§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he is satisfied that potato growers and wholesalers are not exploiting the shortage of supplies by profiteering;
(2) what assurances he can give about the supplies of potatoes to the housewife at reasonable prices over the next few months.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Minister of Agriculutre, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that there is a sufficient supply of potatoes for the nation's needs 212W currently available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BishopDespite the action already taken to alleviate the effect of the shortfall in potato supplies from the 1975 crop it is not possible to make good the estimated deficiency in the home crop of 2¼ million metric tons compared with last season. Prices at all stages of the distributive chain are determined by the normal forces of supply and demand, and the reduction in supplies means that they will remain high over the coming months. I hope that all those concerned will recognise that their long-term interests are best served by the orderly marketing during the remainder of the season.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish details of the number of potatoes grown, and the price per ton received by growers' in the United Kingdom during each of the last five years.
§ Mr. BishopThe information is as follows:
Crop Year (Quantity grown ('000 tons)) 1971 … … 7,279 1972 … … 6,424 1973 … … 6,737 1974 … … 6,683 1975 (estimate) … … 4,463
Average price per ton £ 1971 … … … … 15.06 1972 … … … … 19.61 1973 … … … … 19.07 1974 … … … … 25.81 1975 … … … … 91.44 The average price per ton relates to maincrop potatoes sold for human consumption through licensed channels in the United Kingdom.