§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year from 1960 onwards in terms of 1980 prices (i) the price paid for sugar under the Commonwealth sugar agreement, (ii) the price paid to developing countries under the common agricultural policy, (iii) the quantities imported into the United Kingdom under guarantee in each case, (iv) the price paid to United Kingdom farmers for sugar beet and (v) the amount of sugar produced from United Kingdom beet.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe information is as follows. So far as item (ii) is concerned, the prices paid under the sugar protocol to the Lomé convention are freely negotiated between buyers and sellers, and are not published. The prices shown are the guaranteed prices at which the Community would buy the sugar if it could not be marketed at or above the guaranteed price: no such purchases have yet been made. Since the prices are set in European currency units, their value in sterling fluctuates with movements in market exchange rates. It would therefore be misleading to express these prices on a 1980 basis in the same way as the other prices referred to in the question. However, the guaranteed price for 1981–82 of 389.4 ecu per tonne, converted into sterling at the current market rate, is equivalent to £216.91 per tonne which, deflated by the United Kingdom general index of retail prices up to January 1982 is equivalent to £184.13 at 1980 prices.
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(i) Negotiated Prices under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement £ per long ton £per long ton (nominal) at 1980 prices 1960 44.44 237.65 1961 45.10 233.68 1962 46.82 232.94 1963 47.13 229.90 1964 47.08 222.08 1965 45.69 205.81 1966 46.72 202.25 1967 46.72 197.97 1968 46.72 189.15 1969 46.72 179.00 1970 46.72 168.66 1971 45.89 151.45 1972 57.32 176.37 1973 57.21 161.15 1974 104.44 253.50 Notes:
1. Nominal figures deflated by general index of retail prices.
2. Prices shown are weighted average of negotiated prices, including prices paid for Australian and (in 1960 and 1961) South African sugar.
3. All prices are for raw sugar basis 96° polarisation. For 1960 and 1961 they are for bagged sugar cif but basis pre-war rates of freight and insurance; for 1962 and 1964 they are for bagged sugar fas country of origin; from 1965 they are for bulk sugar fob and stowed country of origin.
(ii) Guaranteed Prices set under the Sugar Protocol of the Lomé Convention ecu per tonne February 1975 to March 1976 30.86 April 1976 to June 1977 32.28 July to June 1977–78 32.94 1978–79 33.62 1979–80 34.13 1980–81 35.89 1981–82 38.94 Note:
Prices are for raw sugar basis 96° polarisation, in bulk cif European ports of the Community.
(iii)Imports into the United Kingdom Under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement Calendar year Thousand long tons tel qual 1960 1,582.0 1961 1,633.5 1962 1,477.7 1963 1,483.7 1964 1,544.3 1965 1,726.2 1966 to 1972 1,710.5 1973 1,657.1 1974 1,385.2 Note:
1. Quantities shown are those purchased by the Sugar Board at negotiated prices: some of the sugar was shipped to destinations other than the United Kingdom.
2. Quantities are attributed to the year in which they were contracted to be shipped: in some cases shipment was delayed to the following year.
3. Figures include shipments from Australia and (for 1960 and 1961) South Africa.
Source: Reports of the Sugar Board.
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Under the Sugar Protocol of the Lome Convention and related agreements Thousand metric tonnes white sugar equivalent Up to October 1975 590 October-September 1975–76 1,291 1976–77 1,343 1977–78 1,268 1978–79 1,169 1979–80 1,163 1980–81 (estimated) 1,000 Note:
Figures are for imports into the United Kingdom only: additional quantities were imported into other Community countries.
Source:
EC statistics.
(iv) Prices paid to United Kingdom farmers for sugar beet £ per metric tonne £ per metric tonne (nominal) at 1980 prices 1960 5.95 31.89 1961 6.05 31.39 1962 6.11 30.41 1963 6.14 29.95 1964 6.30 29.72 1965 6.43 28.96 1966 6.43 27.84 1967 6.52 27.63 1968 6.46 26.15 1969 7.21 27.62 1970 7.39 26.68 1971 7.86 25.94 1972 8.43 25.94 1973 9.14 25.75 1974 12.56 30.49 1975 17.20 33.66 1976 14.97 25.12 1977 20.38 29.54 1978 21.93 29.36 1979 26.25 30.96 1980 (estimated) 25.80 25.80 Notes
1. Figures at 1980 prices are nominal figures deflated by general index of retail prices.
2. Prices represent the return to growers ex-farm for the crop harvested in the year shown.
3. Up to 1966 prices are for beet of 16 per cent, sugar content. From 1967 prices are at actual sugar content.
Source: MAFF statistics.
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(v) United Kingdom sugar production 1960 901.77 1961 772.59 1962 697.53 1963 750.81 1964 943.39 1965 859.71 1966 861.16 1967 887.30 1968 897.62 1969 860.27 1970 906.67 1971 1,086.31 1972 886.48 1973 963.25 1974 568.25 1975 641.40 1976 695.25 1977 949.21 1978 1,022.50 1979 1,154.17 1980 1,105.76 *1981 1,091.00 * Estimated.
Note: Sugar produced in the early part of the year is counted as part of the previous year's production.
Source: MAFF statistics.