Announcement of Report on the Bank’s Mission to Uruguay

t 1r,/r;- ~· ADV~ BEL'EASE ADVANCE lU!lLFASE Joint·• :Release: FOOD· AND AGBICULTUBE. O:RGAiazATION OF T.HE tJN.mm 1'iTIONS IN'I'EW'ATIOUAL BANK. FOB RECONSTRUCTIO?f .AW DEV!;OF~ WASBII{GTON FOR THE PBESS i,or Release 12 Noon,- Wednf;3edey FAO No. I~RO•JRlOl July 25,. 1951 BANK No. 254 A pro(Fem for the develoi,ment of agr:tcu.ltural resources in Uruguay ie r.ecom• mended in a report, pu'blished today, of a joint mseion of the Inte:rne.tional Bank for Reconstruction and Develop??ent and the Food and Agricµlture Organization ot the United Nations .• The Report was presented. to R.E. Seno~-- Dr. Jose A... Mora, Ur.usuayan Alnbaseador in Washington, on: Wedne·eday, J~y 25, 1951, for t1"an.amittal. to tne Presid,ent of • Uruguay, by :muserie R•. Black, President ot the Internetic,nal Bank; and by Gove Hambidge, in charge of the N'orth American Begional Office of FAO, r~;presenting· the D~.rector General o:f' the fAO •. The r.ttssion ·w·ent to U:-ugi.1ay at the request of the Governm~nt. It was headed 'by Sir Maurtce Hutton, British 1nduatri~l1at and financie~, wh.o was chief of the :British Food Mission to the u.s. and Cenada durins tne war •. Nine asriculture.1 Bl)ecial1sts from several countries made u:p the rest of the N=I.eeion•·s meml>e;rship. They spent from abo'1t October 15 to Dece1J1ber 15. o~ 1950 in Uru~ay surveying the c~mntry•e a~1culturaJ.,.problems an(l requir~ente. ~e Mission's Report contains · a series ot recoimnendatione on how a~ieultural ana livestock production can pe etitnulated and f-µrthe~ improved, costs of p;roduct1on can be reduced, and mar.ket~. () ins method,a Uiprove~. Ui"ll~ay is one of ~lie world's fotlr o:r five lead1na eX!)orter, ot wool and meat products. Agricultu~al . dev~lopment is the,;,efo;re of pa.rticu~r 1mport~nce to ~er.  _f • fl The Mission believes· that· Urqsuay ·c·an<subst~nt!ally increase. her a~1¢ul~al /.~ productivity and· the recommendations· point the way .taward<·lower costs ond .h1sb~r yields of plant and animal products. The Report emphas:tzea·that if these' potential- ities· are to be realized many new methods mu.at be'adopted throughout the cou11try J.mder a great variety of: conditions and that thes.e ehanses :mu·at .the~et9re be .carried out sraduaUy... For thia reason, the· M1es1op heis placed sreat ·e~pbae!s on ~ ,the·necesaity 'for expandtllG research, teelu.lioal;and advisory aenicea. "With improved eXl)erimental ·and: demonstf~at1on \\ faoiUtifJs, . t}le :research and ·adviEJory \:"' orsan,.zations ean~'play a· eritically~\important part in ,:fBtins and· evaluati~ the proposed 'meae~ree and in l?romotins their acceptance throus}l,out the country." 