§ 17. Captain Duncanasked the Minister of Food the tonnage of potatoes used for human consumption in each of the last five years; and what his estimate is for 1953.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (Dr. Charles Hill)As the reply includes a number of figures, I will, with permision, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the information:
| Crop Year | Estimated tonnage of potatoes used for human consumption in the United Kingdom '000 tons | |||
| 1947–48 | … | … | … | 5,249 |
| 1948–49 | … | … | … | 5,697 |
| 1949–50 | … | … | … | 5,699 |
| 1950–51 | … | … | … | 5,591 |
| 1951–52 | … | … | … | 5,185 |
| 1952–53 | … | … | … | 5,275 |
§ Captain DuncanIn view of the apparent fact that there is a large surplus of potatoes in Angus at the present moment, can my hon. Friend say whether in fact there is a surplus in the country as a whole and, if there is, what steps is he taking to relate supply to demand?
§ Dr. HillThere has been a particularly good crop in Scotland in the current season, but it has been almost entirely cleared from the farms. On 1st March there were 525,000 tons on the farms, but the position today is that there are less than 30,000 tons.
§ Mr. ManuelIn view of the Parliamentary Secretary's reply in connection with Scotland, can he indicate whether a greater acreage was planted for this year's spring crop than for last?