EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/317

(2004/C 84 E/0365)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0145/04

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(26 January 2004)

Subject: International Rice Year

Resolution 2/2001 of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Conference meant that at the 57th sitting of the UN General Assembly, on 16 December 2002, 2004 was declared to be International Rice Year.

The resolution highlights the fact that rice is the basic food of half the earth's population, proclaims the need to increase collective awareness of its role in the fight against poverty, under-nutrition and food safety, and invites the FAO to promote the marking of International Rice Year in collaboration with government and other bodies.

The slogan is ‘Rice is Life’, which takes rice as its starting point and seeks to tackle issues concerning production, nutrition, agro-biodiversity, soil and water management, employment and income, as well as social issues affecting rice-based systems.

Over 2 000 million people derive 60 to 70 % of their energies from rice and its derivatives, and rice is the fastest-growing source of food in Africa.

The European Union is one of the partners in this initiative.

The Commission:

— In what ways and in which events will it be participating the International Rice Year?

— Has it planned an information campaign about the importance of rice?

— From a European perspective, which of the objective set out by the FAO does the Commission think possess most interest and practical scope for producers, processors and consumers? What initiatives has it taken or does it intend to take in this connection in respect of European rice producing countries?

— At international level, as part of EU cooperation and development policies, is there any specific action scheduled as part of International Rice Year, in the shape of Community aid work in the developing countries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 2004)

The Community supported the resolution at the 57th United Nations General Assembly making 2004 the International year of rice. In this respect, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) was asked to promote the marking of the International year of rice (IYR) 2004 and has indeed already arranged several events to celebrate and mark the IYR 2004.

The Commission will of course participate, to the extent possible, in the different events, conferences and meetings arranged by, and in cooperation with, the FAO and other international organisations. In this respect the Commission has not envisaged its own information campaign and has participated at the FAO rice conference on 12/13 February 2004.

In its Concept Paper for the IYR 2004, the FAO has set out a number of objectives to reach the overarching goal: ‘to promote and guide the sustainable development of rice and rice-based production systems’. It is difficult to single out one objective over the other. They should be seen together as a whole since producers, processors and consumers do not always require the same approach and therefore do not have the same objective. European rice producers should, therefore, also be able to benefit and take part in the different conferences and meetings arranged to increase the awareness of rice production, its diversities and complexities and the possibility of ensuring a sustainable development of rice and rice-based systems globally, nationally and locally.

The importance of rice to producers, processors and consumers around the world has never escaped the Commission's attention. Rice is in many cases, directly or indirectly, part of numerous development projects annually financed by the Commission and Member States to, among other things, support agricultural development, increase food security and reduce hunger and poverty. These are in one way or another inextricably linked to rice production, rice trade and rice consumption for a large number of people around the world. Many of these development projects will go well beyond 2004. Some examples of programmes and projects specifically supporting the rice sector are: a programme in support of the competitiveness of the rice sector in the Caribbean, which will start in 2004, on-going programmes in support of the rice chain in Mali and in Niger. Other programmes, for example in Madagascar and Northern Ghana, target the agricultural sector in general, but have a significant component aimed at the rice sector.

In terms of research, the Commission financially supports two rice-focussed centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), namely the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in The Philippines and the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), based in the Ivory Coast.