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“In the developed world, market expectations for food are higher than they ever were, and in the developing world, they’re far too low." - Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon

Secretary-General Opens Commonwealth Agricultural Conference

13 July 2006

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon opened the 22nd Commonwealth Agricultural Conference in Calgary, Canada, on 13 July 2006.

More than 200 delegates from the Commonwealth participated in a three-day conference on ‘Market Expectations for Food -- and Farming Realities’. This biennial conference organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth aims to build a greater knowledge of the immense range of agriculture in the Commonwealth and the marketing opportunities for farm products among its 53 member countries.

Issues on the agenda included scientific advances in cereal production and livestock farming; market trends and the development of new markets; as well as farming in Canada and Africa.

Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr McKinnon said: “In the developed world, market expectations for food are higher than they ever were, and in the developing world, they’re far too low. In the developed world, farming realities are now about niches, but in the developing world, they are about barriers, both natural and man-made.

“About 20 per cent of the world’s population is officially undernourished, so our farming focus should be on overcoming those barriers. The two best ways of achieving that are by concluding a fair and rules-based global trading system under the World Trade Organisation, and giving developing countries the physical and intellectual investment they need to take advantage of new opportunities and play to their strengths.”

The previous Commonwealth Agricultural Conference was held in Albury, New South Wales, Australia, in 2004.

Full text of the Secretary-Generals opening speech is now available