§ Mr. Russellasked the Minister of Food if he will publish a statement showing the quantity and value of foodstuffs bought in bulk from overseas by his Department 57W during 1951 and 1952, together with a statement of the respective deliveries.
FOODSTUFFS PURCHASED FROM OVERSEAS BY THE MINISTRY OF FOOD DURING 1951 AND 1952 Commodity 1951 1952 Purchases (a) Arrivals Purchases (a) Arrivals Tons '000 Value (f.o.b.) £'000 Tons '000 Tons '000 Value (f.o.b.) £'000 Tons '000 Fruit and canned fish (b) … 316 21,998 320 346 25,418 351 Meat and bacon (c) … 779 128,374(d) 762 812 139,075 812 Tea, coffee and cocoa (e) … 124 40,023 136 31 10,164 35 Cereals, pulses, starch and animal feedingstuffs … 8,511 237,812 8,388 7,803 229,805 7,717 Sugar and glucose … 2,249 90,387 2,236 2,049 76,797 2,002 Milk products, eggs and oils and fats … 2,484 301,362 2,489 2,162 257,435 2,252 14,463 819,956 14,331 13,203 738,694 13,169 NOTFS:— (a) Exclude purchases shipped direct for overseas consumption. (b) Including canned fruit, dried fruit, edible nuts, fruit juices and potatoes (1951 only). (c) Including canned meat. (d) Including £7¾ million lump sum payments to Argentine and Uruguay in final adjustment of provisional prices paid for meat shipped in previous years. (e) There were no Ministry purchases of tea or cocoa in 1952.