§ 11. Mr. PETHERICK (for Mr. SMITHERS)asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give the House in broad outline the wheat position in the world; and what is the estimated quantity for export from the main wheat-growing countries for 1933 as compared with 1931 and 1932?
§ Mr. ELLIOTI have been asked to reply. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement giving the information for which my hon. Friend has asked.
§ Following is the statement:
§ On the basis of present estimates the position is as follows:
§ The 1933 Wheat Crop in North America has been exceptionally small, amounting to approximately 360,000,000 bushels less than in the previous year. No figures for the crops of the southern hemisphere are yet available, but estimates for the area sown show a contraction in Australia of approximately 670,000 acres and in the Argentine of approximately 1,500,000 acres. The 1933 crop in Europe has been exceptionally abundant, and is estimated (excluding Russia) at 152,000,000 bushels more than in the previous year. The Russian crop is also understood to be large.
§ Under the recent International Wheat Agreement, export allocations between the chief exporting countries have been made as follows, based on the assumption of a total world's import demand of 560,000,000 bushels for the year 1933–34:
| Wheat, including flour. | Million Bushels. | |
| Canada | … | 200 |
| United States | … | 47 |
| Australia | … | 105 |
| Argentine | … | 110 |
| Danubian countries | … | 50 to 54 |
§ This leaves a balance of 44 to 48 million bushels to be provided by Russia or other unspecified exporting countries.
§ Exports from the main wheat-growing countries for the years 1931–32 and 1932–33 were as follows:
19| Wheat including Flour—Million bushels | ||
| —— | 1932–33. (August to July.) | 1931–32 (August to July.) |
| Canada | 261 | 206 |
| United States of America. | 29 | 109 |
| Argentina | 131 | 140 |
| Australia | 148 | 154 |
| Russia | 16(a) | 66(a) |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 11 |
| Hungary | 7 | 18 |
| Rumania | (b) | 37 |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | 15 |
| Total of above | 596 | 756 |
§ (a)Wheat only. Data up to 31st May. For 1931–32 this is evidently a revised figure, as previously exports for the whole year were estimated at 63 million bushels.
§ (b)Less than 500,000 bushels (up to the end or June).