News In Brief

UN food report describes snags in Latin economy

Latin America's efforts to service a total foreign debt of about $350 billion have hurt its ability to import the food it needs, while the value of goods it produces for the world market is deteriorating, according to a report prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for a three-day regional conference which opened here yesterday.

The conference will focus on efforts to increase domestic food production and reduce the need for imports, as well as methods of ensuring the food gets to those who need it. During 1984 and '85, it plans to spend nearly $104 million on food programs in Latin American and Caribbean countries.