§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of the drought and its effects in East and Central Africa and whether they have any plans to help to minimise its consequences.?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMy Lords, we are aware that certain countries in the region have suffered irregular rainfall and that crop prospects this year are poor. We have responded, either bilaterally or by supporting international action, to appeals for assistance from Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer and for his sympathetic response. May I ask whether he and the Government are aware that the drought in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia is the worst for 50 years, that cattle are dying now, and unless something is done very quickly people also will be dying? Is he further aware that Mr. Mundia, the Prime Minister of Zambia, appealed to the FAO early in May to declare this area a disaster area so that United Nations organisations could go in, and are the British Government supporting this move at the FAO?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleNo, my Lords, I was not aware that this was the worst drought in that part of the world for 50 years. But 1 would say that this area has irregular rainfall, to say the least. For example, last year in most of the countries to which the noble Lord has referred there were bumper crops, especially in Zimbabwe which still, I understand, has an export surplus. So far as the Food and Agricultural Organisation is concerned, no, it has not—and indeed I do not know whether it will—yet declared the region a disaster area, but of course Her Majesty's Government are in full and constant touch with the FAO on the subject.
§ Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of HastoeMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware, in referring to the export surplus, that Zimbabwe has exported, I think, 500,000 tonnes of maize to Zambia, Zaire, Mozambique and Botswana, but that its own maize production has been halved by the drought, and its cotton production is down by a third, so that the impression that he may have given about the export surplus is only because Zimbabwe has done this deliberately to help other countries?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMy Lords, notwithstanding that, my understanding is that there is still sufficient grain in Zimbabwe to feed its people for the next year. The problem, as I am sure the noble Baroness will be aware, is transport. The Government have indeed given bilateral aid to Zimbabwe for transport for the distribution of maize, which I underline Zimbabwe still has.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, if I heard correctly, the Minister referred to international action to deal with this situation and British co-operation in that action. Can he tell the House what that international action is, and what is to be expected from it?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleYes, my Lords, the international action includes support for the EEC action, which is principally the supply of dried skimmed milk powder and grain, and also our contribution to the world food programme and the international emergency food reserve.
§ Baroness Ewart-BiggsMy Lords, is the Minister aware that simple, low-cost water supply schemes contribute a fairly permanent improvement to the quality of life in these areas? Would he say whether, and to what extent, the overseas development administration is financing such schemes? Is he also aware that there are many non-governmental organisations, such as SOS SAHEL, in which I am involved, who contribute a lot to these schemes? Would he say how the Government co-operate with these schemes and how they support them generally?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMy Lords, the problem with irrigation is that it tends to be rather high cost. I agree that there are low-cost forms, for example, surface irrigation; but, on the whole, irrigation requires water pipes, pumps, and Governments in developing countries are generally somewhat reluctant to commit funds to such schemes because the cost cannot be recouped from increased yields. I agree, however, that it would indeed mitigate the effects of drought such as we are discussing at the moment.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonMy Lords, would my noble friend the Minister agree that the voluntary fund operated under the auspices of the United Nations to which we are the second biggest contributors, having given £600,000, operates for exactly the point that the noble Baroness raised just now and has been most helpful in these kinds of cases?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleYes, my Lords. I am grateful to my noble friend for that supplementary. I most certainly agree.
§ Baroness Wootton of AbingerMy Lords, I understood the Minister to say that one of the measures this Government were taking was to increase the supply of dried milk. Can he say what use dried milk is in a drought?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMy Lords, we are talking about shortage of water for cereal production, cotton production, and indeed for the feeding of animals. There is, as yet, no problem with water consumption for humans.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that this drought has undermined the hard work that has gone into the production of food in this area over the past two or three years, which succeeded, so far as Zambia is concerned, in making her self-sufficient in maize last year? Would he agree that the two major factors that can ensure against the effects of such a drought are irrigation, as my noble friend mentioned, and storage facilities, both of which are expensive? Would he draw that to the attention of the Minister for Overseas Development?
§ Lord SkelmersdaleYes, my Lords, I shall certainly do that, though I would point out that very expensive storage facilities are not necessarily appropriate to the areas of the world we are currently discussing. For example, as the noble Lord knows, the traditional method of storage of maize is in bags, and Governments in that part of the world are extremely reluctant to get away from that because the capital expense does not justify the return.