§ 57. Lieut.-Colonel Corbettasked the Minister of Food how many potatoes he has contracted to buy from Eire and at what average price; and when he expects to take delivery.
§ Mr. StracheyFifty thousand tons, for delivery between November, 1948, and May, 1949, at prices of £10 13s. 6d. per ton f.o.b. Eire port up to 31st January, 1949, and £11 8s. 6d. per ton thereafter.
§ 65. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Food the profit or loss made by his Department in their purchases and sales of potatoes of the 1948 crop.
§ Mr. StracheyThis will not be possible until after the season is over.
§ 67. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Food how many tons of potatoes he has purchased from British farmers which are now to be processed into powder to make cattle food; and how much per ton he expects to lose after allowing for the extra cost of transport, processing and dyeing the powder purple.
§ Mr. StracheyWe expect that about 275,000 tons of potatoes which cannot be sold direct for livestock will be dried for animal feedingstuffs. They will not be dyed. The loss, including transport and processing costs, will be about £9 a ton. But the gain to the nation of obtaining this home-produced addition to our animal feedingstuffs will be very valuable.