the agricultural organizations, as a result of the Ministry's firm belief that for work to yield its excellent results, it must be carried out in cooperation between the Ministry and the farmers whom the matter con-cerns. On this basis the cooperative movement in Lebanon has grown active and its spread has widened; on this basis, too, the Silk Office was established, to be followed by other offices, the most important of them the Apple Office and the Citrus Office, in which the farmers concerned and the representatives of the competent authority will take part, to do whatever redounds to the good of the public interest.

Q — Is there a unified governmental effort among the Arab countries to strengthen agriculture and to eliminate its pests?

A — There is no doubt that the economic conferences held from time to time in the Arab countries aim at strengthening agricultural production by facilitating its exchange among the Arab countries; accordingly we find that most Arab agricultural produce moves from one Arab country to another exempt from customs duties, and in this lies no small encour-agement and reinforcement of Arab agricultural production. There is no doubt, either, that this reinforcement will grow ever firmer with time, the more the Arabs feel the vital importance of their close economic cooperation. As for the cooperation of the Arab countries to eliminate agri-cultural pests, I can say that these countries' cooperation in combating the locust — that deadly pest which constitutes a common danger to all our crops — is an important proof of the Arabs' sense of the necessity of cooperating in this field as well, for the good of all.