§ Sir B. STANIERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he can give any information regarding the production of wheat, barley, and oats in Italy, Spain, India, Japan, Canada, and the United States, in cwts., and their estimated exports to this country and their percentage below the 1918 crops?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe probable production in 1919 of the crops named in the question, according to the latest information in the possession of the Board, is given in the following table:—
Country Wheat. Barley. Oats. Cwts. Percentage of 1918 crop. Cwts. Percentage of 1918 crop. Cwts Percentage of 1918 crop. Italy 83,000,000 84 3,350,000 81 8,850,000 68 Spain 73,000,000 100 38,000,000 98 8,300,000 96 British India (1918–19) 150,000,000 76 — — — — Japan 16,000,000 96 39,000,000 115 2,800,000 145 Canada 104,000,000 103 28,000,000 85 11,6000,000 90 United States 495,000,000 101 84,000,000 76 350,000,000 80 In August last the High Commissioner for Canada stated that the wheat exportable surplus would probably be 100,000,000 bushels (say, 54,000,000 cwts.). Later trade estimates anticipate rather more, while the trade expects that the probable surplus of the United States wheat crop will be about 150,000,000 cwts. The export of wheat from India is at present prohibited. The Board have no information as to the prospects of export from other countries.