§ Mr. de ROTHSCHILDasked the Minister of Agriculture what quantities of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, black currants, plums, and apples have been imported into this country in each of the years 1929 and 1930; what were their countries of origin; what proportion of the total imports of the different types of fruits were contributed by each of these countries; and what were the corresponding amounts of the same fruits produced in this country?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe quantities of raw strawberries, gooseberries, currants, plums and apples imported into the United Kingdom from the different countries of consignment in 1929 and in the first 10 months of 1930 are given in the following table:
816W
817W
Description of Fruit and Countries whence consigned. 1929. 1930 (10 months). Strawberries, raw— Cwts. Cwts. Denmark — 3 Germany 60 2 Netherlands 23,956 33,004 Belgium — 23 France 55,076 34,322 Switzerland — * United States of America 380 277 Channel Islands 535 — Canada — 47 Irish Free State 210 2 Total 80,217 67,680 Gooseberries, raw— Denmark — 2 Germany 2 — Netherlands 10,384 20,638 Belgium 4,279 6,629 France 63 315 Italy 57 612 Channel Islands 1 — Irish Free State 762 342 Total 15,548 28,538 Currants, raw— Norway 3,066 2,095 Germany 345 93 Netherlands 20,570 28,772 Belgium 17,494 15,834 France 99,577 72,123 Spain — 3,651 Italy 9 — Channel Islands 5 2 Union of South Africa. 1 — Irish Free State 228 44 Total 141,295 122,614 Plums, greengages and damsons, raw†— Norway — 6 Denmark 1,444 — Germany 64,690 5,357 Netherlands 12,565 2,404 Belgium 74,199 25,824 France 208,483 149,878 Algeria — 12,381 Switzerland — 147 Portugal 412 13 Spain 45,795 54,128 Italy 50,464 65,589 United States of America. 21,458 35,813 Porto Rico — 17 Uruguay — 4 Argentine Republic 231 4 Union of South Africa. 16,764 27,235 Australia 791 206 Canada 6,601 6,227 Irish Free State 1,419 2,670 Total 505,256 387,903
Description of Fruit and Countries whence consigned. 1929. 1930 (10 months). Apples, raw— Cwts Cwts. Soviet Union (Russia). 19,824 10,187 Finland — 227 Lithuania — 10 Sweden 2 819 Norway — 399 Denmark 472 512 Germany 10,296 9,566 Netherlands 67,700 3,030 Belgium 58,694 2,465 France 94,867 69,417 Switzerland 31 21 Portugal 66,007 14,370 Spain 6,168 1,340 Italy 18,524 227 UnitedStates of America. 3,089,163 1,370,078 Cuba — 340 Chile 181 1,036 Brazil — 71 Argen Republic; 15 2 Channel Islands 2,003 62 Union of South Africa. 3,325 2,660 Australia 351,908 1,349,009 New Zealand 258,075 380,210 Canada 1,707,238 1,509,476 Newfoundland — 232 Irish Free State 3,048 973 Total 5,757,541 4,726,739 * Less than ½ cwt. † Prior to 1930 described as plums, raw, only. Separate figures of the imports of the different kinds of raw currants, or of the total imports of raspberries are not available.
As regards home production, the quantities of these kinds of fruit produced in England and Wales in 1929 were as follow:
Thousand cwts. Strawberries 340 Gooseberries 645 Black currants 254 Red and white currants 74 Plums 1,215 Apples 6,415* Raspberries 102 * Not including 1,145,000 cwt of cider apples. Corresponding figures in respect of 1930 are not yet available, while as regards 818W Scotland and Northern Ireland, no figures have been published since 1925.