§ 24. Mr. John Fraserasked the Minister of Overseas Development in view of the increasing demand for bread in the developing countries, what his Department is doing to find ways of using non-wheat flours in bread making.
§ Mr. OramThe Tropical Products Institute, which is part of my Department, has set up a test bakery to develop ways of making bread from a mixture of wheat flour and starches derived from cassava, maize or millet, fortified with protein supplement.
§ Mr. FraserWill the results of this research be made available to developing countries, and is this country producing machinery for the production of flour from non-wheat substances?
§ Mr. OramAll information derived from these researches is readily available to the Governments of developing countries. I am glad to say that the machinery which is recommended is of British manufacture.
§ Mrs. KnightWill the Minister make sure, before flour of any kind is despatched from this country, that there will be no delays at the Customs, as recently happened when 12,000 tons of Australian flour was held up in Nigeria until it went rotten?
§ Mr. OramThis is a rather different question from the one on the Order Paper. I am aware of the problem and will have it in mind if it arises in connection with our efforts.