1 ,. The Mfee:lon·• s fii-st recoJnmendatlons ~elat-, to ilnproyemen~ of srazing and ' arable land. Th,e Mission recoimuends a p~ogrel?l of testing a~d introducing better legumes and sr~eses, diversifying and rotatins c~ops, determining the most • desirable sraz1pg methods, increesil:18 the use of fertilJ,zers and lime,.and con~ trolling erosion. In Ol"der to provi~e feed reserves for l)er.toda of SUClD18J' droUS,ht and winter cold, ~ecommendations are· inade conceimns ~ffecti\re methods· of produc- 1ns arid storing feed·auppltea during p~rioda of su:rplue srowth. ':J:'he Mission expresse1ii the .convtction that aniirlal dtseaeea constitute a maJor problem·but notes that effective rellledies or met~o~s ot·control ar~· known · tor. aU of the anillial dteea.se.s in U~S\lBY. l;rit;c=adtlitj,Qn to ·steps alNady be1ns J r-·-' \ "'· '\ taken to eontrol a~d ere.dteate animal'diseaees, -recommendat~ohs. are ;made for an expanded pro~~, plac;tng primary ~phae~~ on oontpol ot.foot~and-mo1,1th_disease, ·t>rucellosi·e, sheep scab and t:tc.lt feve;tt~ Va;rioue .·reco~ndat1on$ ar, mad.e .for ~ho 1mp~ovement in the· q'1ality of livestock.,. bette~ fe'edir.ig·p~acticas, better manage- . mep_t"' ot sheep and c.attle and 1mprov~d -da1w 1>tOduot.1on• • : 0-  0 • 3 .. 'l . '?he ~~port contains reCc;:mQeru\ations on the proclr1ot1on of. susar, rice and • potatoes:, and on methods of reduc1ns costs and. 1ncre ~sing production :frail orchards., vineyards and tl'llck farms. .f\lthough only··,:. small part of the country's • ) v) ' arable _land 1s use~ for the production ot fruits, 'Wi:18 are.pee and vesetables, thie acreage proc:lilces a'.bout ioi of Urugt1ay's gross a&r10U::.tural income and1 in the opinion of the Mission., ehou1d be given increased atr~ent1on by private interests and tJle Govenmient. A. program tor increased afforestation is recoxmri.ended with the primar.v pll:t'pOSe o'! :protect!ng a~icultural and grazing la~d and increasing domestic fuel and lu."!!ber supplies~ "New forests ehoul.c\ be develQped e~edily in relatio~ to the need to preserve soil~ from erosion, to conserve and 1,rotect water supplies, and to use waste lands •••••wh1ob, othel."W:f.se are · a menace to ·normal agriculture•.•• ~ .•" The Mission is of the opinion that there a~ wide opportuni:f;1es to,r further • efficiency in methods of transporting, storing an~ 1?18.rket!ng agricultural products., The Report points out th~t while increased agrioi'lltural production can be achieved largely by :prtvate enterpriae., :\mp:rovemen~ 1n transportation, storage. and market- i~s depend ~ore on the regulatory functions of G~vermnent and aeaistence of public . \ institutions and services. Recommendations made by the Mission in this field are for ~provements in road and rail transportat:l.on; for the eetabli_ahment of legal s~dards and grades for agricultural oommQd1t1ee, to be ap~l1ed to the d~estio market and . the export :trade; -,and . for the int:roduot1on of gradj,ng and packing . facilities, ~hole;sale e.~otions., and cold e~orase plants in the producing areas • . Specific recommendations are made coneen-i1ntJ the pro.oess1ng aii~.,marl(etins ~f: wool., me~t, l)OUl'~ry, eggs, mi~, 'butter and cheese •. The Re:pol"t potr.rt.i.:J out ·tha-G ad.j~F~tm19-r{;s wi·~1n the pl:'1.vat,e eg_T.'icultural econOJD1' of the nature and ll16f~1.tud.e :rer,c.ti:r.r.ak)ll.i~d by t:he M:tseion ca~ be .ach:l0ireci 1.n a ,.-.eason• . . I • I~ ;- 0 - 4 - ed~cat1Qr,-1 ·:reS\llat1on and.· G>ther.