§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEasked Her Majesty's Government whether they can now say what acreage of potato crops has been planted this year, and whether they have formed any estimate of the prospects for this crop.
EARL WALDEGRAVEAt the 4th March, 1959, census in England and Wales, the occupiers' forecasts of the areas they expect to have under potatoes this year were 90,000 acres for first earlies and 480,000 acres for second earlies and maincrops. On these expectations, the total area of potatoes in England and Wales (570,000 acres) will be substantially the same as the area grown in 1958 (576,000 acres).
According to the reports on crop conditions at 1st May, early potatoes were in forward condition. About nine-tenths of the acreage of maincrops had been planted, the small proportion remaining being chiefly in areas where the work had been delayed through wet conditions on heavy soils.