§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the guide and minimum prices for cotton under the common agricultural policy in 1973 and each of the past five years, the average world price, the cost of the support to the EEC budget, the tonnage qualifying under the arrangement and the amount of aid per tonne, and production imports and exports of cotton in the EEC.
§ Mr. MacgregorThe information available for cotton is shown below, the aid scheme was introduced in 1981.
production of fibre flax and hemp in 1973 and in each of the past five years, the amount produced with such aid, the cost to the EEC budget, the corresponding world price and the amount imported and exported from the EEC.
§ Mr. MacgregorThe information available is as follows:
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1973 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 Flax Hemp Flax Hemp Flax Hemp Flax Hemp Flax Hemp Flax Hemp (provisional) Area on which aid claimed ('000 ha)* 47.2 4.3 58.0 6.9 49.6 5.5 50.8 5.1 53.0 4.9 na na Aid rate (ECU/ha)†‡ 134.99 115.00 264.70 240.41 296.84 269.60 335.02 304.32 355.12 322.52 351.57 319.29 Gross EC expenditure|| (MECU) 5.49 16.832 17.032 19.451 19.351 28.367 Imports from third countries into EC ('000 t) 32.0 18.7 15.8 15.7 8.9 15.6 16.0 17.4 23.5 19.2 33.7¶ 20.7¶ Exports to third countries from EC ('000 t) 37.3 1.2 31.2 1.2 34.6 1.9 36.3 1.3 38.5 2.0 36.5¶ 3.2¶ * World prices for fibre flax and hemp are not readily available. † Information available only on marketing year basis (August/July). ‡ Aid is payable on a per hectare basis (average EC yields are not readily available). || Separate information on fibre flax and hemp not available. ¶ January to September only.