§ 22. Mr. Turtonasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in order to provide 768 the increased quantity of potatoes that would be required in the event of war, he will intimate to the Potato Marketing Board the additional acreage that it is desirable to plant, and give a guarantee that the Government will in any event provide an outlet for the additional crop so produced?
§ 31. Mr. Bartlettasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in order to increase the production of home-grown food against the eventuality of war, he will fix a guaranteed price for potatoes and thereby encourage farmers to put more land under the one important crop that can still be increased this year?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithI would refer my hon. Friends to the reply given to the hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. J. Morgan) and my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Howdenshire (Major Carver) on 30th March, of which I am sending them copies.
§ Mr. TurtonAs the time that remains for planting potatoes is very short, can the Minister give some indication to potato producers as to whether they will be allowed to increase their acreage?
§ Mr. LoftusIs the Minister aware that in Suffolk farmers are most anxious to plant immediately, but cannot do so for fear of being fined £1 an acre?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThe Situation with regard to that so-called fine is that there were 115,000 acres, or a little over a sixth of the basic acreage, were unused in 1938, and that acreage, therefore, is still available. As regards the other question, I fully appreciate the problem, and have been into it as carefully as possible, but I do not see that at the moment it would be possible to give the indication which my hon. Friend desires.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsIs not the Minister aware that the only possible solution of this problem is that the Government should not only guarantee a price to potato producers, up to a maximum quantity, but should also have their own machinery for distributing the potatoes?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat does not arise out of the question on the Paper.