HC Deb 31 March 1939 vol 345 cc2344-5W
Viscountess Astor

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total output of sugar grown in England in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what was the return per cwt. that the factory received for this sugar, including value of the subsidy and of the remission of the excise on it; what was the tonnage of sugar imported for each of the same two years; and what was the value per cwt. of this in each of these years?

Sir R. Dorman-Smith

The amount of sugar produced from beet grown in Great Britain in the years 1936–37 and 1937–38 was as follows:

— 1936–37 1937–38
cwt. cwt.
White 5,375,716 3,043,049
Raw 5,372,030 4,776,180
Total: 10,747,746 7,819,229

The sugar produced from Scottish beet cannot be distinguished, but forms only a small percentage of the whole.

The return per cwt. to the British Sugar Corporation for this sugar, together with the Exchequer assistance thereon paid under the Sugar Industry (Reorganization) Act, 1936, was as follows:

— 1936–37. 1937–38.
s. d. s. d.
White Sugar:
Average Price Duty Paid 18 4.4 19 2.2
Exchequer Assistance 4 9.4 2 9.7
Total 23 1.8 21 11.9
Raw Sugar:
Average Price Ex Duty 10 2.7 11 4.9
Exchequer Assistance 4 9.6 2 9.9
Total 15 0.3 14 2.8

The white sugar was sold with the duty paid at the preferential rate of 4s. 7d. per cwt. The value of the raw sugar is ex duty, but the price paid takes into account the preferential rate of duty to be paid on the sugar.

— 1936–37 1937–38
Quantity cwt. Average Value per cwt, ex duty Quantity. Average Value per cwt. ex duty.
s. d. s. d.
Raw Sugar:
Dominion 9,513,905 8 6.4 12,041,257 9 10.4
Colonial 12,340,368 9 10.8 14,265,462 11 7.2
Foreign 21,832,725 4 10.1 19,225,444 6 3.7
Total Raw Sugar 43,686,998 7 1.3 45,532,163 8 10.9
Refined Sugar (inducing Sugar candy):
All Countries 691,485 7 7.0 803,311 8 6.7
Notes.
(i) All figures are for the year April to March.
(2) Most of the imported raw sugar is of a polarisation of about 96 degrees, whilst nearly all the raw sugar produced from home-grown beet is of a polarisation exceeding 98 degrees.
(3) The average rate of Exchequer assistance paid on raw sugar in 1936–37 and again in 1937–38 was slightly higher than the corresponding average for white sugar, owing to the fact that the bulk of the raw sugar was produced in weeks when the effective rate of assistance was higher owing to a lower average raw sugar price.
(4) The differences between the values (ex duty) of Dominion, Colonial and Foreign sugar are largely accounted for by the preferential rates of duty on Empire sugar.