process which is realistically small and realistically representative. Notes a/ Statement by the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Shridath S. Ramphal, at the opening of the resumed twenty-first session on 20 April 1985 in New York. -36- Annex III CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA a/ 1. The African region, not fully recovered from a series of oil crises, was seriously affected by the most devastating natural disaster on record, affecting at one time almost all countries with few exceptions. The structural deficiencies are considered the main cause of the intensity of the crises. As a result, the production structure of many African economies fell into disarray. Agriculture, the impetus of growth, can no longer sustain the basic necessities of the African population, given the damage to the soil caused by drought and other natural calamities. Moreover, the hostile international environment and inadecruate and inappropriate domestic policies have, no doubt, been responsible for the very poor economic performance of the African region. Since the beginning of the 1980s there has been no significant growth in output. 2. At the close of the 1970s, when the African population was expanding on the average of about 2.5 per cent, food production was only expanding by less than 2 per cent per annum. The situation has been much worse in the 1980s; per capita food production declined so sharply that each African is estimated to have around 10 to 12 per cent less home-grown food than five years earlier, b/ Thus, the region has had to import food or receive food aid in increasing amounts. It is believed that over 20 per cent of the African population currently depends on food imports. Even so, the African region still remains calorie deficient. The calorie 
**Analysis**
The text appears to focus on the economic and environmental challenges faced by the African region, particularly in the agricultural sector. It highlights the impact of natural disasters, structural deficiencies, and poor policies on the region's economy and food production. The text also touches on the consequences of these issues, such as food imports and calorie deficiencies.

**Category**
Economic development, Agriculture, forestry and fishing