§ 26. Mr. Crouchasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage increase in production is required over the next four years if the aims of the White Paper "Food from our own Resources" are to be fulfilled.
§ Mr. PeartIt was made clear in "Food from our own Resources" that the projections in the White Paper were not a fixed set of production targets. The White Paper did however envisage an expansion in the agricultural industry's net product averaging about 2½ per cent. per year into the early 1980s. That remains the Government's objective although inevitably, as in 1975–76, there can be substantial variation from year to year in the industry's net product due to weather and other factors.