§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the changes in the last 12 months of food production in the Baltic states, the Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Khazakhstan, Georgia, Mongolia and Romania; and what effect these changes will have on the operation of British aid programmes, including the know-how fund.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 20 April 1993]: Food production has declined throughout the region due to drought, changes in land ownership, loss of guaranteed markets and subsidies, currency depreciation, inflation and the worldwide farming recession. The severity of the situation varies from country to country. In the long term, they all have considerable agricultural potential.
The know-how fund will continue to assist the region where practicable in reorganising its food industries along modern, market-oriented lines.