§ Mr. Dyeasked the Minister of Food what was the total tonnage of homegrown barley purchased by his Department from the 1944 harvest; what was the cost to his Department and the total expenses incurred; what was the income received by the sale of the barley and the average loss per ton; and whether similar figures are available for the 1945 harvest.
§ Mr. StracheyThe total tonnage of home-grown barley purchased by my Department from the 1944 harvest was approximately 347,000 tons at a cost of about £7,850,000. Expenses incurred in handling this quantity, including drying and storage, are estimated at £1,000,000. It is not possible to relate sales of barley to purchases made from a particular crop, since some of the barley purchased by my Department is stored in bulk and may be mixed with barley from a previous crop. Receipts from the sale of the quantity indicated, however, are estimated to total £5,387,000, showing an average loss per ton of approximately £10 Barley from the 1945 harvest is not yet fully marketed, and similar figures for purchases from the 1945 crop are, therefore, not available.