§ 23. Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish figures on a monthly basis showing the relationship of imported supplies of apples and pears to domestic supplies.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartI will, with permission, circulate a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing, by months. three-year average figures for 1968 to 1970 comparing imports and estimated home marketings of apples and pears.
§ Mr. Evelyn KingWhen my right hon. Friend publishes those figures, will he not find that we are wasting large sums of foreign exchange on what we can perfectly well grow ourselves?
§ Mr. StodartIn the first five months of the main home marketing season home-grown apples were responsible for 93 per cent. of all supplies and the figure for pears was 72 per cent. In regard to excessive imports, the quotas on non-sterling area imports give some protection, but that is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
§ Following is the information: