§ 56. Mr. Redmondasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government are making to the food crisis in parts of Africa.
§ Mr. RaisonWe are providing food and emergency relief. Improving water resources and food production is, in any case, one of the main objectives of our aid in Africa.
§ Mr. RedmondMay we have an assurance from the Minister that he will consider sympathetically any requests for any project that will help to eliminate this type of question appearing on the Order Paper?
§ Mr. RaisonYes, Sir. The British Government already provide substantial assistance, and I was able to tell the FAO biennial conference last week that I was making a new allocation of 17,000 tonnes of cereals for Ghana, as well as providing further technical assistance.
§ Sir John Biggs-DavisonWill not food shortages become more acute in countries such as Zimbabwe if European farmers are not encouraged to remain there? Does not experience show that the departure of European farmers from Zambia made the food shortage worse than it need have been?
§ Mr. RaisonI certainly agree that it would be a great pity from the point of view of food provision if there were a sudden flight of European farmers from Zimbabwe. In that country the great need is for stability.