§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the impact of World bank funded projects for soya bean production on south American rainforests.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe World bank has not funded projects for soya bean production in South America apart from one in Bolivia which was partly concerned with changing the use of existing agricultural land to soya bean production. An overall aim of this project is to develop sustainable agriculture on existing agricultural land, one effect of which would be to reduce pressures for further encroachment into the forest areas.