July 10, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
July 10, 1984, is the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (Public Law 480). This legislation, signed by President Eisenhower, began the largest food assistance program ever undertaken by one country on behalf of needy people throughout the world, the Food for Peace program.
The productivity and abundance of U.S. agriculture have made this generosity possible. During the thirty years of this program, more than 300 million tons of agricultural commodities and products valued at approximately $34 billion have been distributed to over 150 countries. This food has helped reduce world hunger and improve nutritional standards.
The Food for Peace program has served as an example for other countries which have joined the United States in the effort to provide food aid to needy people. It has served as a model for others to follow and continues to meet changing needs and situations.
The Food for Peace program has accomplished multiple objectives: to combat hunger and malnutrition abroad, to expand export markets for U.S. agriculture, to encourage economic advancement in developing countries, and to promote in other ways the foreign policy of the United States.
In recognition of the accomplishments of this program, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 306, has designated July 10, 1984 as ``Food for Peace Day'' and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that day.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 10, 1984, as Food for Peace Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to commemorate this occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:24 a.m., July 11, 1984]