· speo1al aerv!ce.s comparable to that available to • •. •. ,t ' • thei_ir cQm:pe{)~or,$:,~_:o~r-.countrie~. · ·TJ:le :Report outlines the nature_ ot· changes in public -:servi~e :tnst:Ltuti.ons-und~~ the· .m{ep1ce·s of the Ministry_ ot Agrieultiil"e which • are. beUered ~ecessary. to as~ure··the. seMoes essential to the suoceseful - ,, • < \\, .. ' . ' .execution "Of' the prod:tiot10n and- ·marJtetins 1>rosram. It ;oiakes several rec~hda- ·tlons tor ·changes in the <?rsanizat:to~ of agr1cu1tu:ral servtoes to ach1evet (l) eloserctyooroinat1on o:r ~esearch, educational. and techn1ca1 eervices, I) .\.';c. ', . • • (2) more effective (!.!rection ot the entire agric~tural research program of the government, (3) etrengthehins of msearch facilities in the principal a¢cUlturel fields., ( 4) strengthening of ad~sory services and their separation from resu;latoey· services. · \'l1e Report deals in general tersne w1~ certain maJor economic iDipl:tcat:tons ot the agri.ou:Ltural development pro~. It is sugdsted that the l)reeent pel'i~d of • agrieuitural prosperity is a favorable time to undertake jmpo~ant adjustments a-nd ~rovements. The !U,ss1on did not attempt to calculate tlie amount of cap1 tal inveettnent whicll would be req'Q.ired. to ilnplem.ent its recomme~dations. It d:1d state that ~e ;Prosrem will. :re(luire long'!9term capital investment tor :permanent ~rovement.e, med.1tl?!l~·te~ ered.1t tor eqtttpni~nt, an'1 increased availap111ty of ~o!4Dl81 work!ns ~ap1tal for ranclle~s and f~rs. A;J.te:rnatj,vee are d:tscussed for ·cl1~11ses in ·1ap.d• use requirins different amo ~ts and uses ·of Qap1tal funds. 1 In this connection,. it 1s pointed out that tlle prQposed pro~ "1Jlould be tlllde:rtake~ gradually and that some of the cap.~tal needed fOX' its l~te~ stage~ w1U become avatlable es a result ot _earlier 1nc:re~,e·, .in ett1cienc.y.  •., 1l - 5- 4J MAURICE~ I. lit¢oN~ ·.X~C ~M.G • . Chief of M!se1on . . Pi~eetor: Glexo J:AllQX!$torle,, ·X,td. (~and) NorWt Jritieh & Me~centile · ~S\U'once Co. Ltd.. (En.eland) \\ FOSTER ! • EU,IOTl' . · · De~ty ~ef. · of Mission . . Speoielist 1~ ·A1si!oul~~· ·p~d'.uction E~on~ics Associate Qbiet, :aure~u ·Qt Asricult\lral ~conQldcs United Ste.tee Departm'-'nt ot A~ic\lltu;e KA.'RL BBANX11' Jconomiat~ Jood Besearch Insti~te Stanford Un!.ve~eity A. H. ·MAW.OER Actins Ch~ef, A~cuJrtural :rnst1tu"9 t19ns and ·Servtcee Branoll, Foocl and AgricUlture Organization of the United Nations C. ~. McMEJ!KAN Spec.1al!et 1n Animal_ BusbenQ~ Superintendent, Ruakura Experi- Dai~'1JJS .. . mental. Station, New Zealend W. H. PI;l!'.BRE Agronorw DepaX"tn1ent Head.., Iowa State ·<bllese DAVlD SA.VAGP) Super1ntend$nt, Southern Grea-t?. Plain'3 Field Statton, ·United States·· De.part• €£:iaM~t. ~semen . r ~S:8~1.l'e and ~ · _,nt of Agriculture UONABP G. SOROENL.'lGER . Agricultural EMtneei', ~~~ ot. Plent Indu.ert:t:1, Soill, ~nd Asrieul,- turai ~st.nee~a, United States lJe~riment of AgriC'UJ.~ wuisG~ Wiliom:Ml\1'.T?~ ·. Spee_!!liet :tn_Fo!!!,str.v Di"a,or, .~ss Forest EconOldt Ase,oci~t:ton · · /c OtAF .S. AAL\10Dl' , efonsul.tant to the M1ae1ori . ;P_~11~c1l)a1 l'i~on~et, :Sureii~ of ~l~t Ind'1Sti7, ·Sotl.s 7 ap.d A~cult~al. c,&isineerins, Vmted. States Departnient ot A(Fi.culture •1m s~ TBot .1}9'f9l-at1:ve ·Assistant