§ In the field of food and agriculture this policy brings with it the twin benefits of relief for the Exchequer and increasing freedom—freedom not only for fanners and traders, but also for the housewife. I am glad to be able to announce now a further step in this direction. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Food has just arranged to buy one million tons of surplus Cuban sugar at an advantageous price. We shall be able to use this addition to our other supplies over the next two years. Under the stimulus of the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, our supplies from the Commonwealth are growing rapidly, and we shall still rely 45 on their efforts. But this special purchase will give us extra sugar in the immediate future.
§ Our purpose is to end sugar rationing and the allocation of sugar to food manufacturers, and we shall now be able to do so soon. The details are still being worked out, and I cannot announce the precise date on which rationing will end. It will take a little time to get enough sugar refined and distributed, but as a preliminary step, the ration will be increased by 2 ounces on 17th May.
§ The cost to the balance of payments of the extra sugar will be partly offset by a substantial fall in our imports of expensive substitutes. After rationing has ended, the present small subsidy on sugar for domestic use will end too—[Interruption.]—but to those who are longing to hear bad news I must say quite openly that it is by no means certain that this will lead to a rise in price. The ending of this particularly irksome piece of rationing will, I know, be a tremendous encouragement to every housewife.