§ 37. Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to increase the amount of basic agriculture development work undertaken under the aid programme.
§ The Minister for Overseas Development (Mr. Timothy Raison)Agricultural development is at the heart of our bilateral aid policy. In devising our programmes we have to take account of the wishes of recipient countries, but we aim to increase the agricultural content whenever we can.
§ Mr. BeithHas there not been a drastic reduction in the proportion of resources and the number of people employed under our aid programme giving essential aid to subsistence agriculture? Would not the reversal of that trend do a tremendous amount of good and go some way towards altering the bad impression given by the Government's new year honours list recommendations?
§ Mr. RaisonThe proportion of British bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa used for agriculture and related purposes rose from 27 to 33 per cent. between 1979 and 1983. I have just seen extremely valuable agricultural work in the Sudan and the Yemen being carried out under the Government's auspices, which is strongly directed towards the poorer partners.
§ Mr. PrenticeBearing in mind the appalling background of what has happened in sub-Saharan Africa, is there not an urgent need for Western aid donors to co-operate more closely to identify medium-term projects which could raise food production in that area? To what extent is that happening and what machinery is being used to further such steps?
§ Mr. RaisonMy right hon. Friend is right. I assure him that co-ordination between donors is increasing all the time and that there is general agreement about the great importance of developing agriculture in those regions.