      
Afghanistan Wheat 1,200 1,200 359,326 
Afghanistan Vegetable oil 54 270 61,893 Bhutan Rice 780 1,092 240,359 Bhutan Maize Meal 250 341 78,273 Bhutan Sugar 70 175 39,706 Bhutan Corn Soya Blend 140 238 53,736 Burma Corn Soya Blend 18 38 8,321 Burma Rice 867 1,214 266,533 Ethiopia Wheat 32 32 25,480 Ethiopia Rice 253 354 176,470 Nepal Wheat Soya Blend (WSB) 370 1,036 228,677 Nepal Sugar 280 672 148,326 Nepal Salt (Iodised) 30 0 3,282 Southern Africa Corn Soya Blend 594 594 277,048 Southern Africa Vegetable Oil 84 420 195,893 Sri Lanka Rice 256 358 127,915 Sri Lanka Flour 580 1,160 253,022 Sri Lanka Pulses 140 406 89,433 Sri Lanka Sugar 40 116 25,603 Sri Lanka Corn Soya Blend 220 462 101,562 Sri Lanka Oil 20 80 17,882 
Sudan Sugar 139 348 69,273 Sudan Salt (Iodised) 23 0 4,091 
Sudan Sorghum 3,647 5,471 1,227,673 Uganda Maize 4,011 4,813 1,052,823 
Subtotal 14,098 20,890 5,132,600 
Multilateral Regular Contribution - WFP    
Bangladesh Wheat 14,060 14,060 3,606,898 
Cambodia Canned Fish 145 725 226,954 
Cambodia Vegetable Oil 160 640 142,272 
Cambodia Rice 5,660 7,924 2,074,956 
Cambodia Salt (Iodised) 60 0 10,374 
Kenya Maize 1,150 1,495 336,755 
Kenya Maize Meal 1,898 3,227 741,690 
Kenya Corn Soya Blend (CSB) 970 2,231 506,777 
Myanmar Rice 4,336 6,070 1,332,668  G/AG/N/AUS/71 
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  Recipient Country Commodity Type Quantity 
(tonnes) FAC Wheat 
Equivalent Commodity 
Expenses (A$) 
Myanmar Corn Soya Blend (CSB) 90 189 41,605 
Sri Lanka Rice 3,022 4,231 1,180,225 
Sri Lanka Wheat Flour 4,250 6,950 1,923,153 Sri Lanka Pulses 743 2,210 478,849 Sri Lanka Sugar 338 873 185,570 Sri Lanka Corn Soya Blend (CSB) 1,411 3,016 644,242 Sri Lanka Oil 80 320 71,528 Sudan Sorghum 2,395 3,832 886,575 
Subtotal 40,768 57,993 14,391,091 
    
TOTAL 56,186 80,730 20,123,649 
 G/AG/N/AUS/71 
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  Attachment C
 
  
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR): Disaggregation of the funds allocated 
to the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) in 2006/07. 
 
ACIAR contribution to IARC s, 2005/06 and 2006/07  
   
International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) 2005/06 (A$) 2006/07 (A$) 
International Institute for Tropical Agriculture  0 250,000 
Asian Vegetable Research and Development 0 335,000 
Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences 288,808 250,000 
International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas 516,332 250,000 
World Fish Center 800,410 500,000 
International Crops Research Institute 904,517 500,000 
International Food Policy Research 914,663 500,000 
International Water Management Institute 887,293 500,000 
International Livestock Research Institute 250,000 250,000 
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre 1,116,510 500,000 
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute 454,054 250,000 
International Potato Centre 426,614 250,000 
International Rice Research Institute 1,080,841 750,000 
World Agroforestry Centre 0 250,000 
Total 7,640,042 5,335,000 
 
Source: Ausaid statistical datamart  
 
 
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