[?]m Prices Did
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[?]Coa
[?]Ustry
[?]m Prices Did [?]re Harm Than Good
order to break the vicious circle f circumstances in the cocoa idustry, the Committee on Com ity Problems of FAO has re nended the early establishment n inter-governmental group to ct and study information on a production, consumption and a despatch by the Common th News Agency correspondent ondon, on July 25, it was stated the recent drop in cocoa prices caused concern to producers the Commodity Committee is itigating matters relating to it. was calculated some years ago cocoa demand would for many 5 outstrip supply. However, ers have not worked out like Small supplies brought high s, and high prices brought fall demand, and subsequently a [us. Cocoa is not an essential nodity and the tendency since loom prices of a couple of years is to turn away from chocolate /her forms of confectionery, tween 1946 and 1953, says the
Agency despatch, cocoa prices were high and supplies short, and in 1954 there came further steep price rises intensifying a tendency for consumers to reduce their purchases As a result, although the current cocoa crop will only be one to two per cent, above those of 1950 and 1951, the price has dropped by about 33 per cent.
About 100,000 tons, or 15 per cent of world production, could not be sold in 1954-55, and an approxi mately equal amount from the current crop will probably also be unsaleable and must be stockpiled.
There has thus developed in the cocoa industry a vicious circle of circumstances which, if left to operate unchecked, could pursue its destructive course for years.
It has therefore been decided to refer the problems of the cocoa in dustry to the Commodity Problems Committee for discussion of what
action would be appropriate to re turning stability to the industry.
In addition, a meeting of in terested governments called by the United Nations Secretary-General m May, referred the question to the Food and Agriculture Organisa tion.
It recommended that considera tion be given to the early establish ment of an inter-governmental group to collect and study infor mation on cocoa production, con sumption and trade, and to examine what measures might be taken to facilitate a steady expansion of production and bring about stable market conditions linked to funda mental trends in demand. t Harold Francis Raymond Haze winkel has filed at Honiara, BSIP, a petition for divorce from Ann Seina Hazewinkel, formerly of Syd ney, Australia.